Nishna Bend Rec Area Campground

Harlan, Iowa

About

The Nishna Bend Recreation Area is a 80-acre park located 5 miles south of Harlan, just off of hwy 59. It features 2 camping cabins, 24 50amp electric campsites with modern shower building, 5 sandpit fishing ponds, river fishing, trails, and public hunting during the winter months. The park contains over 30 acres of wetland created from past gravel mining operations and is located southeast of Corley. Its acquisition was partially funded with grants from Duck Unlimited and Pheasants Forever. The ponds left from past mining operations contain bass, crappie, catfish, bluegill, and bullhead to delight any angler. The park also includes a camping cabin, hiking trails, a river access, an arboretum, a planting of tall grass and short grass prairie with many species of wildflowers, and a nature learning center. A campground opened in 2007 with four electrical sites, and 20 more sites have been added since then. The cost for the sites is $20 per night. A new shower house/restroom was opened in May of 2009.

Amenities

Available Site Types

• Camping Cabins
• 50amp Electric Campsites

Local Attractions

• Loess Hills National Scenic Byway
• The Hitchcock House
• Willow Lake Nature Center
• Hitchcock Nature Center
• Neal Moeller Environmental Education Center
• Loess Hills State Forest
• Desoto National Wildlife Refuge
• Ingemann Danish Lutheran Church
• Wolfe Nature Center
• Swan Lake Conservation Education Center