ashton wildwood park

Ashton Wildwood is a Jasper County, Iowa park consisting of about 113 acres near Baxter, Iowa and about 40 minutes from Des Moines. It has some of the nicest, quietest camping sites in the state. No electricity for hard campers, although many hard campers come here. For tenting, it's spectacular. Some of the camp sites are a bit secluded from the others and especially two of them. The hickory and walnut trees attract a lot of wildlife. Owls are plentiful and their calling at night adds such a feeling of wilderness. The Des Moines Astronomical Society maintains an observatory in the park and it's open to the public on Saturday evenings. We've camped here many times over the past few years and love it each time. We always try to get campsite #1. It's long and narrow and affords our five dogs much freedom to play ball and investigate the woodland smells in safety. There's a hiking trail, a big open field for turning the kids and dogs loose to play and very little light pollution for looking at the stars. A wonderful place for quiet and nature. There are simple bathrooms and plans for a shower facility to be built in the fall of 2014. There's a small playground for kids. No running water available, but there is a pump in the open field for excellent well water. This isn't a place for luxury, but for getting away from the city and enjoying the outdoors. Camping, as of this writing, is $7 a night. There's no fee to enter the park and picnic or hike. Jerry, the park ranger, is a delightful guy and always ready with a warm greeting and any help you might need. We love this place!