Iowa State Parks · Iowa
Lake Darling State Park
Iowa State Parks · Iowa, United States
- Sites
- 81
- Hookups
- 66 electric, 15 with water, 15 no hookups
- Group sites
- Yes
- Drinking water
- Yes
- Restrooms
- Yes
- Showers
- Yes
- Dump station
- Yes
- Pets
- Yes
- Elevation
- 682 ft
- Dark sky
- Bortle class 2
- Cell coverage
- T-Mobile weak · AT&T weak · Verizon weak (carriers' 4G LTE filings to the FCC, 2025-12; not measured here)
- Nearest town
- Brighton
- Address
- 111 Lake Darling Road
- Phone
- 319-694-2323
About
Lake Darling State Park is an Iowa State Park campground offering 81 sites (66 electric) near Brighton.
Fees
Peak season (May 1-Oct 15) rates per night: sewer/water/electric sites $36/night, electric sites $24/night, nonelectric sites $16/night, youth group site $15/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 | 30° | 13° | -20° | 59° | 11 of 11 |
| February | 37° | 21° | -18° | 68° | 11 of 11 |
| March | 50° | 32° | 9° | 77° | 10 of 11 |
| April | 63° | 41° | 23° | 82° | 5 of 11 |
| May | 74° | 56° | 39° | 91° | 0 of 11 |
| June | 85° | 65° | 49° | 96° | 0 of 11 |
| July | 86° | 69° | 60° | 97° | 0 of 11 |
| August | 84° | 67° | 56° | 93° | 0 of 11 |
| September | 81° | 62° | 51° | 95° | 0 of 11 |
| October | 64° | 46° | 27° | 85° | 2 of 10 |
| November | 51° | 33° | 8° | 74° | 7 of 10 |
| December | 38° | 25° | -11° | 72° | 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
- Brinton Timber · City, County & Regional Parks · 4 mi
- Mac Coon Access · City, County & Regional Parks · 13 mi
- Jefferson County Park · City, County & Regional Parks · 15 mi · 38 sites
- Kalona City Campground · City, County & Regional Parks · 23 mi · 38 sites
- Oakland Mills Park · City, County & Regional Parks · 23 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.