Lake View Recreation Area (Saylorville) in IA -- Campground & RV Camping

Lake View Recreation Area sits on a timbered ridge overlooking the west side of Saylorville Lake. This day-use facility features a picnic shelter for up to 50 people with water and electricity hookups, public flush toilets, and a boat ramp for lake access. The paved, 24-mile Neal Smith National Recreation Trail runs along the east side of the lake, connecting nearby parks and campgrounds for walking, biking, and running.

Getting there: From I-35, take the Ankeny Exit #90 (Oralabor Road) and go west 4.8 miles; the road turns into HWY 415. Turn left (west) onto NW 37th Street and go 0.3 mile, then turn right onto NW Horseshoe Rd. Continue past the Saylorville Lake Visitor Center and take a right to cross the Main Dam for 2.6 miles until you reach NW Beaver Dr. Turn right and drive North for 0.5 miles. Turn right into Lake View Recreation Area and follow road until your destination at Lake View Recreation Area Shelter. From I-80, take Exit #131 (Merle Hay Rd) exit and go north 2.7 miles. Turn left (West/North) onto NW Beaver Dr and go 1.6 miles. Turn right into Lake View Recreation Area and follow road until your destination at Lake View Recreation Area Shelter.

• Limited separation from through roads or other sites here, with the nearest through road 0.4 miles off.
• Estimated night sky: Bortle 7, a suburban sky.
• The Saylorville Lake shoreline is 0.2 mi off.
• Open country, with nothing named rising within 30 miles.