NO star Review for KOA Onawa / Blue Lake - July 9, 2025 We had one of the worst campground experiences we've ever encountered at this KOA. We pulled in with our 40' fifth wheel and were assigned a site that was muddy on both sides and clearly unsuitable for a large rig. When we asked for another option, we were moved over just one site, which wasn't much better. My husband voiced his concern about the lack of gravel or site preparation and said, "Don't make excuses for someone else. That pisses me off." He did not curse at the employee, and the conversation ended there. Moments later, the manager stormed over and accused him of verbally abusing staff. I calmly explained what was said -- but she told us she believed her employee and then demanded we pack up and leave immediately. We left and were welcomed without issue at another campground nearby. Interestingly, that staff mentioned we weren't the first guests to leave the KOA due to poor service. Other issues worth noting: * The KOA has minimal signage and was hard to locate without GPS. * The site we were assigned had cracked, dry soil -- contradicting their excuse that the grounds couldn't be prepped due to "recent rain." * The manager was aggressive, rude, and dismissive of reasonable concerns. * We've since learned she has a reputation for calling negative reviewers "liars." We have photos and a receipt, so there's no denying we were there. We are full-time travelers who stay at dozens of campgrounds each year, including many KOAs. Unfortunately, this one was a huge disappointment. We absolutely do not recommend the Onawa KOA. read more

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To close to the interstate and Blue lake isn't blue more brown and smells like poop. The river is cleaner and nicer. The place is ran by children, great kids but seriously. The no mats at your campsite thing is crazy. The pull throughs are overrun with weeds but they're worried about the grass. Just weird more like a motel that I brought my own room instead of the KOA s I'm used to read more

Onawa / Blue Lake KOA - Cockaburrs everywhere but don't put out any mats - RV Parks Near Me - Onawa, Iowa

What a special place about 40 min outside of Omaha there's a lake and the grounds are kept really clean !! We reserved a pass thru Rv site and a cabin we arrived super late and our late night check in envelopes were ready !! On check out Michael was extremely friendly and helpful we can't wait to return on our next road trip thanks Mike and camp KOA for Making this leg of our trip very enjoyable Question for the campsite : driving in I was mentioning to the fam how the place reminded me of smallville the tv show about Superman in the 90s then we saw a Sign that read Lois and Clark ? Is this the area where this was filmed ? read more

Onawa / Blue Lake KOA - RV Parks Near Me - Onawa, Iowa

I'm a traveling disabled veteran. I've stayed at over 1/3 of the KOAs in the US. I'm also a former full time park host for a few states. I've never stayed at a worse managed park anywhere. From the "let's go Brandon" flag that greets visitors as are going to their site, to the raging lunatic owner that refused to tell me her name as she hollered at me for supposedly yelling at her desk help. It was a shitty little park next to a mud filled lake. I arrived early due to unexpected circumstances and was happy to pay whatever to get into my site and rest my war wounds. It was just after noon on Friday the weekend of July 4th 2023. The young woman at the desk insisted there was no way for me to check in early and no manager to discuss it with. No manager on a holiday weekend. Bullshit. After waiting while the girl texted someone, not telling me who, for over 20 minutes I was told to.pull my rig down to the gas station till 3:30 check in. I asked about refunding my 5 nights I'd booked and was told no refunds for holiday weekends. As disabled vet I'm on strict budget and I couldn't leave without a refund. I was walking outside to think on my next move, when I was met by a older gent who was another employee. I explained my problem and he helped me get checked in with a charge for early check in. Fine. I payed 30 bucks extra and he led me to my site. Shortly after he returned and I was bullshitting with him while setting up my site when a heavy bleach blonde woman came and said I should be sure to have my trailer pulled all the way in. I did that already, as I'd been hosting and traveling for years prior to her comment. I asked who she was and she said she is the owner and manager. Which is weird since the woman at the office desk said there was no manager or other person to speak with about arriving a few hours early. When I laughed at the absurdity of my encounters so far, the woman started yelling at me for supposedly yelling at her help. I saw another review or two that mentioned this behavior since. When the breath ran out of her she stormed off. I obviously denied yelling at her help though I probably would have been correct in doing. The guy that helped me originally, instantly apologized to me for her behavior which he witnessed. He also told the women I hadn't yelled and he was met with more yelling. Throughout my stay I watched a parade of employees stroll through my site as if nobody were in it. Dog waste containers weren't emptied once in 5 days. Truly the worst experience of any RV park and truly disappointing for a KOA which in my experience usually has great customer service. This ain't it. Had I been refunded my money I would have gladly spent the night in a Walmart parking lot. Hospitality? Not at this place. Save your money and stay elsewhere. I've told every other veteran I have met since to avoid this place. I'd have left 0 stars but not an option. read more

Onawa / Blue Lake KOA - RV Parks Near Me - Onawa, Iowa

Rude and completely reprehensible treatment of campers by the owner. STAY AWAY! We arrived and were checked in promptly by the staff, and our overnight stay seemed to be going without a hitch, same as in previous KOA campgrounds we had stayed at that week. However, it all came to a screeching halt when the owner of the place approached us as we were unhooking to yell at us about the grass. She arrived without a good morning, or a "can I help?" Even though it clearly looked like we were struggling with the spot we had been assigned. The sewer hook up was too small and wasn't screwing into our hose, so we backed up to the spot behind us (which was unused as every other spot around us since the KOA was practically empty). Instead of the owner approaching us with the benefit of the doubt, she stormed in like a psycho, yelling at us in front of our kids and other campers about the grass and our parking job without a minimum of decorum. We calmly explained the problem, and she simply told us to "get the hell out of there." In the wake of her hysterics, we left, but forgot to put the gray/black water cap back on. This was our first RV trip and we were still trying to get acquainted with all the steps. As we drove away, we remembered and went back for it (not 5 minutes after we had departed), only to find out the owner had chucked it, but refused to tell us where or how to get it back. In fact, she wouldn't even come talk to us, leaving her staff to deal with my very level-headed complaint about her utter reprehensible behavior. The staff of course wasn't at fault. So in conclusion, we were treated like scum, yelled at, offended before our kids and complete strangers, stole from and lied to. Do not waste your time and money, or expose yourself to ridicule and humiliation. Stay away from this campsite. I think other campers' reviews agree with this. read more

Hi Angela. You had to know this was coming. With the way you spoke to us, your complete unwillingness to assist us even in the slightest, and your aggressive rudeness to not only me but with everyone who has the unpleasant experience of dealing with you. Angela, for the uninitiated, is the owner/operator/manager. She doesn't like to be there that often (she clearly dislikes her job/position) and leaves hired help to field most of the customer concerns, of which there are many. We had to stop here en route to better KOA accommodations in South Dakota, and wished we would have kept driving. The campground had recently experienced a major storm. In this part of the country, this is a common occurrence. However, this campground is poorly equipped to deal with even a light shower; zero drainage and the last time they layed gravel must've been in the 90s, because the dirt roads were nothing but huge potholes and mud. After slipping and sliding and pulling our rig through mud to get to our NOT LEVEL site, we were greeted with an ancient power pull and water spigot 31.5 feet from the sewage port which was unusable because of the surrounding mud and the fact that it had been driven over and damaged. There were even little flags indicating the location and damage. Remember that ancient spigot I mentioned? Yep, zero water pressure. Literally a dribble. Not enough pressure to make it to the RV faucets. So now we're staying in a spot with no sewage or water available. Angela wasn't on the property (rarely is, according to the teenage employee we spoke to) when we tried to talk to some about this. We called later and she didn't even let me finish explaining to her all our issues. She started off rude, and then descended into utter Queen Karen mode while I was trying to get the odd word in. The bugs here are also not worth the meager accommodations. By the lake, you can understand it. But it's hard to deal with. They make opening your RV door a half-hour process to then de-bug. Trust me on this one, find a local Walmart and park in the parking lot; you'll be faaar better off. read more

Onawa / Blue Lake KOA - 31.5 feet from each other. Hope you brought extensions - RV Parks Near Me - Onawa, Iowa

I always try to be fair and call it like it is. After contacting KOA National Customer Service and explaining my situation, the Onawa / Blue Lake KOA promptly refunded my first night's fee minus the $10 cancellation fee. read more

Owners were rude and worried about their grass more than taking care of campers. I needed only an electric hookup, but they were growing grass on them so they had them blocked off. I ended up with a full hookup site for which they charged me for. I wanted to set up my area so I could sit outside to enjoy the weather as well as the view, but they told me I couldn't put down a mat for my chair and table. Therefore, my stay was not very pleasant. I won't be staying there again. read more

Clean and nice being on the lake. Some sites are very tight. A lot of long term site holders. We had a wonderful pull through site on the lake and other than the gusty winds it was small and quaint! read more

Owners were very accommodating with my unusual schedule and is my favorite stop in this area. Clean, well maintained. 50amp, sewer, water no issues. Staff was always friendly and helpful with nice small store. read more

We had two long days of driving and needed a place in between Iowa City, IA and Platte, SD to spend the night. I knew our two girls would be bored after 7+ hours on the road and it had been close to a week since we had stayed in a campground with laundry, so the KOA seemed like a safe choice. I called ahead to verify they had 24x7 laundry which they verified. This was important, as we did not know when we would arrive; luckily, for us we arrived at 3:00 PM in the afternoon, which gave us enough time to explore the campground. The campground was packed; it was the KOA's Free Night of Camping promotion. It appears our space was the last available space in the campground. Our neighbors were quiet and respectful, although I wish the spaces had more space. The laundry room was well maintained and inexpensive. The playground was perfect for our two girls who played their hearts out for an hour and a half. The dog walk area, along the underused road was perfect for our dog. It was long, grassy, and had trash strategically placed. There is water, electric, and sewer hookup. There is no cable and for the first time in a long time, we skipped testing the WiFi... Would I recommend this park? Yes. Would we come back? Yes. Informational: We travel in a 36' Class A RV. read more

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We only stayed the night and came in late but there was no issues, everything was well maintained, although there where a lot of moskitos because of the lake, the bathrooms were super clean (had other exeriances on KOAs)! The WiFi works well, but they weren't fully booked. read more

Onawa / Blue Lake KOA - RV Parks Near Me - Onawa, Iowa

We have been staying at this KOA for many years. Nothing but great customer service. The staff was very friendly. It is a beautiful campground. I'm not sure what happened. If it's under new ownership or what. Now they are RUDE and UNREASONABLE. First when I tried to plug my Traeger pellet grill into the electric pole on our site. It wouldn't work. So I used a 100 foot extension cord and plugged into another site. Where NO ONE was at. 20 minutes into the cooking. AN employee goes over to where we had it plugged in. She yelled at us, stating that we couldn't use this pole. Because someone was camping there. At the time there was NO ONE there. I explained to her. We tried plugging into our electric pole. And it didn't work. She said you could only have one cord plugged in at a time. Which we had the RV plugged in. This is the first time since we started camping in 1999. That you could'nt have more than one power cord plugged into the power pole. Before I could turn off the Traeger. She pulled the plug and threw it on the ground. She also said we need to plug it in the RV. I know in years past. If you have too many things plugged in the RV. It will trip the circuit breaker. 2. Later we got our Corn Hole game out. We played it on the Vacant Camping spot next to us. Once again the same employee came by and told us we could'nt play here. Because someone was staying on this camp site. NO ONE showed up the whole weekend. And by the way Traeger would have used about .83 cents in electricity for the whole time we were cooking. There is plenty of campgrounds in the area. WE WILL not be coming back to this one. read more

I will not recommend this KOA. We had reservations for a three night stay and due to severe weather in Kansas, we had to cancel our first night. I called a few days prior to let them know and they said they would change our reservation. On our arrival date, we received a cancellation email. I called and was told they never received my phone call. They made a new reservation for us. Long story short, we were charged for three nights when we only stayed two. Found out that young teens work in the office and...well, enough said. I think we know where the communications failed. read more

We have been KOA campers for over 40 years and the Blue Lake KOA ranks right at the top of our list for a quality experience. The campground is beautiful, the sites are level and shaded, and the campground staff is professional, courteous, and eager to help. There are also numerous historical and nature attractions very nearby. We strongly recommend this KOA! Cate and Chuck Sanders read more

Very well maintained and quiet campground. Friendly stuff, beautiful views. Wifi works. A lot of mosquitoes though. Bring bug spray if you want to sit outdoors in the evening. We stayed just one night and slept well! read more

One of the best campgrounds I ever stayed.. Stumbled upon this gem as an overnight stop returning from Sturgis SD.. Was more then impressed with its size, cleanliness, views and plenty of shade trees.. Could have stayed longer for sure read more

We stayed here for one night in Sept. It's a nice place to stay, bathrooms were clean & overall the facility looked clean. The place was quiet & with plenty of trees which I loved. Easy booking. I would recommend it! read more

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Not friendly staff. A dark-haired mid-40's staff member was actually chewing us out for something we didn't know. Rather than just state policy and allow us to sincerely apologize and comply, she just continued to chew on us. And even yelled something at us as she walked back into the registration building. We are older and were shocked. Also, they need to more clearly mark the property. There was overflow parking IN the grass but you aren't supposed to drive IN the grass. Confusing. I totally understand (once explained to me) and apologized profusely but marking the property ($15 for colored twine at Bomgaars and stakes are under $2) would have prevented discomfort for ALL parties. What made matters worse is that (at the time) they had six or seven employees standing inside the registration building (no joke) that could have helped out. Will NEVER go here any to camp, visit or do anything else. Unprofessional and rude. Zero customer services skills. read more

This was a nice park with large shade trees and a lake. The management was nice and out kids enjoyed the playground. We didn't get a chance to swim but the pool was well-maintained. Easy on/off the interstate and close to the little town of Onawa. Wifi was strong, too. read more