Timberline Campground — Hotel in Waukee

This is a very pretty campground. We stayed two weeknights as we were passing through. The front part of the campground, as you enter, has lots of very large rigs, with no trees or shade. The rigs appear to be seasonal. The back part of the campground which is around the office and the restrooms / pool, is the part that is really pretty. There are lots of mature shade trees and sites have plenty of room. There is a playground, dog park, restrooms / showers and a very nice pool with umbrellas, and some shady places to sit. The laundry room is very nice and clean. There is also a rec hall and a small fishing pond. The office staff were friendly and helpful and a very nice lady took us to our site.

We thought camping here was relaxing and we enjoyed it. Although we were out and about during the day and did not spend much time at the campground, we did hear the gunshots from the nearby range, which at times were quite loud. In our trailer with the AC on, it was not a problem, and our dog didn’t seem to be affected by it.

One thing that does need improvement is the cleanliness of the shower floors in the bathrooms. Overall, the bathrooms are clean (sinks and toilets), but the shower floors in both the women’s and men’s bathrooms are filthy. This is not the dirt that accumulates in just a few days. This is dirt and grime that shows floors haven’t been cleaned in a long time. My husband, who is not the least bit finicky, and can make do with almost anything, returned from taking a shower and stated in amazement: “There was mold all over the shower curtain! Lots of it!” If you’re thinking of taking a shower here, bring flip flops or water shoes to protect your feet. My husband also reported there was nowhere to put your stuff while you shower – he said there was only a lone hook.

One further point: As I was leaving this review, I noticed the owner’s response to the recent review left by Ashley Sackman. The response left by the campground owner is notable because it is so snarky and inappropriately sarcastic:

“Thanks Ashley! You must have been a guest with someone that stayed here, because I don't find you anywhere in our system. Tagging along with someone else who didn't get their way. Hope this makes you and your friends feel better by giving us a bad review. And this is your first review! Happy camping!!”

Among other things, Ashley complained about the shower floors and the outdated playground equipment. The shower floors ARE filthy, and the owner said in another recent review that the playground equipment is set to be replaced next year, so at least two of Ashley’s points have merit. It also does not make any difference if this is Ashley’s first or 100th review!

Most businesses respond to negative feedback with something like, “Thank you for your feedback, we feel badly you weren’t comfortable with your stay with us, but we are listening and working hard to improve to make sure all customers have a great experience.” In this case, the response that was left reflects badly on...

TLDR: False advertising. Pool is shown on website but is not available.

Booked two nights for tent camping. Was only going to use one but business’ policy is a two-night minimum. Get to the end of purchase process online and receive a notice that I will have to pay an additional $50 to guarantee the tent site I requested. Wish that had been disclosed earlier on in the process.

Arrive early afternoon with my two small children in their swimsuits. Desk clerk asks me if I know the pool is closed. I am super confused because the website clearly shows a pool. I ask if something just happened or if it will be fixed soon. She says that it has been closed all season.

Walk outside and a woman is watering flowers. I ask if she is the owner. She confirms she is and I tell her that I’m surprised the pool is closed since it was shown on website, with no notice of closure. She then tells me that it has been closed all season due to (and I might not get this entirely correct) plumbing and permits. I tell her that I feel this is false advertising to not update the website. She tells me that “nobody would come” if she did that. She tells me that she is already losing so much money and that she has provided two kid bouncy house/pools as a replacement. She asks me what I would do if I were the business owner. I tell her that I would update my website to be accurate. She tells me that she “guarantees I absolutely would not”. She then asks what I want her to do about it now. I explain that we paid for two nights when we only needed one and asked if she could refund the money for one of the nights. She agrees and did so.

Two bouncy house/pools were provided. Both small, residential backyard size. One was fine and fun for my kids (ages 6 and 4) for a short time. Other looked to be fine but slide deflated as soon as my 4-year-old began to climb the back to use it. Found rips that made it impossible to use. So it looked fine when the fan was pumping air in but could not actually handle any weight due to rips.

I had chosen our campsite location due to proximity to pool and, therefore, indoor plumbing. Bathrooms were closed due to overall pool plumbing issue. Clean portapotties were provided, but not the same as indoor plumbing (as advertised). We did discover a clean building of bathrooms/showers on a walk but they were too far away from our site to be practical with small children.

I looked at reviews prior to booking but did not sort by newest. If I had, I would have seen others’ comments about being disappointed by lack of pool. I still believe owner should update website...

If you love the sound of multiple LOUD guns shots then Timberline Campground is the place for you! Timberline Campground is located DIRECTLY NEXT TO to New Pioneer Gun Club with these operating hours: Monday: Closed Tuesday: Closed Wednesday: 1–7 PM Thursday: 1–7 PM Friday: 1–5 PM Saturday: 9 AM–5 PM Sunday: 9 AM–5 PM You won't have to think about relaxing with your family and friends, BECAUSE YOU CAN'T! Think you can escape the sounds of repetitive soul-jarring explosions in your camper with the windows shut and AC on?? YOU CAN'T! Other than our camper, we had no additional mode of transportation, but even if we did, the idea of being forced to drive away to escape the sounds of gunfire on our vacations is unacceptable. I will give credit to the ground crew for keeping the campground look respectable and clean. The drive up to the office is pleasant and having clear signage to register first is nice. The crew then drive you to your site and help you back in so you don't have to have a family or friend do that for you. But again... THE GUN SHOTS! Find somewhere else if you are looking to camp in peace. Oh and two more things. The site hookup for water tastes like iodine (or some sort of treatment) and is nasty. It will re-flavor anything your use it with, and there are a ridiculous dollar markup for all items in the camp store and for things like WiFi with actual speed. My speed test capped out at 3.5 Mbps on my laptop and phone.

EDIT: I like how the campground is trying to shame me by posting an anonymous review, yet they won't even mention on their website that customers will be subject to persistent loud sounds that may drive business away. I'll post my name when you post your proximity and sound decibel readings on your website and marketing material.

HAHA: Just read this from THEIR OWN DESCRIPTION!: "It (Timberline) is conveniently situated one and a half miles away from Interstate 80, but your ears won’t be able to tell. " YEAH! You know why you can't hear Interstate 80??? I'll give you one guess..... go...