Camping At Hickory Hills Park In Iowa

While on our way to South Dakota we needed a spot for a couple nights to break up the long days of driving from Ohio and found a little gem in Iowa.

Hickory Hills Park is a primitive campground found in Warren County. It is located 13 miles south of Indianola on US Highway 69.

You can camp in this lovely park for up to 14 days. When we stayed it was free, but starting April 1, 2022 a fee of $5 per night will be charged.

That nominal fee is still completely worth it though.

There are around 7 sites each with a picnic table and fire pit provided. There are no hook-ups available, but water can be found near the barn via an old pump. We hooked up our hose and filter and filled up water jugs before we left.

Also near the barn are restrooms with running water and flushable toilets. A second set of vault toilets are available near the camping loop of the park. Trashcans can also be found near the barn and shelter.

Most spots are grass and will accommodate any size vehicle.

The sites are also available on a first come first serve basis. Be sure to register (and I assume pay now) at the parks entrance near the informational boards. Leashed pets are allowed just be sure to pick up after them.

It’s been a while since our visit, but I believe both are Verizon and AT&T worked here. Their performance improved after we set up our booster with Verizon working much better.

We got plenty of sun at our spot so we had no issue powering up our solar. From what we saw it seemed like it wouldn’t be an issue at most of the other sites either.

Trees line the sites so some shade is provided throughout the day as well for a little relief from the beating rays of the sun.

A very large shelter with a raised deck can be found here and is a great place to hang out. You are also able to reserve the shelter for events. A large communal firepit is located near the barn.

Remnants of an old homestead can be found at the park. The original storm cellar, farmhouse foundation and barn still remain here. Picnic tables and electricity have been added in the barn for visitors to utilize.

Multiple hiking trails start at the park including a hike around some old Indian mounds. You can actually call a number and get an audio tour of the mounds for more information.

Truthfully though, if I didn’t know they were Indian mounds I would of thought they were just some raised bumps in the ground. Though the walk is still quite lovely, I didn’t find the mounds that impressive.

A small pond is also located within the park.

You can walk around the pond and onto a couple of decks built on it. I believe you can also fish here, but we did not. The pets did enjoy walking the path around it though and it was very pretty.

I just love this little park.

It is very well maintained and extremely clean. The sites are far enough apart that you’re not right up of your neighbors, which is always a plus in my book. On one side of the park you have the camping area and on the other all the amenities.

The shelter and barn is surrounded by a large grassy area with plenty of room for pets and the little ones to run around and play in. The whole park is just so picturesque and a nice, safe, quiet place to spend a night or two in.

This is a spot I highly recommend!