FAQ

Camping

Bell's Mill, Briggs Woods and Little Wall Lake campgrounds

Briggs Woods and Little Wall Lake campgrounds each have designated sites available for reservation from April 1 through October 31 each year.

Bell's Mill Park is first-come first-serve.

  • Holiday weekends are excluded from reservations.
  • All other sites are first-come first-serve.
  • We have a No Refund policy; however, if you need to cancel your reservation you have one opportunity to reschedule within the camping season


General Questions

What is the cancellation policy?

Please consider this policy prior to purchasing your facility reservation. Refunds are not provided.

You will be provided with a coupon code in the amount of your reservation, less the $4 fee.  Your code will expire 12 months from your original rental date.  You will enter the code at the checkout screen when making your next reservation in Hamilton County.

Cancellations must be made 15 days in advance

Cancellations must be made by calling the Conservation Office at (515) 832-9570.  


What is the refund policy?

Please understand at the time of booking your reservation that you immediately prohibit other people from reserving & utilizing that facility - they therefore go elsewhere to locate a facility for that date. 

We will observe a NON-REFUNDABLE reservation fee policy with the following exceptions:

  • Accident, serious injury or death of an immediate family member 
  • Travel conditions where a substantial risk is required in order to travel such as a winter storm where a travel advisory has been issued 
  • We are unable to provide your facility (or like facility) in operable condition for the date of your event 
  • Must call the Conservation Office at (515) 832-9570. 

How do you contact Hamilton County?

HAMILTON COUNTY CONSERVATION
2490 Briggs Woods Trail Webster City, Iowa, 50595

PHONE: (515) 832-9570

Office Hours:  8:30 am to 5:00 pm - Monday thru Friday
**November thru March closed on Wednesday

Office
Brian Lammers, Executive Director     blammers@hamiltoncounty.org
Lori Westrum,  Office Manager    lwestrum@hamiltoncounty.org

Parks & Natural Resources
Scott Grimm, Natural Resources/Park Officer    sgrimm@hamiltoncounty.org

John Laird, Park Ranger/Naturalist   jlaird@hamiltoncounty.org

Zach Wesselink, Park Officer - Briggs Woods Park - 515-297-0357   zwesselink@hamiltoncounty.org 

Zane Schaffer, Park Officer - Little Wall Lake Park 515-297-0359  zschaffer@hamiltoncounty.org

Briggs Woods Golf Course

Travis Brown, Superintendent - tbrown@hamiltoncounty.org

Clubhouse - briggswoods@hamiltoncounty.org


How do I learn more about working for or being involved with the conservation?

Visit our "Current Employment" tab on the left. You can also contact our main office at (515) 832-9570 to see if future or volunteer opportunities available.

Where do you meet when you rent a Canoe/Kayak?

Please see the campground host at Briggs Woods Park or Little Wall Lake Park.

We do not offer shuttle service for the Boone River.


What months can I canoe/kayak?

This can vary every year as the Boone Rivers is a shallow river, but normally May & June.

Renting on the lakes though are available May through October. 

Is MyCountyParks.com safe to use my credit card with?

www.mycountyparks.com met the PCI data security requirements by passing a SecurityMetrics® Vulnerability Assessment.

www.mycountyparks.com is tested quarterly to ensure that high security standards are maintained, which significantly reduces the risk that this site will be compromised and credit card or other sensitive data will be stolen or misused.

SecurityMetrics Credit Card Safe

Disclaimer: This certificate confirms the site listed above has been tested for common security weaknesses and no significant security vulnerabilities were found at the time. This certificate does not imply the website shown above is completely invulnerable to unauthorized attacks.  


Board Members

There are 5 members on the Hamilton County Conservation Board:

Dennis Bahr

Mike Brandrup

Jay Heeren

Jim Richardson

Diane Sinclair


Are there maps for the river floats?

A map is available in the Canoes tab

Reserving a Facility

I can't reserve a facility or check availablitity, what should I do?

We apologize that you are having trouble making a reservation or viewing the availability of a particular facility. 

The best way to check for availability is from the front page of the website.  You will choose between "Cabins"  "Camping"  "Shelter".  Then you enter the park of choice, followed by the check-in and check-out dates.  Then "Search". 

If you continue to have problems, please email us hccb@wmtel.net or call us at (515) 832-9570. We will help you with your problem as soon as possible.


How do I reserve a facility (shelter/cabin) in Hamilton County?

Steps to Reserve a Facility (campsite, shelter, or cabin)   

  1. Reservations can be made as a Guest or as a Registered User.  If you become a Registered User you will be able to track your reservations.  To become a Registered User, you will need to create one a username and password, along with billing information and email.  The Password requires:  at least one capital letter, one lowercase letter and one number; no special characters; must be 6-8 characters.
  2. From the HOME PAGE for HAMILTON COUNTY, select "Facilities".
  3. This will open a new window that will provide you with information about ALL FACILITIES available in Hamilton County only. Facilities are listed alphabetically according to TYPE of facility: CABIN, CAMPSITE, SHELTER.
  4. Click on the  "Book Now" button on that particular facility to begin your reservation process.
  5.  Enter the arrival and departure dates (the date may be the same date for shelter reservations). Click on "Confirm Availability." The system will ask for pertinent reservation information. At the end of each screen, click on Next Step to advance through the process.
  6. After viewing your cart for accuracy, click “Next Step.” A pop-up message will appear asking if you would like to add another facility to the cart. Click “Continue Shopping” if you would like to add more to your order like another cabin rental or campsite. Different facilities in the same park can be put on the same order. If you are finished, click the “Check Out” button.
  7. Complete the information requested on right hand side of screen (first name, last name, etc.; click on "Next Step."
  8. Complete the payment information and click on "Submit Purchase."
  9. Order Receipt will appear as your next screen, print for your records and bring with you the day of your reservation. A receipt will be emailed to you automatically.

Steps to Reserve a Facility from MyCountyParks.com Homepage (campsite, shelter, or cabin)

  1. From the home page of mycountyparks.com click on the “Make Reservation” tab at the top of the page or on the word "Reserve" found below the small pictures displayed.
  2. Under the “Where” section on the “Facilities” page, select "Hamilton” from the Counties drop down list (it may take a second for the screen to refresh).
  3. Select the park from the Parks drop down list (wait for screen to refresh). If you do not select a park, all of our parks with available facilities will show.
  4. Select the type of facility you wish to reserve from the - - All Facility Types - - box. We offer reservations for some of our campsites, our shelters, and our cabins.
  5. Click on any amenities that you require. If you do not select anything, all facility types will show.
  6. Fill in the dates you want to book in the arrival and departure boxes. If you are flexible or want to see availability calendars, do not fill in these boxes and all facilities we offer will show. An availability calendar is available in the detailed description of each facility.
  7. Click on "Search" at the bottom of screen.
  8. A list of facilities available for renting will appear. Scroll through the list to find the facility you interested in. If you are ready to make a reservation, click on the RESERVE ONLINE link to the right of the  facility.  If you need more information or would like to see an availability calendar, click on the underlined name of the facility. Information about the selected facility will appear; you can click on "Check Availability" or "Make a Reservation" on the right side of the screen. If you click on Check Availability a calendar appears that identifies the dates the facility is reserved and the dates the facility is open for reservation.
  9. You will need to login to the reservation system by entering your username and password. If you have not made a username and password yet, you will need to create one. The system requires that at least one capital letter, one lowercase letter and one number be used and it needs to be 6-8 characters long when creating an account.
  10. Enter the arrival and departure dates (the date may be the same date for shelter reservations). Click on "Confirm Availability." The system will ask for pertinent reservation information. At the end of each screen, click on Next Step to advance through the process.
  11. After viewing your cart for accuracy, click “Next Step.” A pop-up message will appear asking if you would like to add another facility to the cart. Click “Continue Shopping” if you would like to add more to your order like another cabin rental or campsite. Different facilities in the same park can be put on the same order. If you are finished, click the “Check Out” button.
  12. Complete the information requested on right hand side of screen (first name, last name, etc.; click on "Next Step."
  13. Complete the payment information and click on "Submit Purchase."
  14. Order Receipt will appear as your next screen, print for your records and bring with you the day of your reservation. A receipt will be emailed to you automatically.


Rules

What do I have to do to clean up a facility?

Cabins and facilities have cleaning list posted in their respected facility. Try to leave facilties in better condition then what you found them in. Wipe up counters, appliances, spills, sweep and mop if necessary. Pick up trash in and around the grounds.  Please place trash in the receptacles provided.

What if I need to make a change to my reservation?

Call us at 515-832-9570 or email us at hccb@wmtel.net