Walnut Woods State Park Campground

It's a beautiful place. I think the price is a little high for winter camping when services are shut off (except for electricity). Maybe they could remove the reservation/service fee of $4.50 as I did it online and it didn't require the help of a person. But it is a peaceful, wooded oasis in the heart of metro Des Moines.

Really enjoyed coming here for the night. It was super quiet and the hiking trail was nice! So so SOOOO many birds! It was beautiful!

It's nice. Some very nice spots, some smaller, lots of trees and soon access to racoon river. They're building a pedestrian bridge but for now you can drop kayaks and paddle boards in at walnut woods n go down the dm river.

I am giving this a 5 in part due to the very low price of $21.50 a night (with reservation fee) for FHU site. Although, I think the price is $25 now. Sites are not real deep, but spacious side to side. Asphalt roads and concrete pads and patio. Very nice. Outdated restrooms (with no showers), but fine for the price. If you are self contained (like us), it shouldn't matter. 12 to 15 minutes away from everything. Beautiful park along the river.

Very small campground considering it's next to a big city. Some sites need maintenance badly where the water collects. Good price if you can get a spot which is very, very difficult. No shower. Ranger was very friendly and helpful. Prepare to be inundated with mosquitoes.

Walnut woods is one of our favorite camping spots for our mothers day trip and Halloween party. It's close to Des Moines and the sites are big enough for some privacy. The biggest con is that it fills fast and we have to book it a couple months ahead of time, so being organized or flexible is a must. And the tree by the pit/fill is an obstruction if you have a large rig. It's kind of a cluster in that area, so be careful. I noticed one of the concrete posts are already knocked over. It's a tight squeeze.

I called to make long term reservations and the guy that answered was pretty snotty with me about it. Max stay is 2 weeks. The second issue I had is that the power box on my site (13) did not have good connection and would crackle. So I bought a strap to hold my cord tight. Surge protector lights looked good. I thought it worked but my newly replaced furnace was not putting out hardly any heat (in 20 degree weather). Had to buy a space heater. I moved to a nicer campground and the furnace worked just fine. Electric needs upgrading.