Campgrounds and RV parks near Cambridge, IA

At Ledges State Park, visitors come for the canyon drive, sandstone ledges along Pea's Creek, and roughly four miles of marked trails leading to Des Moines River Valley overlooks. The Des Moines River offers fishing and paddling opportunities, and shaded picnic areas suit day trips out of the campground. Adventureland Park sits next to Adventureland Campground, making theme-park days simple for RV families. Prairie Meadows racing and casino and the Outlets of Des Moines are minutes away in Altoona. Closer to Griff's Valley View, the paved Chichaqua Valley Trail runs beside the campground for cycling and walking. Walnut Woods protects the largest natural stand of black walnut trees in North America and offers Raccoon River fishing and canoe access, plus more than 90 recorded bird species along its trails.

The Iowa camping calendar is tightly tied to weather. Iowa state parks generally turn water on and open shower buildings around May 1, and start shutting them down around mid-October, so April and late-October stays may find modern facilities unavailable. From November 1 through March 31 most Iowa state parks convert to walk-in only, with no advance reservations, though a handful of parks, including Ledges, accept reservations in November and March. Ledges State Park follows this pattern closely: the campground is closed December through February, off peak in March and April, peak from May through mid-October, and off peak again from mid-October through November. A park-wide road preservation project will restrict portions of Ledges through much of the summer, and the campground itself is scheduled to close for most of August during that work. Adventureland Campground runs a shorter private season tied to the amusement park calendar, with the busiest weeks around the Iowa State Fair in August. Walnut Woods, by contrast, accepts reservations year round.

Ledges offers electric and non-electric sites along with hike-in tent spots, modern restrooms, showers, a dump station, and a playground. Cell service in the canyon can be spotty, and Canyon Road occasionally closes during flooding on the Des Moines River. Griff's Valley View provides 142 paved concrete pads with full hookups and 30 and 50 amp service, plus two shower and laundry buildings, a community center with a storm shelter and game room, a fishing pond, and a small playground. It is big-rig friendly and sits directly on the Chichaqua Valley Trail. Adventureland Campground features full hookup sites next to the amusement park. Walnut Woods has shaded concrete-pad sites with electric or full hookups, modern restrooms, and a dump station, but no showers in the campground.