Lake Darling State Park

Lake Darling was closed a couple of years ago in order to work on the lake and on water quality because of area agriculture run-off. The park now is one of the nicest, certainly in SE Iowa.

What I like about the lake is that camping in near the lake, so the views are great. Some of the state parks designed the campgrounds away from the area of main attraction. The facilities are new, and there are a variety of campsites: up on a hill, a full-service RV "tract" area, and some nice electric and non-electric sites along the lake. There is even a soda machine.

There are a few minor dislikes. The showers/restrooms can get really hot, and for some of the tent sites, the sound of RV air conditioners is loud at night. I just spent last night, having ridden my bike in from a local town. Then at 2 AM, the roar of an air conditioner blasted the stillness of the night! Oh, well . . .

People in kayaks, canoes, and fishing boats were out enjoying the water. The swimming area is a ways away, but there is good paved parking and facilities. The cabins look nice, but I have not ever gone for a close look. The park is developed but is not huge, like some parks.

This was my third bike trip to Lake Darling. My first was three years ago, when I stayed overnight in March. Not much was open then, only the vault toilets, but it was a warm day so I went for it. The second time I biked, I met a bike-touring gentleman who had long, gray hair. "How far did you ride today?" I asked. "One hundred miles," which certainly beat my 20 miles! Yesterday I took off because we had one 80-degree day amongst a string of 90's. Nice trip. I'd recommend this friendly park to others.