Howell Station
October 2026
About
Overview
Howell Station Campground sits just below the Red Rock Dam and Lake on the north side of the Des Moines River. Lake Red Rock is Iowa's largest lake, located just 10 minutes from Pella, known for its Dutch heritage, and 15 minutes from Knoxville, the Sprint car capital of the world. Visitors enjoy boating, fishing, hiking, biking and viewing wildlife.
For more information regarding the Army Corps of Engineers and the Lake Red Rock Project, click here: Lake Red Rock Website
Recreation
Lake Red Rock offers excellent boating, water skiing and swimming opportunities. Miles of water trails for kayakers and canoeists are designated along the shoreline. Anglers will find crappie, largemouth and striped bass, walleye, channel and flathead catfish, northern pike and bluegill. Several miles of trails for hiking and biking are in the area. The 15 mile paved Volksweg Trail stretches west from Pella to the Des Moines River and to the Cordova Recreation Area.
Facilities
Howell Station offers 143 campsites with 50-amp electric hookups. Amenities include flush and pit toilets, showers, drinking water and two dump stations.
Younger campers love the park's playgrounds, while anglers enjoy the great river fishing access.
Natural Features
Hardwood forests cover the riverbanks at Howell Station, offering shade and scenic views. Wildlife is abundant around the lake. A wide variety of waterfowl, including the American White Pelican, migrate through the area in spring and fall. Bald eagles can be observed from November through March. White-tailed deer, turkeys and other small animals are commonly viewed around the lake.
Contact Info
For local information, please call (641) 620-1802 or call (641) 828-7522 for general information.
Nearby Attractions
Des Moines, Iowa's capital, is an hour away, with numerous shopping and dining opportunities, museums and the Blank Park Zoo.
Charges & Cancellations
A $10.00 service fee will apply if you change or cancel your reservation. The $10.00 service fee will be deducted from the refund amount. Cancel or change reservations through recreation.gov or by calling 1-877-444-6777. Late cancellations are subject to additional fees.
Amenities
Phone: 641-828-7522
Is HOWELL STATION fully booked?
A campground showing no availability is almost never full for good. People cancel — plans change, weather turns, someone books three weekends and keeps one — and the site goes straight back into the booking system, usually without warning and often at odd hours. The reason sold-out campgrounds feel impossible is not that sites never free up; it is that nobody is watching at the moment they do.
CampHawk watches HOWELL STATION in Pella, IA for you. We recheck it every 15 seconds, around the clock, and the moment a site opens we send a text, an email and a push notification — and on Recreation.gov we can put the site straight into your cart, so it is held while you get to your phone.
Searching is free and needs no account — the calendar above is live right now. Watching HOWELL STATION for cancellations is the paid part.