Big Lake State Park

Located outside of near 10 miles West of Mound City Missouri.

1.5 hours from Council Bluffs, Iowa or 91 miles

To make reservations and to get additional information about the campground/park please click here:

No Park Permit Required

Camping Fee: $23.00

Reservation Fee:  $8.50

Last Stayed:  7/2018

Camping Spot:  1

OVERVIEW

This state park is one of our favorite places to bring our bikes as well as my 7 year old daughters other outdoor riding toys, like her Razor trike.  The entire park is flat with nice areas to picnic and walk around.  The campground offers nice large sites with big yards.  With a lake views and a swimming pool, this is a favorite summertime location for us.  There are plenty of areas for fishing including the secluded area of Scout Island.  This section of the park is for day use and has picnic areas and lots of places to fish.

Another thing we love about Big Lake State park, is that when we have camped on the weekends they usually have some type of naturalist activity.  On our June trip to the park we were able to participate in a Bike and Hike with a Naturalist.  It was a fun and learning experience.  Click on the below button to see my post on the Naturalist Adventure – Bike and Hike.

Update:  On our second trip in July of 2018 we experienced another Naturalist Adventure – Fishing and Wading.  This was another fun and amazing learning experience.  Click on the button below to see my post on the Naturalist Adventure 2 -Fishing and Wading.

LAKE VIEW

This campground has amazing lake views from multiple places around the campground.  But just walking around the campground, to the playground and even the pool has some great lake views.

Unfortunately all the spots with waterfront views are non-electric and we have not camped in these spots.

The park has a boat dock, where we have seen lots of jet skis, pontoon boats and fishing boats launch from.

The lake is also has some inlets that is great for kayaks.

The waters of Big Lake also offer great fishing opportunities.  Fisherman may try their luck at catching bass, crappie and carp.

CAMPGROUND

The campground has 76 spots.  50 of the spots have electricity and 17 are non-electrical/tenting spots.  Not sure why they have large tent or non-electric spots along the water with the best views of the lake, but the largest spots are near the campground entrance – Spots 1-8. These spots have large yards, 50 AMP Electric and some even have their own covered picnic tables.  Spots in the middle section are a little closer together, and there are even 23 pull through spots in the middle section and are long enough for even some of the big rigs.  The spots in the middle section 17-50 don’t have as much of a yard, and you are much closer to your neighbor.   Each spot is gravel and has a fire pit and picnic table.

SPOTS WE LIKE

We like to have spot 1 if possible, as it is the first spot as you come into the campground, across from the campground host.  This spot has no neighbors out your door and looks out into a large grassy area.  It is also shaded in the late afternoon.  Any of the spots along the edge of the campground – along the highway – Spots 1-8 are very roomy.  The only downfall is they back up to the highway, but there is not a ton of traffic on this road, so it doesn’t bother us.

We are not fans of the middle spots, as they are close together, and one time there was a lot of rain before we came and a couple of the spots had a lot of standing water in them.

SHOWER HOUSES

The campground has 2 shower houses.  The main shower house is near the entrance to the campground and has 3 stalls for showers as well as restroom facilities.  There is a second shower house near the dump station that has 2 shower stalls.  Both are mostly clean and well maintained.

BEACH

Unfortunately there is no swimming beach at this State Park.   But there is a place near the campground entrance that you can put your kayak in, so this makes a nice place to just splash in the water if you wish!

POOL

A huge perk to this campground is the public pool.  Anyone can pay to get into the pool, so you don’t have to be camping at the campground to use the pool.  The cost to swim is $4 for adults and $3 for students.  The pool is very nice with a zero entry area for smaller kiddos and a deep area at 8”9”.  There is also a lifeguard on duty at all times.  The pool area is very clean and well maintained.  Bring a chair, as there are only a couple benches and picnic tables.  We always just bring in our collapsible camping chars that are easy to fold up and carry.

There are showers and restroom facilities at the pool, they are clean, but seem to be a little dated.

CABINS

If you don’t have a Travel Trailer, and don’t want to tent, Big Lake also offers 8 cabins to rent.  These cabins also have amazing views of the lake as well.  For more information on the cabins, please check their website.

PLAYGROUNDS

There is a large playground located near the entrance to the campground and close to the pool.  This playground has swings, slides and a nice climbing structure.  There are a few benches and picnic tables around this playground as well.  The second playground is at the end of the campground, closer to the 2^nd shower house.  This playground is a little smaller, but still very nice with slides and a climbing structure.  There is also a huge open field by this playground for playing ball, Frisbee or even flying a kite on a windy day.

WALKING/BIKING

This is one of the best walking/biking parks we have been to.  The area is entirely flat, which is great for little ones to ride bikes, scooters and big wheels.  You can walk or ride bikes around the entire campground and even along the lake.  The road through the park past the entrance goes by the boat docks and to Scout Island that goes the entire way around the park.  This is a great biking path for even small kids as there is not a lot of traffic in this area.  There is also a lot of wildlife and fishing on Scout Island.  See post about naturalist adventure.

DUMP STATION

The park has one dump station that was flat and easy accessible near the back of the campground.

SUMMARY

Big Lake is a wonderful campground with lake views and a pool!  (A favorite of my 7 year old).  The park offers great biking/walking and has some really nice large spots.  This campground isn’t too far from home, and is in our regular summer rotation for camping locations.  If anyone has a jet ski or boat along with their camper, this is definitely a destination you need to check out.