Iowa State Parks · Iowa
Yellow River State Forest
Iowa State Parks · Iowa, United States
- Sites
- 135
- Hookups
- 135 no hookups
- Season
- Year-round
- Group sites
- Yes
- Drinking water
- Yes
- Restrooms
- Yes
- Showers
- No
- Dump station
- No
- Pets
- Yes
- Elevation
- 909 ft
- Dark sky
- Bortle class 1
- Cell coverage
- T-Mobile none · AT&T none · Verizon none (carriers' 4G LTE filings to the FCC, 2025-12; not measured here)
- Nearest town
- Harpers Ferry
- Address
- 729 State Forest Road
- Phone
- 563-586-2254
136 numbered sites are mapped one by one - open the site map to pick yours.
About
Yellow River State Forest is an Iowa State Park campground offering 135 sites (no electric sites) near Harpers Ferry.
Fees
Peak season (May 1-Oct 15) rates per night: Equestrian: nonelectric sites $20/night; Nonequestrian: nonelectric sites $16/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 | 26° | 8° | -17° | 47° | 11 of 11 |
| February | 32° | 14° | -17° | 60° | 11 of 11 |
| March | 45° | 29° | 2° | 74° | 11 of 11 |
| April | 56° | 38° | 23° | 79° | 6 of 11 |
| May | 70° | 52° | 35° | 85° | 0 of 11 |
| June | 79° | 62° | 50° | 93° | 0 of 11 |
| July | 82° | 67° | 59° | 91° | 0 of 11 |
| August | 79° | 65° | 57° | 89° | 0 of 11 |
| September | 77° | 60° | 46° | 88° | 0 of 11 |
| October | 60° | 45° | 29° | 78° | 3 of 10 |
| November | 44° | 31° | 5° | 68° | 6 of 10 |
| December | 34° | 22° | -11° | 66° | 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
- Bloody Run Park · City, County & Regional Parks · 8 mi · 20 sites
- Gateway Campground · City, County & Regional Parks · 11 mi · 10 sites
- Pikes Peak State Park · Iowa State Parks · 12 mi · 61 sites
- Waukon City Park Campground · City, County & Regional Parks · 14 mi
- Wyalusing State Park · Wisconsin State Parks · 14 mi · 114 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.