Lake Manawa State Park‘s (Iowa) newly improved campground opened with all kinds of modern amenities.
For Park Director Grant Carstens, the old campground at Lake Manawa State Park was old and had maintenance issues, which long-time campers, including Denise Benedict, noticed too.
“Honestly, there was not a lot of upkeep on the last one, I feel like, it was kind of just a drag, kind of went downhill quite a bit. When we were camping, we had a tree snap on the top of one of our tents, so we left earlier that year,” Benedict said.
Issues like these urged park leaders to go back to the drawing board and open a new campground.
Amenities include a shower house, full hook-up campsites, a gated entrance for campers, and a paved walking trail connected to the beach. There’s also the Dreamland Playground.
“It’s clean, paved, and the bathrooms are really nice,” campers Lynn & Marla Patrick said.
Campers can also make online reservations for all 40 campsites as early as 90 days in advance up to nine p.m. on the day of arrival, but only if a site is available.
“Makes it a lot easier for campers to figure out what’s available and everything like that. If you go online, you can see which sites are available for which days,” Carstens said.
Nebraskans and any other non-Iowans visiting the park must pay a $5 fee for the day if they’re enjoying the beach or playground. But if they rent a campsite, they don’t have to pay the fee.
While Benedict would prefer more shade at the campground, she also appreciates a staycation as a mother from Council Bluffs, given the high travel and fuel cost.
“I get all the family together. That’s nice. All the kids come. We don’t get a lot of that because a lot of them are grown and out of the house, have their own families,” Benedict said.
The campgrounds are fully booked this coming Fourth of July holiday weekend, coinciding with Kampground of America‘s (KOA) recent report saying that 21.5 million camping households are anticipated to go camping over the Fourth of July this year, an 8.6% increase in campers over the same holiday last year.
Iowa DNR highlighted that fireworks are not permitted in state parks. However, campers and park-goers can utilize items like sparklers.
According to its website, Lake Manawa State Park is one of the most popular outdoor recreation facilities in the Omaha/Council Bluffs metropolitan area.
The park’s 1,529 acres encompass a beautiful 753-acre natural lake.
Lake Manawa was formed during a flood in 1881 when a portion of the river channel was cut off by the meandering of the great Missouri River.
Over the years, the resulting “oxbow” lake became a major outdoor recreation center for millions of visitors.
“Manawa” is a Native American term meaning “peace and comfort”.
This story originally appeared on 3 News.