Jasper County Conservation goes all out for new campout

Mariposa Park is nothing like it was 10 years ago, and that’s a good thing.

The 151-acre recreation area, located about five miles northeast of Newton, has undergone massive improvements since then, including a project that extracted heavy amounts of sediment in the nearby lake, to the point fish can be seen from the bottom. The latest project ensures more visitors can see that for themselves.

Jasper County Conservation officially launched the Bison Ridge Campground and Coneflower Cottage, 6825 N. 67th Ave. E., at Mariposa Park this past weekend, allowing campers near and far to take advantage of modern utilities when enjoying a few days of outdoor activities like kayaking, hiking and fishing.

Each of the 15 campground sites has access to electricity and water, and the nearby bathhouse has restrooms and shower facilities. Fire rings and picnic tables are installed at each site and there is also a dump station for when guests leave. This style of campground is the first of its kind for conservation.

“It just seems like something we’ve talked about for so long,” said Keri Van Zante, director of Jasper County Conservation. “People have been asking about it, and now it’s finally here. I’m excited to see new people coming to our parks and the same people coming to our parks, but also seeing them stay longer.”

Of course the other new addition is a furnished rental cabin with two bedrooms, one bathroom, a full kitchen and a back deck with one of the best views in the park. Conservation contracted out the foundation and insulation work, as well as the utilities installation, but it was otherwise fully constructed by staff.

Ethan Vander Pol, maintenance technician for Jasper County Conservation, took on most of the construction work, which was completed in roughly six months. He said the conservation board had been wanting a cabin out at Mariposa Park for some time, so to finally see it come to fruition is gratifying and exciting.

“The vision was this was kind of a cool spot down here,” Vander Pol said in an interview with Newton News while on the back deck of the cabin, which overlooks the lake. “It’s a spot for people who don’t want to camp or don’t have a camper. They can come stay here and use the park and benefit from all of this.”

Greg Oldsen, a naturalist for Jasper County Conservation, said now is the time to see all of what is available at Mariposa Park.

“There are a lot of extra opportunities people now have at the park,” Oldsen said, noting amenities like the boat ramp, the kayak launch, kayak rentals and the nature playscape are big draws. “There are just so many things that families can do while they are out here. And that’s pretty exciting.”

Vander Pol confirmed the cabin was built for families in mind, which is why one of the bedrooms is equipped with bunkbeds and the living space has a pull-out couch. The other bedroom is furnished with a queen-style bed. Conservation wanted families to be comfortable and enjoy the easy access to park activities.

While Mariposa Park still has its primitive campground site, Vander Pol expects the modern alternative will be just as popular if not more.

“I’m happy with the outcome and it’s kind of been what my job has been here lately,” Vander Pol said. “Because we did the whole campground and that shower building, too. This whole project started with the campground probably a year ago; it’s when we first started doing the dirt work for that.”

Funding for the project was primarily facilitated through grants and allocations of American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA) funds from the Jasper County Board of Supervisors. In September 2022, the supervisors provided $850,000 for bike trail repairs and modern campground additions at Mariposa Park.

Later that month the supervisors provided $400,000 in ARPA money to go towards the new nature center, which may break ground this year.

For Van Zante, these new additions not only give people something new to try out but may also have bigger implications for the county in the long run.

“We want people to see the progress and the care we’ve all taken to add this opportunity to everybody in Jasper County, and hopefully beyond Jasper County,” Van Zante said. “Maybe it will bring people who think we have so many great things here that they want to live here.”

The new, modern-style campground sites are available to rent today for $25 per day for a minimum of two days. The cabin is available to rent for $175 per day for a minimum of two days. Visit www.mycountyparks.com to book a stay at the new camping facilities in Jasper County.