Pick a unit on the map to see its reservation calendar.
Only 22 openings in the last 90 days: not enough recent activity for a reliable pattern. A free Campsite Sniper alert watches around the clock instead, and pings you the moment one opens.
Of the 19 tracked reservation dates (Apr 15 – May 3, 2027): 19 open for online reservation.
Of the open reservation dates on mapped day-use units, 10 fall on weekdays and 9 on weekends (Fri–Sun).
April holds the most room. 16 of 16 reservation dates are still open there.
| Window | Date | Units open | Status |
|---|---|---|---|
| Memorial Day | FRI May 28 | 0 | None open |
| SAT May 29 | 0 | None open | |
| SUN May 30 | 0 | None open | |
| MON May 31 | 0 | None open |
Memorial Day: no online availability on any tracked date.
| Unit | Open reservation dates |
|---|---|
| 1 | 19 |
This day-use unit currently has 19 reservation dates available.
Campsite Sniper's data for this facility starts Apr 15, 2027. That is about 164 days after the current snapshot was taken, so dates before Apr 15, 2027 are not covered by what Campsite Sniper tracks here — they are not known to be unavailable. The reservation dates shown on this page describe Apr 15, 2027 onwards only. Check Recreation.gov for earlier dates.
| Unit | Open reservation dates | Consecutive dates | Dates |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 19 | 19 dates | Apr 15, 2027, Apr 16, 2027, Apr 17, 2027, Apr 18, 2027, Apr 19, 2027, Apr 20, 2027, Apr 21, 2027, Apr 22, 2027, Apr 23, 2027, Apr 24, 2027, Apr 25, 2027, Apr 26, 2027 +7 more |
Lake View Recreation Area is a day-use facility located on the 26,000-acre Saylorville Lake Project, which stretches over 50 miles up the Des Moines River Valley. The lake provides a wide variety of recreational activities, including boating, swimming, fishing, hiking and hunting.
Visitors come to Saylorville Lake for its great boating, sailing, water skiing, windsurfing and swimming opportunities. Anglers fish for walleye, wiper, largemouth bass, catfish, crappie and northern pike.
The paved Neal Smith Trail (East side of the lake) winds 24 miles from Des Moines to Big Creek State Park and connects the campgrounds on the east side of the lake. It is designated as a National Recreation Trail and is used for biking, hiking, jogging, walking and in-line skating.
This day-use area contains a picnic shelter that can accommodate up to 50 people. Amenities include water and electricity, public bathroom with flushing toilets, boat ramp and access to hiking and biking trails. The attached restroom is available for the general public.
Lakeview View Shelter is situated on a ridge overlooking the West side of the lake. Dense timber stands surround the recreation area, but shade is limited within the site.
Wildlife is abundant throughout the project. White-tailed deer, turkeys, pheasants, waterfowl, and other small game animals roam the lands around the lake.
From I-35, take the Ankeny Exit #90 (Oralabor Road) and go west 4.8 miles; the road turns into HWY 415. Turn left (west) onto NW 37th Street and go 0.3 mile, then turn right onto NW Horseshoe Rd. Continue past the Saylorville Lake Visitor Center and take a right to cross the Main Dam for 2.6 miles until you reach NW Beaver Dr. Turn right and drive North for 0.5 miles. Turn right into Lake View Recreation Area and follow road until your destination at Lake View Recreation Area Shelter. From I-80, take Exit #131 (Merle Hay Rd) exit and go north 2.7 miles. Turn left (West/North) onto NW Beaver Dr and go 1.6 miles. Turn right into Lake View Recreation Area and follow road until your destination at Lake View Recreation Area Shelter.
View on Recreation.gov ↗ Get directions ↗




Reservations for Lake View Recreation Area (Saylorville) are made through Recreation.gov. The current snapshot shows substantial availability: 19 of 19 tracked reservation dates are open (100%), though availability can change. Campsite Sniper has also detected 22 site openings here in the last 90 days, so further dates may appear. Pick the unit on the map to see its reservation calendar, or set a free Campsite Sniper alert. You complete the reservation yourself on Recreation.gov.
No. Campsite Sniper sends alerts and direct Recreation.gov links. It never books, pays for, holds, hoards, or resells reservations.
Campsite Sniper re-checks public Recreation.gov availability for this facility every hour and republishes whenever anything changes. This facility's data last changed at Nov 2, 2026 18:20 UTC; an older timestamp means nothing has changed since that time, not that checking stopped. Always confirm final availability on Recreation.gov when you book.
Campsite Sniper detected 22 site-date openings here over the last 90 days, none in the last 7. A free alert watches around the clock and pings you the moment one appears.
April 2027, with 16 open reservation dates in the current snapshot of 16.
Campsite Sniper cannot answer that from the current snapshot. The availability data held for Lake View Recreation Area (Saylorville) begins Apr 15, 2027 — about 164 days after this snapshot was taken, so any earlier dates are outside what Campsite Sniper is tracking here rather than known to be unavailable. Check Recreation.gov for dates before Apr 15, 2027.
Choose the reservation dates you want at Lake View Recreation Area (Saylorville).
Campsite Sniper can monitor this facility and notify you if a selected date becomes available.
When a selected date becomes available, you get a push with a Recreation.gov link so you can review and book it yourself.