Iowa State Parks · Iowa
Pilot Knob State Park
Iowa State Parks · Iowa, United States
- Sites
- 62
- Hookups
- 49 electric, 1 with water, 13 no hookups
- Season
- May 1 to October 31
- Group sites
- Yes
- Drinking water
- Yes
- Restrooms
- Yes
- Showers
- Yes
- Dump station
- Yes
- Pets
- Yes
- Elevation
- 1,407 ft
- Dark sky
- Bortle class 3
- Cell coverage
- AT&T weak · Verizon weak · T-Mobile good (carriers' 4G LTE filings to the FCC, 2025-12; not measured here)
- Nearest town
- Forest City
- Address
- 2148 340th Street
- Phone
- 641-581-4835
62 numbered sites are mapped one by one - open the site map to pick yours.
About
Pilot Knob State Park is an Iowa State Park campground offering 62 sites (49 electric) near Forest City.
Fees
Peak season (May 1-Oct 15) rates per night: electric sites $22/night, nonelectric sites $14/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 | 24° | 3° | -25° | 47° | 11 of 11 |
| February | 29° | 10° | -28° | 64° | 11 of 11 |
| March | 45° | 27° | -4° | 73° | 11 of 11 |
| April | 56° | 36° | 13° | 81° | 7 of 11 |
| May | 70° | 50° | 32° | 84° | 1 of 11 |
| June | 80° | 61° | 46° | 96° | 0 of 11 |
| July | 80° | 65° | 53° | 91° | 0 of 11 |
| August | 77° | 63° | 53° | 89° | 0 of 11 |
| September | 78° | 59° | 43° | 87° | 0 of 11 |
| October | 61° | 42° | 24° | 81° | 4 of 10 |
| November | 45° | 30° | -3° | 67° | 9 of 10 |
| December | 31° | 19° | -16° | 67° | 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
- McIntosh Woods State Park · Iowa State Parks · 10 mi · 49 sites
- Thorpe Park · City, County & Regional Parks · 10 mi · 15 sites
- Dahle Park · City, County & Regional Parks · 12 mi · 8 sites
- Crystal Lake Park · City, County & Regional Parks · 12 mi · 29 sites
- Clear Lake State Park · Iowa State Parks · 13 mi · 153 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.