Iowa State Parks · Iowa
Palisades-Kepler State Park
Iowa State Parks · Iowa, United States
- Sites
- 40
- Hookups
- 27 electric, 13 no hookups
- Season
- May 1 to November 15
- Group sites
- Yes
- Drinking water
- Yes
- Restrooms
- Yes
- Showers
- Yes
- Dump station
- Yes
- Pets
- Yes
- Elevation
- 856 ft
- Dark sky
- Bortle class 4
- Cell coverage
- AT&T weak · Verizon weak · T-Mobile none (carriers' 4G LTE filings to the FCC, 2025-12; not measured here)
- Nearest town
- Mount Vernon
- Address
- 700 Kepler Dr
- Phone
- 319-895-6039
44 numbered sites are mapped one by one - open the site map to pick yours.
About
Palisades-Kepler State Park is an Iowa State Park campground offering 40 sites (27 electric) near Mount Vernon.
Fees
Peak season (May 1-Oct 15) rates per night: electric sites $26/night, nonelectric sites $18/night, youth group site $20/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 | 27° | 9° | -20° | 54° | 11 of 11 |
| February | 33° | 17° | -14° | 66° | 11 of 11 |
| March | 47° | 30° | 5° | 75° | 10 of 11 |
| April | 60° | 39° | 22° | 81° | 5 of 11 |
| May | 70° | 53° | 37° | 88° | 0 of 11 |
| June | 82° | 63° | 48° | 94° | 0 of 11 |
| July | 84° | 67° | 59° | 94° | 0 of 11 |
| August | 80° | 66° | 55° | 92° | 0 of 11 |
| September | 79° | 60° | 48° | 91° | 0 of 11 |
| October | 62° | 44° | 27° | 81° | 2 of 10 |
| November | 48° | 31° | 6° | 72° | 8 of 10 |
| December | 36° | 23° | -11° | 70° | 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
- Wanatee Park · City, County & Regional Parks · 8 mi · 69 sites
- Sandy Beach Camp · Army Corps of Engineers · 8 mi · 58 sites
- Lake Macbride State Park · Iowa State Parks · 8 mi · 96 sites
- Sugar Bottom Campground · Army Corps of Engineers · 11 mi · 244 sites
- West Overlook Campground · Army Corps of Engineers · 13 mi · 89 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.