Camping in Iowa: Best Months, Booking and Fire Rules
Across Iowa's 3 NOAA reference stations, camping weather is mild from May to October, with average highs of 62 to 84 F and lows of 40 to 64 F. Nights at or below freezing show up from October to April, most often in January, when they average 30 a month. State park sites are booked through Iowa state park reservation system, up to three months ahead.
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The best months for camping in Iowa
By NOAA's 1991 to 2020 normals, camping weather in Iowa is mild May to October. Pick the station nearest your campground below; high ground runs colder than any station.
- Jan29° / 12°Freezing nights
- Feb34° / 16°Freezing nights
- Mar47° / 27°Freezing nights
- Apr60° / 38°Freezing nights
- May71° / 50°Mild
- Jun81° / 60°Mild
- Jul84° / 64°Mild
- Aug82° / 62°Mild
- Sep76° / 53°Mild
- Oct62° / 40°Freezing nights
- Nov47° / 28°Freezing nights
- Dec34° / 17°Freezing nights
Each month shows the average high and low across the state’s reference stations, in F. Mild means an average high of 60 to 85 F with lows of 40 F or more. Freezing nights means the stations average one or more nights a month at or below 32 F.
Des Moineselevation 957 ft
| Month | Average high | Average low | Nights at or below 32 F |
|---|---|---|---|
| January | 31 F | 14 F | 29.5 |
| February | 36 F | 18 F | 24.9 |
| March | 49 F | 30 F | 19 |
| April (mild) | 62 F | 41 F | 5.7 |
| May (mild) | 72 F | 52 F | 0.2 |
| June (mild) | 82 F | 62 F | 0 |
| July | 86 F | 66 F | 0 |
| August (mild) | 84 F | 64 F | 0 |
| September (mild) | 77 F | 55 F | 0 |
| October (mild) | 63 F | 43 F | 4.1 |
| November | 48 F | 30 F | 17 |
| December | 36 F | 20 F | 27.4 |
Dubuqueelevation 1,056 ft
| Month | Average high | Average low | Nights at or below 32 F |
|---|---|---|---|
| January | 27 F | 11 F | 30.1 |
| February | 31 F | 15 F | 26.1 |
| March | 44 F | 26 F | 22.7 |
| April | 58 F | 37 F | 8.4 |
| May (mild) | 69 F | 49 F | 0.7 |
| June (mild) | 79 F | 59 F | 0 |
| July (mild) | 82 F | 62 F | 0 |
| August (mild) | 80 F | 60 F | 0 |
| September (mild) | 73 F | 52 F | 0.3 |
| October (mild) | 60 F | 40 F | 6.8 |
| November | 45 F | 28 F | 20.2 |
| December | 32 F | 17 F | 28.7 |
Sioux Cityelevation 1,095 ft
| Month | Average high | Average low | Nights at or below 32 F |
|---|---|---|---|
| January | 30 F | 10 F | 30.5 |
| February | 34 F | 15 F | 26.7 |
| March | 48 F | 26 F | 23.1 |
| April | 61 F | 37 F | 9.8 |
| May (mild) | 72 F | 49 F | 0.7 |
| June (mild) | 82 F | 59 F | 0 |
| July (mild) | 85 F | 63 F | 0 |
| August (mild) | 83 F | 61 F | 0 |
| September (mild) | 77 F | 51 F | 0.8 |
| October | 63 F | 38 F | 9.2 |
| November | 47 F | 25 F | 23.4 |
| December | 33 F | 15 F | 29.8 |
How to book a state park campsite in Iowa
Iowa Department of Natural Resources takes reservations through Iowa state park reservation system. The longest advance booking its page states is three months.
How far ahead you can book
Reservations can be made 3 months in advance (count back 3 months from the arrival date to figure the opening window).Iowa DNR, read October 18, 2026. Read it at the source
First come, first served sites
Campsites at Preparation Canyon State Park is not available on the reservation system and are only available as walk-in sites year-round. The backpacking campsites at the state forests are not available on the reservation system and are only available as walk-in sites.Iowa DNR, read October 18, 2026. Read it at the source
How many sites
Together, Iowa’s state parks, recreation areas, and forests have more than 4,300 campsites for overnight visitors.Iowa DNR, read October 18, 2026. Read it at the source
Quoted from Iowa Department of Natural Resources pages read October 18, 2026. Windows and fees change, so confirm on the booking site.
Campfires when you camp in Iowa
Campfires in state parks and forests
Fires are permitted only in designated areas, or where fireplaces or fire rings are provided. Fires must be extinguished when the campsite or picnic area is vacated.Iowa DNR, read October 18, 2026. Read it at the source
Iowa camping questions
Camping in other states
Where this page’s facts come from
- State park, forestry and federal land pages (read October 18, 2026). Booking windows, reservation systems, campfire rules, fire restriction sources and rules for camping outside a campground, each quoted word for word with a link to the page it came from.
- NOAA NCEI U.S. Climate Normals 1991 to 2020 (read October 18, 2026). Average monthly high, low and nights at or below 32 F at 150 reference stations, the same stations the heat season and heating season pages use.
- National Weather Service alerts (live, read in your browser when the page loads). Red Flag Warnings, Fire Weather Watches, Fire Warnings, Freeze Warnings and High Wind Warnings, read live from api.weather.gov.
- National Weather Service 7 day forecast (live, read in your browser when the page loads). The weekend forecast for the ZIP code a visitor enters, read live from api.weather.gov.
Climate figures are NOAA 1991 to 2020 normals at 3 reference stations in Iowa. Rules are quoted from agency pages and can change.