Campgrounds and RV parks near Conrad, IA

Water activities dominate the trip list. The lake is a no-wake lake, and anglers can expect to find bass, bluegill, crappie, catfish, saugeye, walleye and northern pike. The beach at Union Grove Lake offers unsupervised swimming, and the lake has two boat ramps, one near the beach and one on the west side. Pine Lake adds trails and river paddling. More than 10 miles of well developed trails ring the lake, marked with points of interest that correspond with trail brochures available at trail heads, the campground and the park office. The Lake-to-Lake State Park Bike Route is a 50 mile route connecting Pine Lake and George Wyth Memorial state parks. Rock-n-Row Adventures coordinates tubing trips on the Iowa River, with floats taking 3 to 5 hours depending on river conditions, and outfitters setting groups up with a cooler tube for drinks and snacks.

The camping season in this part of Iowa is tightly bounded by winter. The Union Grove campground is closed each year from November 1 through March 31, and during the open season it is 100 percent reservable and accepts reservations April 1 through October 31 until 10:00 pm CST the day of arrival. The Pine Lake State Park Campground follows the same November 1 through March 31 closure. Cabins at both parks run longer. One cabin at Pine Lake is ADA accessible, and all cabins include a full kitchen and bath, along with heating and air conditioning for year-round stays. Union Grove has two modern year-round cabins that are ADA accessible and sleep up to four people. Summer is peak. Camping at Rock-n-Row usually starts sometime in May, but the campground does not bring in live music every Saturday until about the middle of June through Labor Day, so the weekends at the peak of summer are the busiest. Weekday arrivals or shoulder-season trips in May and September see thinner crowds and easier site selection.

Sites at the two state parks are modern but not resort-style. The Union Grove campground contains full hookup sites, electric sites, modern restrooms and showers, and a dump station. Pine Lake offers 50 amp electrical service, modern showers, restrooms and a trailer dump station, without sewer hookups at individual sites. Rock-n-Row offers both tent and RV camping with 30 amp and 50 amp electric hook-ups; sewer and water hook-ups are not provided, but staff will fill water tanks from the on-site well upon registration. Emerald ash borer has been confirmed in all 99 counties in Iowa, and while firewood may be moved legally within Iowa, moving firewood can still spread pests, so buying firewood locally near the park and burning it all during the stay is one of the best ways to slow the spread.