McIntosh State Park is a small. but nice park. on Clear Lake in the town of Ventura. It has a boat…read morelaunch area, camping sites and trails. The entry area is planted with prairie plants. It is very inviting. If you are looking for a camp site, hiking, picnicking or boating in the Clear Lake area, check out this State Park!

Wow, what a wonderful surprise to pull off hwy 35 after miles of farming fields and land in this…read morelush green campground. Filled with huge shade trees and grass I was so happy to be in the woods. Lots of peaceful trails that have been mowed, take you deeper into and under the canopy of trees and ferns. I know most people probably camp here for the lake, but for me it is all about being in nature. Lots of frogs along the grassy shoreline, bunnies in the open grass areas and plenty of birds. $16 is a great deal for sites with electricity. Happy to be here.

Great shop! Staff is friendly and very helpful. Keep up the good work Chris and Kevan!read more

Spent a weekend camping & hiking here and it's lovely! This state park occupies a large swath of…read morethe coastline of Lake Albert Lea, and is very convenient to the city of Albert Lea and 35-W. As such, this is a very easy park to get to. I camped in one of the two large drive-in campgrounds, both of which are very well-appointed with amenities. There are drinking water faucets distributed liberally throughout the campgrounds, and there are large restroom facilities at each, which are kept clean and have plenty of toilets, sinks, and showers. They even have little stations to plug in devices to charge them. Probably my biggest gripe with this park is that the restroom facilities are so brightly lit, right next to where the campsites are, that it strongly impacts the outdoorsy ambience. Many campers might not mind that & might even prefer it. But between that and the audible proximity to the Interstate, I prefer to feel a little more isolated. I saw lots of big trailers plugged into outlets, and there are also group camps, rentable cabins, and backpacking sites. I definitely want to return here to try one of those backpacking sites along the east side of the lake. Speaking of the lake, I did spot a number of fishing and canoeing options being taken advantage of. With all the beautiful lakefront area here, this is a really cool place for that kind of activity. I was surprised that the office wasn't staffed when i arrived mid-afternoon on a Saturday in June (2022) to check in; I wasn't able to get my hands on a physical map, and I had to put cash in an envelope to get some firewood. But other than that, it felt like a well-staffed park. All things considered, I will defintely return from the Twin Cities, and if it's more convenient to where you live, you can consider that a good thing! EDIT: I did indeed return two weeks later and try out a packpacking site. Loved it! It's way more remote over there. Really beautiful and lots of cool, well-posted trails. There was a big stash of firewood they'd prepared for free; do they do that for everyone? It's great! You can get to all the backpacking sites via canoe. Bumping my rating from 4 stars to 5!

Beautiful, large park with trails for walking and bike trails. Wetland areas, big trees, and well…read moremaintained public areas

When I'm in Mason City and want to get outside for a bit, my first thought is to go out to Lime…read moreCreek. They've got a nice assortment of trail loops of differing lengths that intersect so you can get whatever distance hike you want, and see the different parts of the land. There is also a nice long trail that runs along the river that has some scenic spots as well. The nature center building isn't super big, but it's nice to take a look at the fossils, taxidermy, and information about the animals. In the winter especially, the trails aren't busy and you can really just walk about and take be at peace in the environment. It would be nice if there was a bit more signage at some of the intersections of the trails, however, as there are some spots where it's not clear where you'll end up.

The visitors center is a great place to learn about the flora and fauna of Iowa. It's filled with…read moreall kinds of unique stuffed animal wildlife. Some taxidermy guy had fun. Kinda creepy, but still interesting. They also have a few aquariums with live fish. Oh..and a live turtle. Very clean and well organized. If you check out the upstairs, there's a lot of hands on exploration things to do with the kids. Remember...don't forget to go to use the restrooms before you go hiking. Yes...there are 11 hiking trails to choose from. Some are short, some are long. I chose the easy hike since it looked like a storm was coming. There are also wheel chair accessible trails. Nice place to check out if you enjoy nature.

This was a great find on our visit up to Clear Lake. We were…read moreup bright and early to go fishing but being a visitor didn't know where to go. Located this bait shop and was pleasantly surprised. We were warmly greeted as we let the gentleman know we were visiting looking for a place to fish. I laughed when he nodded towards the water and said "In the lake." He did talk us through some good spots around the lake. Helped us pick out some needed hooks and amazing GREEN earthworms. I was excited to see these- crazy neon green worms that he said do really well. - I did catch some decent size fish on these worms. :) We chatted for awhile and as we were leaving he asked if I wanted to see him feed his kitties. Of course! We head across the screen and down the dock to the boats where he tosses some bait fish that did not make it in his bait tubs. Sure enough GIANT lake catfish came and ate them right up. This location is going to have your fishing needs and your snacking needs all in one stop.

Wonderful place to learn about trout and trout fishing! One can spend a lot of time there by…read morelooking at all the items on display, viewing the wild trout aquarium, and taking advantage of the free "how-to" sessions on the weekends. I always enjoy visiting and gathering info on how the trout are biting on the streams near by. The NTC has friendly and educated staff as well. Two thumbs up.

I booked a spot for my camper for a class reunion. The campgrounds had been closed for a while for…read moreupgrades and remodeling..new bathrooms and showers..so I was pretty stoked to have the new upgrades..well the bathrooms and showers were both clean and new.. not sure what they were thinking when they sat down and designed it though..solid concrete looked good in paper, double as a storm shelter..instead during camping season this turns it into a sauna..literally sweating while shaving..no fans? Did the budget run over? And the showers..has that great push button get X amount of time then push it again. I get it..but the shower head right on the wall..so you get to kiss that button if you want your head directly under the shower head. And the cool part is you don't have to waste time deciding the temperature of your water. They decide for you..100 degrees out. Cool off in a hot shower inside a sauna.. wth..then last jab on showers.. they had a blank slate to work with and it is a wet room..everything is wet because it is a shower..but you have to get to it..aka you have clothes on and with you to change into clean ones..1 darn hook..saved some money there..at least your towel has somewhere to stay dry..because the 2x2 foot bench isn't keeping anything dry..where do you sit to get dressed? Dry off? Keep clean clothes clean and dry? Just a stupid overall design..use the handicap shower and hope nobody in a wheelchair needs it..it at least has a small separate space that stays dry..same dumb 1 hook 2x2 foot bench concept..other than that wonderful stay..clean well kept grounds..campers were respectful nice..park staff were helpful and nice..scenery was beautiful..

Very nice picturesque park... Very very busy in the summer decent kayaking, and fishing to be had…read moreonly electric motors are allowed

Woke up early to go to this place before the temperatures exceeded my comfort zone…read more Very nice place to hike and look for fossils. It really is amazing how many shells are litterly covering the whole area. It's like walking on an ocean floor without the water. Unfortunately, we could only stay an hour since the temperature started to rise fast. I really don't do well in the heat and humidity. Maybe next time when it's a little cooler.

This is the perfect field trip for those who love the outdoors. It's a reviving prairie with…read morefossils the public are allowed to take with them. There's also fields and trails that are perfect for hiking!!!!

We've bought 3 campers from Camping World…read more Camping world (CW) is a bigger box store so there are good & bad things to note. Their camper prices are extremely competitive (sometimes). Although the trade in offer was pretty low and I was only able to negotiate $500 extra. I will privately sell my campers in the future. It's best to do your own work/fixes on the smaller items. In a pinch or for bigger items like; slide outs, Fridges and AC's I hear CW Service is adequate. CW allegedly charges an hourly rate above $150 dollars an hour for service charges not covered under a warranty or service plan (per what the sales team told us based on what it cost to fix our new to us camper prior to purchase) Admittedly, C-19 & economic supply chain issues have caused significant disruptions in obtaining parts. CW accessories are often priced significantly higher than Amazon even with an elite membership so check those prices! CW Cedar Falls pre-delivery inspections are hit or miss & unless you do your own work & are mechanically inclined, I recommend taking a mechanic with you to do the inspection (new units often have just as many problems or more off the manufacturer lot as the used ones do). Unfortunately buying a camper is different than buying a car. Furthermore, things will break because when you pull a trailer it's like going through a hurricane & an earthquake at the same time. Our latest purchase was a 2021 Rockwood 5th wheel from Camping World & our experience was extremely disappointing. CW had our walkthrough scheduled at 9 am, somehow it was moved to 10 AM without us being notified. We inspected the camper & found a handful of minor issues & 1 major issue which was the super slide was not functional (hanging up on the inside wall frame). It took 4 CW techs (1 master & 3 certified in various camping mechanisms) 4 + hours to fix the super slide-out. We tested it thoroughly & are happy with how it's working now. Essentially, what should have been a 2 hour ordeal turned into an all day event due to failed processes & procedures. I did buy a used unit so I also bought the extended limited major mechanical insurance/service plan but only after I verified the deductible & that multiple other RV shops and mobile services cover my items. Furthermore, when we stopped on our way home the newly installed D ring on the slide out had migrated 5 inches towards the back of the bumper most likely because the clear silicone wasn't allowed to cure adequately. Luckily, it didn't rain & this was an easy fix. We felt the Sales manager Rob was disrespectful & unkind. We asked not to work with him after some snide comments (subjective & our emotion based opinion). Our salesman Patrick & the service department tech(s) & manager Eric (unsure of the dept.) were great. Shane in finance was fun to work with! We made sure corporate & local management knew about our recent experience. Local leadership gave us a $200 gift card for CW accessories which was a nice gesture but the aforementioned experience left a bad taste in our mouth. I feel like an informed buyer can get a good financial deal on a new and some used camper(s) at CW but you have to know how to safely navigate the process. Do your homework, all campers have issues off the manufacturers line. Pre delivery inspection processes are bound to miss things but it is really like going to the casino and pulling a one armed bandit. Also, some other camper retailers have a campground on site where you actually stay for a weekend and learn how to safely use your new rig (great for newbies). In closing I wouldn't let my friends or family buy from CW unless myself or a mechanic was there to assist inspecting said rig.... & we will probably never return. Good Luck! It's a big commitment but the memories made will last a lifetime. Lastly, if you see a 2017 Mallard M26 Vin # 5SFNB322XHE337836 they gave me a low trade in value & claimed it need $1K of work per Rob the Sales Manager. In my personal opinion I wouldn't pay much more than $16K for said unit even though it was well cared for.

We stopped in to get a few washers for our rv plumbing. They were happy to help, get us the right…read morewashers and even showed though newer now they were the correct, updated ones. We also got a new outdoor mat on sale! They were all helpful, polite and had a great sense of humor with us!!

Nice and quiet little park. Lots of wildlife and never a crowd. Fishing has been ok. To be honest I…read morego for the solitude. One of my favorite hidden getaways in North Iowa.