Walnut Ridge Recreation Area in IA -- Campground & RV Camping

Walnut Ridge Recreation Area is a day-use facility situated on a wooded ridge along the west side of Saylorville Lake. The site features three group picnic shelters equipped with water and electricity, flush toilets, a playground, and hiking trails. An 18-hole disc golf course winds through the open and wooded terrain of the park. Visitors can access the paved 24-mile Neal Smith Trail directly from the grounds for walking and biking.

Getting there: Use address 9125 NW Beave Drive, Johnston IA 50131. From I-35/80 north of Des Moines, take Johnston/Saylorville Lake Exit (131). Go north on Merle Hay Rd for 2.7 miles, then turn left onto NW Beaver Drive for 3.1 miles. Recreation area is 0.3 miles ahead on the right.

• Limited separation from through roads or other sites here, with the nearest through road 0.1 miles off.
• Sits on broad, near-level ground.
• Estimated night sky: Bortle 5, a rural sky with a glow on the horizon.
• Open country, with nothing named rising within 30 miles.