Iowa State Parks · Iowa
Palisades-Kepler State Park
Iowa State Parks · Iowa, United States
- Sites
- 40
- Hookups
- 27 electric, 13 no hookups
- Season
- May 1 to November 15
- Group sites
- Yes
- Drinking water
- Yes
- Restrooms
- Yes
- Showers
- Yes
- Dump station
- Yes
- Pets
- Yes
- Elevation
- 856 ft
- Dark sky
- Bortle class 4
- Cell coverage
- AT&T weak · Verizon weak · T-Mobile none (carriers' 4G LTE filings to the FCC, 2025-12; not measured here)
- Nearest town
- Mount Vernon
- Address
- 700 Kepler Dr
- Phone
- 319-895-6039
44 numbered sites are mapped one by one - the site map below shows each with its facts and pictures.
Site map
44 numbered sites are mapped one by one on the imagery, with the operator's own facts and pictures for each site where it publishes them. Tap a site to rate it, keep a note and add your own photos; press and hold the map for a pin of your own. Your ratings, notes, pins and photos are kept with the campground on your Saved list, the same list the camping map and the drive page keep.
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About
Palisades-Kepler State Park is an Iowa State Park campground offering 40 sites (27 electric) near Mount Vernon.
Fees
Peak season (May 1-Oct 15) rates per night: electric sites $26/night, nonelectric sites $18/night, youth group site $20/night. Rates include sales tax. A $4/night equestrian fee is bundled into equestrian-campground rates above where applicable (except youth group sites). A $4-$5/night surcharge applies on Memorial Day, Labor Day and July 4th holiday weekends. Off-season (Oct 16-Apr 30) rates run roughly $2-6/night lower than these May 1-Oct 15 peak-season rates for the same site type. (Iowa DNR's own official per-park camping rate schedule, iowadnr.gov, updated February 15, 2026.) Pets are allowed in Iowa state park campgrounds, subject to Iowa DNR's park regulations: "Pets shall not be left unattended in campgrounds" and "Privately owned animals shall be kept on a leash with a maximum length of six feet, or be kept confined." (iowadnr.gov's own park-use regulations.)
Weather, month by month
| Month | Typical high | Typical low | Coldest night | Hottest day | Years with a night below 32°F |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| January | 27° | 9° | -20° | 54° | 11 of 11 |
| February | 33° | 17° | -14° | 66° | 11 of 11 |
| March | 47° | 30° | 5° | 75° | 10 of 11 |
| April | 60° | 39° | 22° | 81° | 5 of 11 |
| May | 70° | 53° | 37° | 88° | 0 of 11 |
| June | 82° | 63° | 48° | 94° | 0 of 11 |
| July | 84° | 67° | 59° | 94° | 0 of 11 |
| August | 80° | 66° | 55° | 92° | 0 of 11 |
| September | 79° | 60° | 48° | 91° | 0 of 11 |
| October | 62° | 44° | 27° | 81° | 2 of 10 |
| November | 48° | 31° | 6° | 72° | 8 of 10 |
| December | 36° | 23° | -11° | 70° | 10 of 10 |
Mid-month figures from 2016–2026 of daily weather at this spot (ERA5 reanalysis via Open-Meteo, CC BY 4.0), in °F. Typical is the median; coldest and hottest are the extremes seen.
Nearby campgrounds
- Wanatee Park · City, County & Regional Parks · 8 mi · 69 sites
- Sandy Beach Camp · Army Corps of Engineers · 8 mi · 58 sites
- Lake Macbride State Park · Iowa State Parks · 8 mi · 96 sites
- Sugar Bottom Campground · Army Corps of Engineers · 11 mi · 244 sites
- West Overlook Campground · Army Corps of Engineers · 13 mi · 89 sites
All public campgrounds in Iowa · Every state and province · Facts read from the operator 2026-08-25. Confirm fees, rules and current status with the operator before you go.