Prairie Flower Recreation Area
Saylorville Lake · Iowa · 252 sites
Imagery: USGS The National Map
Overview
Prairie Flower Recreation Area is a US Army Corps of Engineers campground in Saylorville Lake, Iowa, with 252 sites in 15 loops. Mostly open: only a few shady sites. T-Mobile, Verizon and AT&T report coverage at every site.
41 of 163 mapped sites shaded
93 of 163 mapped sites in full sun
134 of 163 mapped sites with clear sky
Map of the campground
Every site from the Recreation.gov listing. Choose a layer to see it across the campground; tap a site to open it in Roam.
Layers
More in Roam Premium
is in Roam Premium, with a 7-day free trial. Try it in Roam
Questions
Which sites at Prairie Flower Recreation Area are the shadiest?
Only a few. 41 of 163 sites have good shade; most sit in the open. These counts cover the 163 of 252 sites with a mapped location.
See the tree canopy in RoamWhich sites at Prairie Flower Recreation Area get the most sun?
Some. 93 of 163 sites are open to the southern sky, good for solar panels, and 31 more get some sun. These counts cover the 163 of 252 sites with a mapped location.
See the tree canopy in RoamWill Starlink work at Prairie Flower Recreation Area?
Easy here. About 134 of 163 sites have open sky for a Starlink dish, and 18 more have a partial gap. These counts cover the 163 of 252 sites with a mapped location. Satellite texting on a phone needs less open sky, but still works best from the most open spot you can find. This is our estimate from tree heights — check with the Starlink app's obstruction check when you arrive.
See the tree canopy in RoamWhich sites at Prairie Flower Recreation Area are the most level?
73 of 163 sites are flat, and 54 more have a gentle slope most RVs can level with blocks; 36 are steeper, better for tents. Sites that take RVs or trailers fit rigs up to 80 ft. These counts cover the 163 of 252 sites with a mapped location.
See the slope at each site in RoamDoes Prairie Flower Recreation Area have cell service?
Yes. T-Mobile, Verizon and AT&T all report coverage at every site at Prairie Flower Recreation Area. That's the coverage each carrier reports to the FCC, not a measured signal, so under trees or below a ridge it can be weaker.
See the coverage map in RoamWhen is the best time to see fall color at Prairie Flower Recreation Area?
October. In a typical year the leaves around Prairie Flower Recreation Area are at their best in mid-October, though any one fall can run a week or two early or late. Much of the forest here stays green, so expect color in patches. Roam’s fall foliage map shows how far the color has come this week, free every September through November.
See this week’s fall color in RoamWhat’s the weather like at Prairie Flower Recreation Area in October?
In October, expect highs around 63°F and lows around 41°F, with about 2.6 inches of rain over the month and 1 inch of snow. Every month’s averages are in Roam Premium.
Open Prairie Flower Recreation Area in RoamCampground facts
- Sites
- 252 in 15 loops
- Kinds
- 242 for RVs or trailers · 10 group sites
- Hookups
- 252 with electric
- Longest rig
- 80 ft
- Accessible
- 1 site
- Elevation
- 904–947 ft
- Every site
- Picnic table · Fire ring · Pets allowed · Campfires allowed · Check-in 2 PM, check-out 12 PM
- Managed by
- US Army Corps of Engineers
- Booking
- Reserve on Recreation.gov
How we know Sources and limits
Shade, sun and Starlink are our estimates from Meta and the World Resources Institute’s canopy-height model (about 2 m pixels, from satellite imagery calibrated with space lidar; CC BY 4.0). From 2 m above each site we trace 72 lines out to 60 m and note the tallest tree in each direction. Shade counts trees overhead, the canopy within 30 m and how much of the afternoon sky is blocked. Sun counts how open the southern sky is. Starlink needs open sky above 35°, with the northern half counted twice because US dishes tilt north, and we keep the best spot within 8 m of the site’s post. The model sees tree heights only, not trunks, buildings or hills, so check with the Starlink app when you arrive.
Slope is the ground at each site’s post over about 4 m, from USGS 3DEP 1 m lidar: level under 2%, gentle to 4% (most rigs level on blocks), sloped to 8% (fine for a tent), steep beyond.
Cell coverage is from the FCC Broadband Data Collection (carrier filings as downloaded May 2026): each site is tested against each carrier’s modelled outdoor 4G/5G coverage. It is what the carriers report, not a measured signal.
Fall color is the typical peak from NASA’s MODIS satellite record of when leaves change (2001–2023), limited to deciduous and mixed forest with USGS land cover (NLCD), calibrated to the USA National Phenology Network’s ground reports of colored leaves (CC BY 4.0). It is an average of many autumns, so the page gives a window, not a date.
Weather is NOAA’s 1991–2020 climate normals for the campground. Sites and facts are from Recreation.gov’s open data (July 2026). Map imagery: USGS The National Map.
From the campground’s Recreation.gov listing: “Prairie Flower is a large, open campground covering more than 60 acres. It offers 153 family sites and 10 group sites, all with electric hookups. Many of the family sites in the south end offer a pleasant view of the 6000-acre lake. The north end is made up of mostly group sites in a circle-the-wagon design. Amenities include flush toilets, showers, drinking water and a dump station. The campground also provides educational programs, group shelters, playgrounds and a swimming beach. Nearby amenities include a visitor center, hiking trail, volleyball courts and a disc golf course. Boat ramps and a fishing dock are also close by. Iowa's prairie heritage is celebrated in more than 40 acres of prairie plantings throughout the campground. The wide variety of grass and flowers provides vivid colors from mid-summer to fall. Wildlife is abundant throughout the project. White-tailed deer, turkeys, waterfowl and other small game animals roam the lands around the lake.”
Page data as of October 15, 2026. Full source notes are in each layer’s info in the app.