Iowa State Parks · Iowa
Shimek State Forest
Iowa State Parks · Iowa, United States
- Sites
- 56
- Hookups
- 56 no hookups
- Season
- Year-round
- Drinking water
- Yes
- Restrooms
- Yes
- Showers
- No
- Dump station
- No
- Pets
- Yes
- Elevation
- 607 ft
- Dark sky
- Bortle class 1
- Cell coverage
- T-Mobile weak · Verizon weak · AT&T none (carriers' 4G LTE filings to the FCC, 2025-12; not measured here)
- Nearest town
- Farmington
- Address
- 1175-1171 IA-2
- Phone
- 319-878-3811
About
Shimek State Forest is an Iowa State Park campground offering 56 sites (no electric sites) near Farmington.
Fees
Peak season (May 1-Oct 15) rates per night: Equestrian: nonelectric sites $16/night; Nonequestrian: 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 | 32° | 16° | -18° | 60° | 11 of 11 |
| February | 39° | 22° | -11° | 66° | 11 of 11 |
| March | 51° | 34° | 9° | 78° | 9 of 11 |
| April | 64° | 43° | 26° | 82° | 5 of 11 |
| May | 75° | 58° | 41° | 91° | 0 of 11 |
| June | 86° | 67° | 51° | 95° | 0 of 11 |
| July | 88° | 70° | 62° | 97° | 0 of 11 |
| August | 85° | 69° | 59° | 95° | 0 of 11 |
| September | 81° | 63° | 54° | 97° | 0 of 11 |
| October | 64° | 47° | 30° | 86° | 2 of 10 |
| November | 52° | 35° | 9° | 74° | 6 of 10 |
| December | 39° | 27° | -5° | 71° | 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
- Battle of Athens State Historic Site · Missouri State Parks · 2 mi · 29 sites
- Wilson Lake Park · City, County & Regional Parks · 10 mi · 16 sites
- Pollmiller Park · City, County & Regional Parks · 14 mi · 30 sites
- Nauvoo State Park · Illinois State Parks · 16 mi
- Lacey-Keosauqua State Park · Iowa State Parks · 17 mi · 65 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.