Iowa State Parks · Iowa
Fort Defiance State Park
Iowa State Parks · Iowa, United States
- Sites
- 16
- Hookups
- 8 electric, 8 no hookups
- Season
- May 1 to November 15
- Pets
- Yes
- Elevation
- 1,457 ft
- Dark sky
- Bortle class 4
- Cell coverage
- Verizon weak · T-Mobile good · AT&T good (carriers' 4G LTE filings to the FCC, 2025-12; not measured here)
- Nearest town
- Estherville
- Address
- 1730 360th Ave
16 numbered sites are mapped one by one - open the site map to pick yours.
About
Fort Defiance State Park is an Iowa State Park campground offering 16 sites (8 electric) near Estherville.
Fees
Peak season (May 1-Oct 15) rates per night: electric sites $20/night, nonelectric sites $12/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 | 25° | 3° | -22° | 51° | 11 of 11 |
| February | 29° | 10° | -30° | 61° | 11 of 11 |
| March | 45° | 27° | -4° | 72° | 11 of 11 |
| April | 56° | 36° | 14° | 81° | 7 of 11 |
| May | 69° | 51° | 34° | 86° | 0 of 11 |
| June | 81° | 62° | 45° | 95° | 0 of 11 |
| July | 82° | 65° | 53° | 91° | 0 of 11 |
| August | 79° | 64° | 54° | 91° | 0 of 11 |
| September | 79° | 60° | 43° | 89° | 0 of 11 |
| October | 61° | 42° | 23° | 80° | 3 of 10 |
| November | 46° | 30° | 2° | 69° | 8 of 10 |
| December | 31° | 16° | -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
- Wolden Recreation Area & Campground · City, County & Regional Parks · 10 mi · 90 sites
- Elinor Bedell State Park · Iowa State Parks · 11 mi · 8 sites
- Arnolds Park City Campground · City, County & Regional Parks · 13 mi · 15 sites
- Tuttle Lake Recreation Area & Campground · City, County & Regional Parks · 14 mi · 52 sites
- Marble Beach State Recreation Area · Iowa State Parks · 14 mi · 122 sites
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.