Iowa State Parks · Iowa
Emerson Bay State Recreation Area
Iowa State Parks · Iowa, United States
- Sites
- 82
- Hookups
- 82 electric, 24 with water
- Season
- May 1 to October 31
- Drinking water
- Yes
- Restrooms
- Yes
- Showers
- Yes
- Dump station
- Yes
- Pets
- Yes
- Elevation
- 1,385 ft
- Dark sky
- Bortle class 4
- Cell coverage
- T-Mobile good · AT&T good · Verizon good (carriers' 4G LTE filings to the FCC, 2025-12; not measured here)
- Nearest town
- West Okoboji
- Address
- 3100 Emerson St
- Phone
- 712-337-3211
About
Emerson Bay State Recreation Area is an Iowa State Park campground offering 82 sites (82 electric) near West Okoboji.
Fees
Peak season (May 1-Oct 15) rates per night: sewer/water/electric sites $38/night, electric sites $26/night. Rates include sales tax. A $4/night equestrian fee is bundled into equestrian-campground rates above where applicable (except youth group sites). A $4-$5/night surcharge applies on Memorial Day, Labor Day and July 4th holiday weekends. Off-season (Oct 16-Apr 30) rates run roughly $2-6/night lower than these May 1-Oct 15 peak-season rates for the same site type. (Iowa DNR's own official per-park camping rate schedule, iowadnr.gov, updated February 15, 2026.) Pets are allowed in Iowa state park campgrounds, subject to Iowa DNR's park regulations: "Pets shall not be left unattended in campgrounds" and "Privately owned animals shall be kept on a leash with a maximum length of six feet, or be kept confined." (iowadnr.gov's own park-use regulations.)
Weather, month by month
| Month | Typical high | Typical low | Coldest night | Hottest day | Years with a night below 32°F |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| January | 26° | 4° | -21° | 52° | 11 of 11 |
| February | 30° | 11° | -30° | 61° | 11 of 11 |
| March | 44° | 28° | -4° | 72° | 11 of 11 |
| April | 57° | 36° | 15° | 81° | 7 of 11 |
| May | 69° | 51° | 36° | 87° | 0 of 11 |
| June | 81° | 62° | 45° | 95° | 0 of 11 |
| July | 83° | 65° | 53° | 91° | 0 of 11 |
| August | 79° | 64° | 54° | 91° | 0 of 11 |
| September | 79° | 60° | 43° | 90° | 0 of 11 |
| October | 62° | 43° | 24° | 80° | 3 of 10 |
| November | 46° | 30° | 6° | 69° | 7 of 10 |
| December | 31° | 17° | -15° | 64° | 10 of 10 |
Mid-month figures from 2016–2026 of daily weather at this spot (ERA5 reanalysis via Open-Meteo, CC BY 4.0), in °F. Typical is the median; coldest and hottest are the extremes seen.
Nearby campgrounds
- Gull Point State Park · Iowa State Parks · 1 mi · 112 sites
- Arnolds Park City Campground · City, County & Regional Parks · 2 mi · 15 sites
- Elinor Bedell State Park · Iowa State Parks · 6 mi · 8 sites
- Marble Beach State Recreation Area · Iowa State Parks · 8 mi · 122 sites
- South Shore Campground · City, County & Regional Parks · 10 mi
All public campgrounds in Iowa · Every state and province · Facts read from the operator 2026-08-25. Confirm fees, rules and current status with the operator before you go.