Description

Prairie Flower Recreation Area is located on the 26,000 acre Saylorville Lake project, which stretches for over 50 miles up the Des Moines River Valley. Prairie Flower is a large, open campground with 248 sites covering more than 60 acres. Many of the family sites in the south offer a pleasant view of the 6000 acre lake, while the north is mostly for group camping in a circle-the-wagon design. Over 40 acres of prairie plantings throughout the campground celebrate Iowa's prairie heritage and provide a variety of color from mid-summer to fall. A wide variety of activities and facilities are available within the campground, including interpretive programs, group shelters, playgrounds, swimming, and fishing. The 24-mile paved, multi-purpose Neal Smith Trail runs from Des Moines to Big Creek State Park and connects the campground to all recreation areas on the east side of the lake. It's designated as a National Recreation Trail (no motor vehicles allowed) and is used for biking, hiking, jogging, walking, and in-line skating. Nearby amenities include a visitor center, nature trail, group picnic shelters, baseball diamond, volleyball standards, swimming, sailing, skiing, wind surfing, frisbee disc golf course, accessible fishing pier, river fishing and hunting. Prairie Flower Campground has 10 group areas with a total of 94 campsites. Group areas range in size from 4 to 14 sites. Large groups may reserve more than one group loop. Golden Age and Golden Access discounts do not apply to group sites. Visit our website site at http://www2.mvr.usace.army.mil/saylorville