Planning to camp this weekend? State officials say you should check before heading out with the camping gear because several state parks have been damaged by flood waters. Heather Cline of the state parks bureau in the Iowa Department of Natural Resources says some camping areas have been swamped.Cline suggests calling ahead to see if camping spaces are available. Cline says just a couple of parks are closed. Cline says George Wyth State Park near Waterloo and Walnut Woods State Park near Des Moines are closed. Cline says some campgrounds that’ve been inundated by water may be open by this weekend.Cline says most campgrounds are open today. However, Cline is asking park-goers to stay off any park roadways that are underwater and to be cautious when hiking because some trails have been washed out. There are 74 state-owned parks in Iowa, and Cline says many have been unaffected by recent rain and wind damage. Here’s a list of other park closures: At Brushy Creek near Fort Dodge, the trails are closed and boat docks are under water. At Ledges State Park near Boone the canyon road is temporarily closed. The boat ramp at Elk Rock near Knoxville is closed. You can find out more about park conditions on-line at www.exploreiowaparks.com.
