Summer’s here soon, but it may already be too late to get a prime state park campsite

As the unofficial kickoff to summer and camping season hits this Memorial Day weekend, Iowa’s state park campground reservations already are largely filled up on weekends in June and July.

That is the situation at most of the 72 campgrounds listed on the Iowa Department of Natural Resources website, according to an IowaWatch review this week of each location. The agency counts more than 4,500 campsites.

In 2020, Iowans flocked to state parks when many sought the outdoors for safe activities amid the COVID-19 pandemic. In fact, 2020 set a record for park visitors with 16.6 million, according to the Iowa DNR.

Todd Coffelt, Iowa DNR bureau chief for state parks and preserves, said in May 2019 there were 13,936 campsite reservations in the online system. But last year at this time, the Iowa DNR had only 6,482 due to Gov. Kim Reynolds’ spring 2020 plan temporarily shutting down state park campgrounds for health safety measures.

“Last year we closed the parks for two months, April and May, so people couldn’t pay or plan ahead with the state’s response to the pandemic,” Coffelt said.

This year, Coffelt said, there were 25,065 reservations as of early May — and counting. “We’re seeing increases in reservations, but we have new users that have new equipment, and a newfound appreciation for Iowa’s resources,” he said.

Camping fans feel the increase.

“This year, it’s been harder to try to find spots,” said Ryan Houska, an avid camper from Des Moines who runs the “Camping in Iowa” Facebook group. “You have to be right at your three-month window to get a decent spot anymore and even then, it’s still a shot in the dark.”

Iowa allows campers to reserve spots three months in advance, and some parks are already at 75 percent capacity, according to “Camping in Iowa.”

“I do think there has been an increase in the number of people camping since COVID began last year. We were fortunate to have a friend that has some land developed by Brooklyn that he has set up for a few campers on 37 acres,” Houska said. “When the governor shut the campgrounds down last year, we were still able to get out and relax at the private pond.”

Houska does not believe so many people will continue to camp once other major attractions open up.

“People that just bought a camper realize that it’s just not for them; there will be a ton of used campers for sale,” he said.

Erin Huiatt, owner of online family website “Des Moines Parent,” and her family routinely took summer vacations and consider themselves avid travelers. Last year, the Huiatts decided to take up camping.

“We actually invested in a pop-up camper,” Erin Huiatt said. “We went on quite a few trips we were able to get scheduled, and it was just a great way to safely be somewhere like, you know, go to a different location, experience that location but safely, because you are in your own area.”

Some campgrounds within the state parks are reserved in advance and others are first-come, first-served and accept walk-up reservations.

Last year, Iowa’s state park system celebrated its centennial. With the rapid increase in visitors and reservations, Coffelt hopes for the future of the state parks and their influence.

“These parks have been here for 100 years now, and they’ve always been here. So sometimes we may overlook the potential of the importance, but I think what we learned was they are places to go, that are healthy for you, healthy for your soul and mind and body,” Coffelt said.

Coffelt encouraged Iowans to seek out openings during the weekdays, which IowaWatch’s review shows to be more open than weekends at many state campgrounds.

“During the week is really an opportunity to go when nobody else is there and to go to parks where no one else is,” Coffelt said.

For more information on availability or to reserve a campsite, visit the Iowa DNR’s website and look for “Places to Go.”

The Iowa Center for Public Affairs Journalism is a nonpartisan, nonprofit news outlet that strives to be the state's leading collaborative investigative news organization. Read more at iowawatch.org.