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2.5
9 votes

Gull Point State Park

1500 Harpen St, Milford, Iowa 51351 USA

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  • Independent
  • Credit Cards
    Accepted
  • Pet Friendly
  • Not Wheelchair
    Accessible
  • Public
    Restrooms
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“primary state park unit in the Iowa Great Lakes region”

The park features the largest lodge in Iowa to have been built by the Civilian Conservation Corps in the 1930s. Seating up to 140 people, it can be rented for private events. Several open picnic shelters are also available. The shaded campground, one of the most popular in the area, has 112 sites, over half with electrical hookups. Other campground facilities include modern restrooms and showers, a holding tank dump station, and a playground.

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Reviews of Gull Point State Park

6 people have reviewed this location

Ratings Summary

2.2 Access
2.6 Location
3.2 Cleanliness
1.4 Site Quality
3.0 Noise

Cell Coverage

Verizon 4G

Confirmed by 4 users | Last reported on July 22, 2022

AT&T 4G

Confirmed by 1 users | Last reported on June 07, 2016
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  • 44 Reviews
  • 0 Helpful
June 07, 2016
Rated

Most of the amenities at Gull Point are well-worn, but the Park has 112 sites in a quiet, lush, forested setting. Sites are well spaced and most have fire rings. Picnic tables could use a coat of paint. Sites do not have pads per se and have not been leveled, and most are too small for larger rigs. Fine for tents, trailers and smaller motorhomes. There's a mix of reservable and non-reservable sites, as well as sites with electric (30 amp max it appears) and without.

There is only one bathhouse with showers (sites 41-52 are closest to it). Other bathrooms in the park are older and worn, but are clean and serviceable. Nearby Emerson Bay State Recreation Area has more modern amenities but sites are close together and it is a much busier park. Gull Point is for the camper who wants more serene surroundings and brings their own bathroom with them.

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roadtripper509729 would stay here again

Nightly Rate: $16.00

Days Stayed: 3

Site Number: 101

2 Access
3 Location
4 Cleanliness
2 Site Quality
4 Noise

Cell Coverage Rating

Verizon 4G

AT&T 4G

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Reviewed by
Campendium

August 20, 2018
Rated

This park was built by the CCC. So it is nearly 100 years old. It was not built with RVs in mind. I have stayed at other CCC parks, that were better adapted to RVs. The road through the park takes sharp turns through big tall trees. We have a 33 foot trailer, I'm pretty sure this trip took a couple of years off my life. There were only a few sites that had any gravel left on them, they were mostly mud. Many of the sites sloped up hill. We reserved site 19, stated it was good for a trailer up to 35 feet. You would have to be a magician. We moved to 28, which was wide and long, but sloped badly at the back, had to park with the tongue of the trailer a foot from the road. Some of the sites were right on algae covered water, I can't imagine the bugs. If you have a motorhome on the smaller side, this probably wouldn't be as big of an obstacle for you.

No wood available for sale, no direct access to the area bike trail, no water hook ups.

Shower house was pretty new looking, clean. Bathrooms by playground were flush toilets and ok. Playground was well enjoyed by my boys. Very shady park,, tall oak trees throughout.

I would recommend camping at nearby Emerson Bay of you have the choice. I will not come back here for any reason.

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Nightly Rate: $16.00

Days Stayed: 2

Site Number: 19 & 28

2 Access
3 Location
5 Cleanliness
1 Site Quality
5 Noise

Cell Coverage Rating

Verizon 4G

  • 28 Reviews
  • 0 Helpful
October 09, 2019
Rated

The price was the off season rate. The campground was nearly empty even though the price included electric and showers. It was fall and there were leaves all around and the grounds were generally unkempt. The sites were small and dirt/mud and mostly shaded. There was no view of the lake and the water that was around seemed swampy. We really wanted a more open campsite and ended up going to Emerson Bay even though we generally prefer more rustic grounds like this one. There was a fishing pond and trails. In the summer it might be a very pleasant place to stay, if the bugs are not too bad.

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roadtripper820558 would stay here again

Nightly Rate: $11.00

Days Stayed: 0

Site Number: 0

5 Access
5 Location
4 Cleanliness
3 Site Quality
5 Noise

Cell Coverage Rating

Verizon 4G

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Reviewed by
Campendium

July 20, 2020
Rated

If you're camping in a tent, you'll love it so long as you don't mind sleeping at an angle. For everyone else, this is basically the "overflow" lot for the rest of Okoboji, and I'd rather pay for a hotel than stay here again. Tight turns, and no directional signs on the roads were the first thing I noticed upon pulling in. We tested the electrical before setting up in our reserved site and it tested good (this was at 8:15), so we set up. Then we turned on the air (90 outside) and the breaker blew. After that, even the tester would throw the breaker. So we broke down and started looking for another site, except now it's dark. We tried one site, but in the dark I didn't notice how horribly sloped it was front to back. So tear it down and move again. DNR is now there and trying to be helpful, while another camper to drunk to tell you his name starts yelling at my kids and telling them to f$#% off. So we finally get set up in a site with a heavy lean to the left. But it's 11:30, we decide to get some sleep and figure it out in the morning.

In the daylight, you can see how trully horrible this place is. Very few level sites, not laid out well, and sites on top of each other, and enough gravel between all the sites for 1 site. We did find one site that was long enough for us though and reasonably level, so we move AGAIN. This one right next to the campground hosts. So we get setup and we are finally ready to enjoy our weekend, and here the host comes. I explained to her what was going on, that I will get a hold of the ranger and get everything straightened out and she tells me I can't stay in this spot (it's a first come, first served spot). I told her that I've moved 4 times now, and the next time the camper is hooked to my truck it will be to go home. She throws a fit and tells me I'll have to pay for spot 102 (where I stayed the night before, also 1st come), as well as 42, in addition to the reserved spot at 48. I told her I would take it up with the Rangers and we would get if figured out. Found out later they had some friends coming in for the weekend and they were trying to hold on to that spot for them. Spent the rest of the weekend listening to people partying till 1 in the morning and getting mean mugged by the hosts and their guests every time they walked by.

Iowa normally has very nice and well maintained parks with exceptional hosts. This park has obviously slipped through the cracks. It is time to close the park down and renovate it, and they should start with campground hosts. I'll stay at Walmart before I stay here again.

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Nightly Rate: $15.00

Days Stayed: 3

Site Number: 42

2 Access
2 Location
3 Cleanliness
1 Site Quality
1 Noise
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Reviewed by
Campendium

August 10, 2020
Rated

We rented two camp sites for seven people (2 adults and 5 kids). We adhered to the two tents/4 people per site rule. However, the DNR counted one of our tents as three tents, simply because it was three dome tents, and made us rent a third site. The worst part was how rude the lady was. She wouldn’t even listen to me when I tried to show her the tent bag, indicating it was one tent. She acted as if we were criminals. Since there was NO two way conversation allowed, I indicated that we would pay for the extra site but would never be back, at which point she said “That’s fine.” Worst customer service ever! Three sites for 2 adults and four kids. Really? I don’t recommend this place at all! There are way better places to stay in the Okoboji area!

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Nightly Rate: -

Days Stayed: 2

Site Number: 35 and 36

Reviewed by
Stephansen

  • 86 Reviews
  • 0 Helpful
July 22, 2022
Rated

State Parks are my go to choice when looking for reservations, unfortunately this State Park isn’t up to snuff with many amenities we have come to expect in an electric site. There are no paved sites. Even for electric you are parking on grass and many are not level. The picnic tables are old & the sites are not well defined. Each site does have a fire pit. Showers & bathrooms are ok (some bathrooms are newer but showers are not).
I would try hard to get another location before selecting this State Park.

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Nightly Rate: $15.00

Days Stayed: 2

Site Number: 68

0 Access
0 Location
0 Cleanliness
0 Site Quality
0 Noise

Cell Coverage Rating

Verizon 4G

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Gull Point State Park

1500 Harpen St
Milford, Iowa
51351 USA
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  • Unavailable
    Parking
  • Check
    Pets Allowed
  • Check
    Restrooms
  • Unknown
    Wifi
  • Unavailable
    Wheelchair Accessible
  • Check
    Credit Cards Accepted
Max Stay
14
Affiliation
State park or forest
Sites Count
104
Last Nightly Rate
15.0
Lowest Nightly Rate
11.0
Back In RV Sites Count
25
Longest Vehicle Length Reported
33.0
  • Check
    Sites
  • Unavailable
    Laundry
  • Unavailable
    Propane
  • Check
    Showers
  • Unavailable
    Big Rigs
  • Unavailable
    Boondock
  • Check
    Firewood
  • Unavailable
    Fifty Amp
  • Check
    Tent Sites
  • Unavailable
    Cabin Sites
  • Unavailable
    Full Hookup
  • Unavailable
    Paved Sites
  • Check
    Dump Station
  • Unavailable
    Mobile Homes
  • Check
    Public Water
  • Unavailable
    Pull Through
  • Check
    Reservations
  • Unavailable
    Sewer Hookup
  • Unavailable
    Water Hookup
  • Check
    Potable Water
  • Unavailable
    Age Restricted
  • Check
    Rec Facilities
  • Unavailable
    Dispersed Sites
  • Unavailable
    Open Seasonally
  • Unavailable
    Permit Required
  • Check
    Back In RV Sites
  • Unavailable
    Group Tent Sites
  • Unavailable
    Fulltime Residents
  • Check
    Standard Tent Sites
  • Unavailable
    Pull Through RV Sites
  • Unavailable
    Vehicle Wash Permitted
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Campground, Restrooms

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