The campground at Little Wall Lake has been expanded by 41 sites including 17 with full hook-ups, 20 with water and electric only, and four tent sites. The expansion included adding three new septic tanks, a leach field, and a water pit. All infrastructure is in, except for sewer lines to each site as well as rock hauling and grass seeding which will be completed next spring. All sites should be open by Memorial Day.
The improvements were paid for with a $60,500 Federal Land and Water Conservation Fund grant along with $71,500 in local matching funds including $18,000 from the Hamilton County Conservation Legacy Fund, donations from Ingraham Construction, and additional funds from Hamilton County.
| Little Wall Lake is host to a wide variety of activities. Not only is the lake a beautiful place to sit and
enjoy the breeze, you can also enjoy the following: | ||
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Twelve of the sites are reservable. All other campsites are first come, first serve.
You may hold a site by placing a physical object such as a car,
tent, or camper and pay for the site each night. To reserve a site, please visit this website:
Hamilton County Conservation.
Regular season fees, April 1 - October 31, are as follows:
- $12 - primitive tent sites (10 available)
- $16 - sites with electric (70 available)
- $18 - sites with water and electric (20 available)
- $20 - full hookup sites (40 available)
After filling out the self registration envelope, you deposit your money in the envelope and keep the top portion as your receipt. The actual envelope is dropped in the drop tube. A campground host will be around to check you in and to see if you have properly registered. Sites allow up to 6 people per unit. We do not allow to double up sites. An extra tent can be erected on the same site as another camping unit as long as the occupants are children and under the age of 16. Please contact us if you have any further questions. Enjoy your camping experience.
Scout Camping: Scouts are allowed to camp for free as long as there is a pre-planned project approved by the Park Operations Officer prior to the camp out. If no projects are planned or carried out then a $2 per scout fee will be accessed. Call the Conversation Office at (515) 832-9570 if you have any questions.
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The Hamilton County Conversation Board maintains the schedule for the shelter. Please check here for more information: Little Wall Lake Shelter Schedule.
The shelter is enclosed, and the cost is $50 per day plus a $50 refundable deposit.
Public hunting for waterfowl, upland game and large game is allowed on and around the lake with the exception of being on private lands. Shooting is not allowed within 200 yards of any occupied building. All state fishing and hunting rules, seasons and bag limits apply at all times.
Two sand volleyball courts and a separate playground provides special facilities for active users.
A hiking trail is located north of the campground along a wooded stream and a second trail wanders along the east side of the lake.
The concession at the "boat house" building at Little Wall lake has a full line of bait, groceries, and camping supplies. They also rent out boats, paddle boats and canoes.
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Little Wall Lake, 258 acres, is termed a "natural lake" by the Iowa Department of Natural Resources.
The lake earned it's name because it was formed by the moving ice of a glacier pushing against the
earth and creating a "wall" of soil where water could collect.
The water is held by a combination of recessional moraines rather than a significant geological feature. Therefore, such lakes tend to be fairly shallow and contain small watersheds. Because of the small watershed which feeds the lake, it was more of a marsh than an open body of water. Only with artificial efforts, such as dredging, has the area become a lake and not become an eventual marsh. In 1905-06 and again in 1936-41 the lake was reported to have gone dry.
In the 1950's the Iowa DNR arranged for a dredging machine to open channels and clean some of the lake from the vigorous growth of aquatic plants. Approximately 65 acres were dredged. A few low spots surrounding the lake were filled with the dredged material resulting in the loss of some low marsh areas.
In October of 1960, the Hamilton County Conservation Board signed a contract with the Iowa DNR for a
joint management program for the area. The Iowa DNR manages all aspects of the lake and the conservation
board manages the park and two thirds of the land around the lake. In 1961 the conservation board entered
a maintenance agreement with the Iowa Department of Transportation for the right-of-way along the east
side of state highway 69 adjacent to the lake. The conservation board assumed maintenance of the areas
at the north and south ends of the lake and along the west side of the lake where the lake borders the highway.
In 2002, approximately 100 acres of the lake was dredged for better boating and fishing. In 2004, natural water filters
and screens were installed so that pumping water from a nearby creek could bring the lake water levels back to near normal.
With your continued financial support in donations, water pumping will be available as needed.
The Little Wall Lake recreational development has provided the residents of Hamilton County, central Iowa, and many tourists and visitors with a quality outdoor recreation area. The park and lake are used for camping, hiking, water skiing, boating, fishing, hunting, snowmobiling and many more outdoor activities.
Jason Gilmore
Park Officer
2490 Briggs Woods Trail, Webster City, Iowa 50595
515-832-9570 (Phone)
515-832-9578 (Fax)
Many thanks to the Hamilton County Conservation Board for the above information. Please visit their website
for more information about other outdoor facilities located throughout Hamilton County.







