Hickory Grove Park — Attraction in Nevada

Rented two spots. We didn't go with an RV or camper. We went with tents and only paid the extra for the main camp grounds to go swimming.

We were assured swimming was available by the people on the phone before I forfeited my $68 for two (2) days/ two (2) campsites at the Dakins campsites in Zearing, IA. (I did them a favor cancelling so they could at least re-reserve them during Memorial Day Weekend/Week.)

We got there and were told that we could swim but only in a select area by the "Host". The kids got in for a very brief time and along comes a Ranger. He explained, (quite nicely and calmly I might add despite my rude teens...sigh), that they couldn't swim due to the levels of water, sunken trees, lack of supervision, etc. And in the end...he just didn't want to pull anyone out dead or otherwise.

I completely understood and could see his point. He was even nice enough to let us know of a beach in Ames. One that was ACTUALLY OPEN!!

$180 blown on this excursion between two misleading and straight up wrong information from people who are supposed to be representing these facilities. That is just in fees...not gas, gear, etc, etc, etc.

First time camping in Story County since moving here...and last time. Would never recommend.

Left after one day and won't return. Kid's weren't happy...

Family and friends have camped here for years. It's kind of like a second home. Unfortunately, my wife and I were camping here when the derecho hit this summer leaving the campground without power. I use a CPAP machine, a medical device to help me breath while I sleep which only runs on AC voltage. That night after the storm, I had no electricity to use my CPAP machine which made for a very long, sleepless night. The next day we hooked up our rv and moved to a campground that had electricity so that I could use my medically necessary device. Here's where the problem was. We had paid for two nights using one check. We stayed for just one night. I wrote a note explaining why we were leaving, wrote down our address, asked for a refund of our $20 and dropped it in the registration box. I was told by the camp host we would be lucky to see it. Well, he was right. This was two months ago and my mailbox is void of any refunds. Just a friendly bit of advice to the first come, first serve campers...pay for one...

A great park for family camping. I love the primitive sites. No RV or generator ruining the ambiance. Some of the fire rings don't have grilling grates that work, so plan accordingly. Be sure to pack a swimsuit for the beach, and archery gear with targets for their free to use archery range. They also have man-powered boats available for rent and a snack bar at the beach!

My only sore spot is with the number of tents policy. You can only have one tent per site unless you have children. We camped with 2 other friends and they also had to get their own campsite. It would be more acceptable of a rule but so many campsites are already reserved! It just doesn't seem fair that an RV with a giant truck takes up way more space and damage to a site vs two two person tents. I really hope they change their policy to number of people per site and not limit the number of tents...