Camping Near Pictured Rocks?

Hey Everyone,
Hopefully theres an Iowa local here who can hook me up with the best place to camp near pictured rocks. Im planning a road trip this weekend and one of my stopping points is pictured rocks. I noticed they dont allow camping there anymore but would still like to climb that area and stay the night. And camp grounds around the area close by or any free camping spots?

thanks!

I haven't been there in a few years but there was camping right at the entrance to the access trail and about a two minute walk from young and the bold. And atropine.

I just heard that they dont allow camping anymore. Would be nice to have it figured out before rolling in. Thanks for the response!

I bet if you hiked into windy point nobody would bother you about camping.

mountainproject.com/v/windy…

Please don't illegally camp in the park. Jellystone in Monticello would be the closest campground. There is also Central Park in Center Junction.

You could also use the primitive campground at Indian Bluffs. However you run the risk of getting stuck down there if we get a hard rain. The road that leads to the campground can turn into a muddy mess. And it's an uphill drive to leave.

I dont have any lightweight camping gear so getting in a location that isnt car camping wouldnt be too fun haha and I'm not looking to stay anywhere illegal. Joe, do you know how to access Indian bluffs camping area? I looked it up and just saw a general map that says its a conservation area, no info on camping. It did look super close to pictured rocks so it seems like that would be the best option.

Thanks for the help!

The road into IB (Butterfield Rd.) dead ends at the river. There is a parking lot of sorts by the river. The campground is right by the parking lot. It's primitive camping. No toilets, electricity, etc.

You da man! Appreciate it! That should work perfectly

Have fun & climb safe!

Wear long pants if you decide to check out the routes in IB. The stinging nettles are probably neck high right now. Also the trails through there are little more than game trails and difficult to navigate during the summer months.

Good info. Thanks again

I'm heading to Pictured Rocks early next week. Just wondering if anyone know what the local ethic is- rapping or lowering?

Hey Alex. I went and had a good day of climbing there. I only saw one other person there and they told me lowering was the norm, so that's what we did.

Alex Zucca wrote:I'm heading to Pictured Rocks early next week. Just wondering if anyone know what the local ethic is- rapping or lowering?

Just got back from the trip today. Man are the grades stiff! The most sandbagged 5.8 and 5.9 sport climbs I've ever done! Maybe it's just cause the eaiser routes see more traffic and get super polished (I though Devil's Lake quartzite was slick). The 10s and 11s seems to be way more solid and had a ton more friction.

Couldn't find the cliffs at Indian Bluffs. Spent an hour walking through grassland trails (couldn't tell what was a trail trail and what was an animal trail, the weeds were shoulder high throughout). But the parking lot was nasty and filled with all sorts of disgusting trash. Took 2 full trash bags to get it all clean. I hope its not climbers leaving all that.

The easier routes close to the parking lot are definitely polished. Adds a degree of uncertainty regarding your feet. Try out the nines at Windy Point for less-polished limestone.

Regarding Indian Bluffs summer is maybe the worst time of year for climbing out there. The actual trails are little more than game trails as is, add in the thick summer vegetation and you've got a recipe for people getting lost.

Good on you for cleaning up some trash. This area is also heavily visited by those in the community operating on 9-volt brains. It's not uncommon to observe future Darwin Award winners in action out there.

I am currently working on an Iowa Sport Climbing guidebook. When finished it will have a detailed section on Indian Bluffs. With any luck this will help out-of-towners enjoy the area.

I think whipper-snapper was the worst sandbag. That climb was greasy. Felt like 5.10 thrutching on a 5.8 sport climb.

But good luck on the sport climbing book. Let me know when it gets finished. I'd love to get a copy.

Haha! I know the feeling, man. Whipper Snapper is WAY polished. And if you hit up the crag within a few days after a rain it can feel sketchy af.