FAIRFIELD – Outdoor enthusiasts can start loading their RVs because the camping season is upon us.

Jefferson County Conservation has opened its two main campsites, Jefferson County Park just southwest of Fairfield and Mac Coon Access north of Lockridge, to self-contained camping. Jefferson County Conservation Director Shawn Morrissey said he hopes to have the bathrooms ready at Jefferson County Park by the end of April.

“We always say [camping season] is May through October, but people can use our water and dump station in April,” Morrissey said.

The county’s other campsite, Round Prairie Park, 9 miles southeast of Fairfield, is open for “primitive” camping. The county removed its water and utility access a few years ago as a cost-saving measure because the park was seldom used.

“That park is still an option, but it has to be with a self-contained [camper] or tent camping,” Morrissey said. “We still have picnic tables, a pit toilet and fire ring there.”

NEW CAMPSITE PLANNED

Jefferson County Conservation announced last year that it had received a state grant to build a new 14-stall campground on the east side of Jefferson County Park. The new campsite will be accessible from Key Boulevard, and should be ready for the public by next summer. Morrissey said construction on the campsite is about to begin any day.

“Most of the construction will be done this summer, and we hope to open next May or June,” Morrissey said. “[The contractor] will do a lot of dirt work and underground utilities. They’ve got to put in some sewer lines, and some of that [road] might get paved later this summer.”

The new 10-acre campground will be called Jefferson County Prairie Ridge Campground, and was made possible after the conservation department learned it had received a $450,000 grant from the state of Iowa, which will cover about 39 percent of the project’s cost of about $1.17 million.

Though this new campground will be close to Jefferson County Park, the two campsites won’t be connected by a road, at least not at first. Morrissey said the conservation department eventually wants to connect the two campsites, but that’s not part of this project’s budget.

The stalls in Jefferson County Prairie Ridge Campground will have full hookups including electricity, water and sewer, so a camper can connect the bathroom in their RV directly to the sewer line at the campground.

“It’s a more modern campground for the big RVs than what exists now,” Morrissey said.

Morrissey said the conservation department plans to have these 14 stalls be reservable. The 24 stalls at Jefferson County Park are not currently reservable, and operate on a first-come, first-served basis. Morrissey said they might eventually make all 38 stalls at both campsites reservable.

CAMPING IN HIGH DEMAND

Interest in camping rose in recent years, especially after the pandemic. Morrissey said Jefferson County Park enjoyed its busiest year in 2022, and that it is usually busy and sometimes completely full on holidays such as Memorial Day, Independence Day and Labor Day.

“We need some more options, and that new campground is the first phase of that, and hopefully it will alleviate the problem,” Morrissey said. “We’ve had some pretty full weekends where we’ve had to turn people away.”

The conservation board’s master plan calls for eventually building two four-season cabins and a multiuse lodge and shelter in the park, but those pieces are not funded yet.

The cost to camp at Jefferson County Park is $20 per night with electricity and $15 without. The cost to camp at Mac Coon Access is $12 per night with electricity and $9 without. Camping at Round Prairie Park is $5 per night.