LINN COUNTY - If you're looking for one last ‘hurrah’ before the school year takes over, you might want to reconsider your form of relaxation. Campers beware: state parks across Iowa are nearly booked for Labor Day weekend.

TV9 went to Palisades State Park Tuesday. Just under two weeks from Labor Day, the park can no longer take reservations. State parks in Iowa must allow campers to reserve half of the campsites, and the rest are up for grabs when campers arrive at the site.

At palisades, there are 44 campsites. The electrical sites went the fastest, but the non-electrical ones were soon gone, as well. Labor Day is not the busiest weekend there, however. It ranks third behind Memorial Day and the Fourth of July.

Jim Hansen, the Palisades park ranger, expects next week to turn away campers who haven't planned ahead.

He says, "More than likely, they'll come in Wednesday or Thursday for those, and they'll probably pay for them a couple of nights in advance just so they know they'll have a campsite."

The Iowa Department of Natural Resources says state park campgrounds that might still have electrical sites available include AA Call and Pilot Knob in north central Iowa, Waubonsie in southwest Iowa, Red Haw and Nine Eagles in south central Iowa, Union Grove near Marshalltown, and Dolliver near Fort Dodge.

Park rangers warn campers who do not have a reservation though to have a backup plan. County parks across the state are also filling up fast.