With summer winding down and fall approaching, many will be looking to enjoy the outdoors.

Reaghan Oakleaf, Natural Resource Tech 1 with the Iowa Department of Natural Resources, suggests camping as an excellent option, particularly at Springbrook State Park. She tells Raccoon Valley Radio that 75 percent of the park’s camping spots are reservable, while the remaining 25 percent are available on a first-come, first-served basis, and provides details on how to make reservations.

“If you want to reserve a site, that must be done two days in advance, and we have contracted that out to a system. It is iowastatepark.reserveamerica.com. There’s also a cell phone (number). If those who struggle with computers, sometimes it can be a little confusing to get the reservation system done. Everyone deals with it. So basically, you can five that phone number a call, and whoever answers will be able to walk them through and get payment and get a site picked out for them.”

Oakleaf mentions that the 25 percent of spots that are not reservable are part of a self-registration walk-in system. She adds that campers are able to register for these spots once they get to the park, and can do so at the kiosk at the campgrounds or with the help of a park employee.