Physical Location
Location Address
2780 Viking Lake Road
Stanton, IA 51573
Areas Served
Phone(s)
Park Alerts & Notices
For current closures or important information please visit, Park Alerts and Notices.
About the Park
Viking Lake State Park is a popular lake and camping destination with numerous recreational opportunities. A large portion of the 1,000-acre park has been left in its natural state and is abundant in wildflowers and plants.
Beavers, turkeys, ducks and white-tailed deer are often spotted at the park. Native American tribes once camped and lived in the area, based on artifacts found when the lake was built.
Plan Your Visit
- Hike the 5.5 mile multi-use trail around the lake or enjoy a hike on the one-mile Burr Oak Nature Trail.
- Fish for bluegill, red-ear sunfish, largemouth bass and more at the 136-acre Viking Lake. Six fishing jetties are located around the lake for easy shoreline fishing.
- Boat in the waters of Viking Lake or swim at the sandy beach on the western shore. Four boat ramps offer easy access to the water and any size boat motor may be operated on the lake at “no wake” speeds. A concrete seawall is nearby and yearly boat rental spaces are available for reservation.
- Camp in the spacious, shady campground located on the lakeshore. The campground contains electrical hookups, full-service hookups, buddy sites and non-electrical sites. Modern restrooms and showers and a trailer dump station are also available. One fourth of the campsites are available on a first-come, first-served basis and advance campsite reservations can be made through the online reservation system for Viking Lake State Park.
- Reserve one of three open shelters for an outdoor gathering during your visit. The Lower Picnic Shelter contains a kitchenette and the Beach Point Shelter is located near the water’s edge. The Upper Picnic Shelter overlooks the lake and can be accessed by following the upper road. Shelter reservations can be made through the online reservation system for Viking Lake State Park for large group events.
After Hours Fishing
Open to fishing activity between the hours of 10:30 p.m. and 4 a.m. in addition to normal park hours. All fishing must be done from the bank in the areas designated for each lake or river. Vessels are not permitted on the lakes after 10:30 p.m. Parking is allowed in specially marked lots only.
The embankment of the dam from the parking area located southeast of the dam area northwesterly across the dam structure to its intersection with the natural shoreline of the lake.
Amenities at a Glance
- Hiking trails
- Playground
- Swimming beach
- Boat ramps (4)
- Fishing jetties (6)
- Fish cleaning station
- Shelters
- Modern restrooms
- Showers
- Electric campsites
- Full hook-up campsites
- Tent only campsites
- Youth group only campsites
- Buddy campsites
- Dump station