Available Nov 13–15 · 2 nights7 sites open for every nightA forested campground near fishing, hiking, and mountain biking. RV fit varies by site.
Recreation at Saylorville Lake ranges from placid shoreline fishing to wind-driven water sports; the lake supports boating, sailing, water skiing, windsurfing and swimming, and anglers chase walleye, wiper, largemouth bass, catfish, crappie and northern pike. The paved Neal Smith Trail, a 24-mile National Recreation Trail that links Des Moines to Big Creek State Park, passes along the east side of the lake and is popular for biking, hiking, jogging, walking and in-line skating.








Length limits vary by campsite.
Showers on site. Dump station on site.
Check dates on Recreation.gov. Showing 40 of 60 sites.
| Site | Fr 13 | Sa 14 | Price |
|---|---|---|---|
| 37 standard electric | – | – | $22 |
| 42 standard electric | – | – | $22 |
| 48 standard electric | – | – | $22 |
| 49 standard electric | – | – | $22 |
| 52 standard electric | – | – | $22 |
| 67 standard electric | – | – | $22 |
| 27 standard electric | – | – | $22 |
| 31 standard electric | – | – | $22 |
| 34 standard electric | – | – | $22 |
| 38 standard electric | – |
Hookups (individual campsites): 60 electric individual sites.
SAYLORVILLE LAKE ADMINISTRATION OFFICE
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Official facts link to their source; “Listing” facts come from the Recreation.gov listing. Anything we can't source says so.
Verbatim from guest reviews on Recreation.gov ↗ (344 reviews, ★ 4.0). Not written or edited by us.
“Clean park . Friendly staff. Large sites. Wish they had more with full hookups.”
“Good size sites, convenient to Des Moines. Must see Living History Farms- ~7mi away. Good smaller size lake, access from Bob Shetler, perfect for kayak or canoe paddling without waves and sheltered from the wind which can be a problem on Saylorville Lake.”
“I like the spots that back up to the river. Nice level, concrete sites with decent shade and water close by. I've been there twice now. ”
| – |
| $22 |
| 29 standard electric | – | – | $22 |
| 35 standard electric | – | – | $22 |
| 50 standard electric | – | – | $22 |
| 54 standard electric | – | – | $22 |
| 60 standard electric | – | – | $22 |
| 30 standard electric | – | – | $22 |
| 44 standard electric | – | – | $22 |
| 55 standard electric | – | – | $22 |
| 57 standard electric | – | – | $22 |
| 61 standard electric | – | – | $22 |
| 64 standard electric | – | – | $22 |
| 39 standard electric | – | – | $22 |
| 45 standard electric | – | – | $22 |
| 46 standard electric | – | – | $22 |
| 68 standard electric | – | – | $22 |
| 58 standard electric | – | – | $22 |
| 56 standard electric | – | – | $22 |
| 63 standard electric | – | – | $22 |
| 47 standard electric | – | – | $22 |
| 51 standard electric | – | – | $22 |
| 41 standard electric | – | – | $22 |
| 53 standard electric | – | – | $22 |
| 65 standard electric | – | – | $22 |
| 66 standard electric | – | – | $22 |
| 32 standard electric | – | – | $22 |
| 33 standard electric | – | – | $22 |
| 36 standard electric | – | – | $22 |
| 40 standard electric | – | – | $22 |
| 62 standard electric | – | – | $22 |
| 69 standard electric | – | – | $22 |
✓ available · R reserved · X not available · C closed · W first come, first served · N not yet released
Available Nov 13–15 · 2 nights7 sites open for every night
Available Nov 13–15 · 2 nights7 sites open for every night
Available Nov 13–15 · 2 nights11 sites open for every nightRentals that may deliver here and whose listed length fits sites up to 70 ft. Delivery may be available — confirm fees and dates with the owner before you book.

Travel trailer · 20 ft · sleeps 5 · 6 mi from campground
$109/night listed · RVshare · Delivery may be available
View rental
Travel trailer · 25 ft · sleeps 5 · 10 mi from campground
$110/night listed · RVshare · Delivery may be available
View rental
Class C motorhome · 24.4 ft · sleeps 6 · 11 mi from campground
$250/night listed · RVshare · Delivery may be available
View rentalstays up to 14 nights (Recreation.gov rules).
For May weekends, book about 124 days ahead. Three in four May Friday and Saturday arrivals were booked later than that, and half were booked 29 days or less before arrival. Past timing is guidance, not a guarantee of what is open now.
| Arrival month | Fri/Sat arrivals: half booked at least | A quarter at least | Other days: half booked at least | A quarter at least |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| April | 52 days ahead | 90 days ahead | 44 days ahead | 106 days ahead |
| May | 29 days ahead | 124 days ahead | 25 days ahead | 129 days ahead |
| June | 37 days ahead | 106 days ahead | 19 days ahead | 101 days ahead |
| July | 25 days ahead | 89 days ahead | 14 days ahead | 80 days ahead |
| August | 26 days ahead | 79 days ahead | 20 days ahead | 93 days ahead |
| September | 17 days ahead | 68 days ahead | 9 days ahead | 46 days ahead |
| October | 15 days ahead | 39 days ahead | 8 days ahead | 32 days ahead |
Months with fewer than 30 reservations of that kind are left blank. Sites where nearly every booking was made the day of arrival (pay on arrival) are left out. Closed seasons, windows not yet released for booking, and currently unavailable nights are separate from this history.
Based on Recreation.gov reservations, FY2015–2025 (18,651 reservations in the years scored). Counts reservations made, not nights actually camped: cancellations aren't in the data, and nights a site was closed count as not booked. FY2020–21 (COVID) are left out of the scores.
60 individual reservable campsites from Recreation.gov, checked Nov 7. Rates are the listed nightly rates.
Tent or RV, with power
60 sites · $22, $26/night
0 open Nov 13–Nov 15