About Prairie Flower Recreation Area
Number of accommodations: 153
Seasonal information
2026 Season availability
Campground Amenities
Most popular amenities
Playground
RV Utilities and Hookups
- Dump station on site
Water and Hygiene
- Potable Water
On Site Services
- Playground
Water Access
- Beach Access
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Rates, Sites & Availability
153 Sites Available
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Site Details
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153 Sites Available
No available sites
All sites are booked for your selected dates. Try showing all sites to see booked options, create an alert to be notified when something opens up, or adjust your dates.
Reviews (618)
What Guests Are Saying
Prairie Flower Recreation Area is a well-maintained campground featuring spacious, clean sites with large concrete pads and excellent facilities, including spotless restrooms and friendly staff. Many visitors appreciate the quiet atmosphere and proximity to recreational activities in nearby Ames, Ankeny, and Des Moines. Some suggestions for improvement include adding more paved sites and addressing overgrown grass and weeds, but overall, guests express a strong desire to return for future visits.
What Guests Are Saying
Prairie Flower Recreation Area is a well-maintained campground featuring spacious, clean sites with large concrete pads and excellent facilities, including spotless restrooms and friendly staff. Many visitors appreciate the quiet atmosphere and proximity to recreational activities in nearby Ames, Ankeny, and Des Moines. Some suggestions for improvement include adding more paved sites and addressing overgrown grass and weeds, but overall, guests express a strong desire to return for future visits.
Review Summary
Benjamin H
VerifiedMay 25, 2025 • Stayed at: B41, Loop: BLAZ
Easy access, clean restrooms, i was tent camping and still had good experience.
Bradley B
VerifiedMay 24, 2025 • Stayed at: H186, Loop: HONE
Checkout time 1 pm so we could have lunch before we leave. This would be nice, particularly on weekends.
Bob L
VerifiedMay 22, 2025 • Stayed at: B58, Loop: BLAZ
Camp ground has clean restrooms & showers. Sites are spacious and clean.
Eldon Y
VerifiedMay 22, 2025 • Stayed at: B56, Loop: BLAZ
The site s are level. Many have concrete pads. Restrooms clean. Grounds are mowed and very nice. The addition/update of the various dump stations was a vast improvement. The sites are not shoe-horned together. Nice amount of space between each. Hard to beat this campground..
Russell C
VerifiedMay 18, 2025 • Stayed at: C110, Loop: CONE
We always like camping at Prairie Flower campground. Sites are spacious and easy to back into. We have never had any issues with 50amp service. Now that the coe has upgraded and added additional dump stations you very seldom have to wait in a line. Campground is always maintained well. Only down side to the campground is sufficient shade for most of the sites facing the lake (coneflower section). I would highly recommend Prairie Flower campground.
Terry B
VerifiedMay 18, 2025 • Stayed at: D123, Loop: DOGB
We love coming to Prairie Flower, the sites are large and well spaced, the bathroom/showers are well maintained. The concrete pads and fire pit area is wonderful. Being right on the Neil Smith bike trail is an added bonus. We especially love the Dogbane and Coneflower loops.
Larry D
VerifiedMay 15, 2025 • Stayed at: D125, Loop: DOGB
Prairie Flower is always our first choice. Love the quiet and amount of space between each site. Dog Bane is our go to area.
Gary J
VerifiedMay 14, 2025 • Stayed at: D118, Loop: DOGB
New concrete pads at campsites are nice and level. Good fire rings and picnic tables. Bathroom is always spotless. Great job by maintenance.
Mary Rita J
VerifiedMay 11, 2025 • Stayed at: H188, Loop: HONE
Site was level, everything was tidy and clean.
STEVE K
VerifiedNovember 15, 2024 • Stayed at: C78, Loop: CONE
Beautiful campground. Level site with concrete pad and fire pit. We used our Solo Stove, less smoke and more efficient. We were there mid-week and as we were leaving, the park was filling up for the weekend. Easy to navigate our 44' toy hauler through the campground roads and into our site, then out of the campground when we left. Bathrooms/showers nearby and well maintained although we used our own.
Location Prairie Flower Recreation Area
Address:
Saylorville Lake Administration Office, 5600 Nw 78 Th Avenue
Johnston, IA, 50131-1941
United States
From I-35, take exit 90 to Ankeny/Oralabor Road and go west for 4.8 miles. The road turns into Highway 415, continue and follow signs to the campground.
Prairie Flower Recreation Area is accessible via Iowa State Highway 415, which is approximately 5 miles to the east. Interstate 80 is about 20 miles to the north.
Latitude & Longitude: 41.7483 / -93.6875
Elevation: 286 feet
Policies & Rules
Arrival & departure
Check in time
2PM
Check out time
12PM
General
- Click here for more information
- Click here for a virtual tour of the Saylorville Lake area.
- Quiet Hours: From 10:00 p.m. to 6:00 a.m. Campgrounds are restricted to registered campers during these hours. Visitors must leave by 10:00 p.m. Gates remain open 24/7.
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Last updated: June 3, 2026
