$20 - $25 / night

Camper submitted image from Jester County Park - 1

Camper submitted image from Jester County Park - 2

Nature

Camper submitted image from Jester County Park - 3

People

Camper submitted image from Jester County Park - 4

Camping

Camper submitted image from Jester County Park - 5

Facilities

Established Camping

Jester County Park

27 Reviews

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About

County

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Location

Jester County Park is located in Iowa

Directions

From jct I-80/35 (exit 127) & Hwy 141: Go 7-1/2 mi W on Hwy 141, then 3 mi N on NW 121st St, then 1/2 mi E on NW 118th Ave.

Address

11407 NW Jester Park Dr.
Granger, IA 50109

Coordinates

41.783655240135154 N
93.77581261157394 W

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Access

Drive-In
Park next to your site

Stay Connected

WiFi
Available
Verizon
Good
AT&T
Unknown
T-Mobile
Good

Site Types

Tent Sites
RV Sites
Standard (Tent/RV)
Cabins
Tent Cabin

Features

For Campers

Market
Trash
Picnic Table
Phone Service
Reservable
Showers
Drinking Water
Electric Hookups
Toilets
Alcohol
Pets
Fires

For Vehicles

Water Hookups
Pull-Through Sites
Big Rig Friendly

$20 - $25

/ night

For information regarding reservations, contact this campground directly.

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Contact

General Info

Amanda W.

Scout

Reviewed Apr. 13, 2024

outing

went out here with family and had a amtime azing

Site12

Month of VisitAugust

Amanda W.

Scout

Reviewed Apr. 13, 2024

camping

we love it here people are great price is Right Showers are hot every time it a WOnderfull place •to be .

Whitney S.

Guide

Reviewed Apr. 9, 2022

Little bit of everything

Campgrounds amazing views airsoft gun and archery ranges snowshoeing equestrians and cross-country skiing

Month of VisitMay

Whitney S.

Guide

Reviewed Apr. 9, 2022

A little bit of everything

The campgrounds are great the facilities are amazing they have airsoft ranges or tree ranges snowshoeing cross-country skiing and all 4 each and the campgrounds are between 20 and $25 a night.

Month of VisitMay

Jay M.

Guide

Reviewed Dec. 14, 2021

Nice CG located on the North end of Saylorville Reservoir. Camped in the upper CG site#145. Numerous shade trees, gravel pad and room for our 20' trailer and TV. CG has a kids playground, hiking trails, Equestrian Center, golf course and nature center. Plenty to do with the city of Ankeny just 15 minutes away. CG was fairly empty until around Thursday and filled on the weekend. Seniors can get$5 off per day of their reservation. Dump station is at the entrance of the CG. We camped at Jester Park in a Travel Trailer.

Site#145

Month of VisitNovember

Ashlee M.

Scout

Reviewed Oct. 22, 2021

Peaceful Iowa campground

We love Jester its been our home away from home all summer. We often spend 2 weeks at a time. They have nice clean restrooms and a large playground for the kids. They have the elk and Bison to learn from too overall a great campground.

Site149

Month of VisitOctober

Nicholas

Scout

Reviewed Aug. 15, 2021

Highly recommend

Great park. Nice sites, plenty of green space, clean.

Site131

Month of VisitSeptember

Mary H.

Scout

Reviewed Aug. 5, 2021

Jester campground

A lovely and quiet campground. The huge drawback is the water quality of Saylorville lake. It is toxic— blue algae from farm runoff. Not safe for man or beast.

Site216

Month of VisitSeptember

Pete

Scout

Reviewed Aug. 4, 2021

Lots to do

Campground has a lot to offer for families of all types. Parks for the kids, hiking trails, nature center with bison and elk, golf course, mini golf, lake access, fishing and more. The different sites offer different feels. Some down by the water with a view of Saylorville with a lot more sun or others tucked in the trees with a secluded shaded feel.

Site139

Month of VisitAugust

Darryl B.

Scout

Reviewed Jul. 16, 2021

Great campground!

Tons of trees, very lush, clean bathhouses. Fire rings, picnic tables, level gravel sites.

Site142

Month of VisitAugust

Our S.

Scout

Reviewed Jun. 30, 2021

Shady

We just spent 12 days on site 137 in Jester Park. It has electric only but a water spigot not far away to fill your fresh water tank.

These were the last 2 weeks of June and there was a lot of turnover throughout the campground. It is obviously a very popular place.

The bathrooms were clean and serviceable and the grounds were always neatly mowed and picked up.

Check out my YouTube Channel " Our Simple Adventures" for some footage!

Site137

Month of VisitJuly

Tanner H.

Traveler

Reviewed Jun. 24, 2021

Jester park is great for a weekend with friends and testing new camping gear

This site was great, it has a reserve site to its right, (the people never showed up) and a FCFS site to the left. No one showed up there either and it was Father’s Day weekend! Super quiet and relaxing. Each site towards the front of the 400’s is BIG. You have plenty of room for 2 vehicles and two sizable tents. There was four of us and a dog.

A couple minor complaints that I developed would be that it is right next to the golf course so there is a lot of near by traffic, and people like to cruise on motorcycles and drive muscle cars through the twisty roads. The nice bathroom in the #300s camping area is a bit of a walk BUT has showers and really clean toilets. Some of the cleanest I’ve seen at a campground in Iowa. DO NOT USE THE “TOILETS” in the #400s area, they are dirty and basically a hole in the ground.

Another downside is that things are pretty spread out, and with it being pretty hot out we weren’t able to walk miles to get to the different trails at the park. The short trails we did walk on were nice and up kept though.

Site#439

Month of VisitJuly

(4) View All

Lai La L.

Guide

Reviewed Oct. 8, 2020

Nice fall colors!!

Nice place.

Amanda H.

Guide

Reviewed Sep. 28, 2020

Solid campground

Stayed at this campground for 3 nights while visiting Des Moines. We stayed in Loop 1- site 138 because we wanted electrical. The electrical box has 2 standard household plugs which is nice. This loop was mostly RVs due to the electrical hook ups. There aren't really trees between the sites, but it is in a wooded area which is nice and there is some space between the sites so you don't feel like you are right on top of the other people. Generally, people were pretty quiet, especially once it got dark. Each site as a gravel drive and then open gravel area with a picnic table and fire pit with grill grate. Plenty of room for camp chairs and other furniture you may want to set up. There is a grassy area all around the gravel with plenty of room for multiple tents. 2 bath/shower houses within a short walk from the site- they were both clean and solid to use. There are some short trails within the park which are generally well marked, but just 1 trail is longer than about 1/2 a mile. Didn't check it out, but there is also a large lake. Lots of picnic areas throughout the park. There's also a volleyball court and free lending library near one of the bathhouses. Overall, I'd recommend this campground as long as you don't mind seeing your neighbors. Quick drive into Des Moines too.

SiteSite 138

Month of VisitOctober

Jessica

Guide

Reviewed Sep. 14, 2020

Just Made It!

Took my new to me PUP on her maiden voyage to Jester Park in July with my two kids, best friend and her daughter. We BARELY made it, pulling in on a Thursday around 4, and snagged one of 2 spots left! We were lucky enough to get a corner lot with some good shade trees. Staff was friendly, bathrooms were SUPER clean and campground was very quiet! The downfall is that raccoons in the park have 0 fear of humans, and I had an unknown hole in the wheel well cover... OF COURSE right into the cabinet where I kept the dog food. After a grand total of 3 hours sleep trying to figure out what on earth these critters were SO FASCINATED with at our site, we patched the hole with duct tape, the cabinet with duct tape and used a broom for security at 4am. (Yep, they got right in to my camper but no harm came to the sleeping kids, the snoring dog, the gang of 4 raccoons or the two adults unless you consider a severe lack of sleep to be harmful!) There's a lot to do at Jester Park including a natural playscape and plenty of beaches nearby. Would 100% stay again with a reservation and a solid raccoon proof plan!

(4) View All

Luke C.

Traveler

Reviewed May. 28, 2020

Fun easy spot near salorville mouth

Good fishing nice open areas and trails to explore. Lots of cool kid activities. Buffalo ranch near by which is cool as well as Pingora outdoor supply store near by where you can purchase firewood and other camp supplies.

Brian G.

Guide

Reviewed Sep. 22, 2019

Awesome park!

Great park with many different activities available!

Ethan M.

Guide

Reviewed Jul. 8, 2019

Great views from the tent spots

Beautiful views from our campsite. No electricity in this part of the campground, but that also made it less crowded. Definitely coming back 👍

Larissa C.

Guide

Reviewed Aug. 3, 2018

Best Camping in Central Iowa

Jester Park is our go-to camping destination in central Iowa! By far, this county park has a lot of fun activities and access points to the Saylorville waterway circuit. In addition to the water access ways, there is a sweet pond to fish in, several hiking trails, a brand new (opened August 2018) Nature Center, amphitheater, bison and bird viewing, and even cabins if you want to rent them (fully stocked, linens included!).

Our favorite spot to camp is 410 and 409. It's a secluded area within the 400s that is lined with trees on one side and a drop off into the Saylorville water circuit on the other (see photos). For $15/night/camping spot, you can enjoy the best view of stars and amazing sunsets. We go a couple times a year to camp and Jester has even been the place where we hold special events like birthdays/going away parties.

Site410, 409

Month of VisitAugust

(6) View All

Kathy M.

Scout

Reviewed Jul. 30, 2018

A campground within a county park. Great park with lots things to do and s

The campgrounds are clean and quiet. Currently some camping spots are out of use due to flooding, but they are working on clean up

Evan K.

Scout

Reviewed Jul. 30, 2018

Simple and comfortable!

Great campsite for a night or the weekend. We camped in one of the sites nearest the water with no amenities. Not crowded with easy access to each site!

jennifer M.

Guide

Reviewed Jul. 16, 2018

Great park!

I've been here several times! It's a HUGE park and so many hiking trails! They have a fun kids exploration area along with a viewing area with elk and Buffalo. Nearby there's a brand new mini golf course along with a full golf course. Definitely worth a stop!

(8) View All

Matt S.

Legend

Reviewed Sep. 22, 2017

Jester Park is clean and quiet

As a kid our boy scout troop always came and camped at Jester Park for our troop campouts. A lot has changed since then. The County has invested a lot of resources into this park making it a great place to stay when enjoying the fun at Saylorville Lake. The facilities are modern and clean and there is some real pride at this park. I highly recommend it.