Road Wild

Camping by state

Camping in Iowa

45 places to stay, each with its nearest town and where our information comes from.

Pikes Peak State Park, outside McGregor, sits high on a bluff over the Mississippi, and from the overlook you can watch the river braid through islands toward the mouth of the Wisconsin. It's one of the best views on the whole upper river, and the campground is a short walk from it.

The rest of Iowa's listings are mostly lake parks. Rathbun Lake, the biggest in the state, has Honey Creek State Park and a marina near Rathbun and Mystic. Prairie Rose near Jacksonville and Pleasant Creek near Shellsburg are quiet state park campgrounds, and up north, Spirit Lake sits in the Okoboji lakes, the state's summer playground.

45Campgrounds
820Things to do

Data as of 2026-10-07.

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Towns with the most places nearby

  • Rathbun4
  • Jacksonville2
  • Anamosa1
  • Anita1
  • Bedford1
  • Bellevue1
  • Bouton1
  • Chariton1
  • Clear Lake1
  • Clermont1

Places to stay

Strongest badge first, then by nearest town. The badge says where our information comes from. A badge is not permission to stay overnight.

Campgrounds 45

  • Wapsipinicon State Park Campgroundnear AnamosaListed business, not yet confirmed
  • Lake Anita State Park Campgroundnear AnitaListed business, not yet confirmed
  • Lake of Three Fires State Park Campgroundnear BedfordListed business, not yet confirmed
  • Bellevue State Park Campground - Dyas Unitnear BellevueListed business, not yet confirmed
  • Latitudes RV Resortnear BoutonListed business, not yet confirmed
  • Red Haw State Park Campgroundnear CharitonListed business, not yet confirmed
  • Clear Lake State Park Campgroundnear Clear LakeListed business, not yet confirmed
  • Skip A Way Resortnear ClermontListed business, not yet confirmed
  • Green Valley State Park Campgroundnear CrestonListed business, not yet confirmed
  • Crystal Lake State Park Campgroundnear Crystal LakeListed business, not yet confirmed
  • Backbone State Park six Pinesnear DundeeListed business, not yet confirmed
  • Deer Run Resortnear ElkaderListed business, not yet confirmed
  • Wildcat Den State Park Campgroundnear FairportListed business, not yet confirmed
  • Pilot Knob State Park Campgroundnear Forest CityListed business, not yet confirmed
  • Miners Creek Campground and RV Parknear GuttenbergListed business, not yet confirmed
  • Independence City RV Parknear IndependenceListed business, not yet confirmed
  • Lake Ahquabi State Park Campgroundnear IndianolaListed business, not yet confirmed
  • Prairie Rose State Park East Campgroundnear JacksonvilleListed business, not yet confirmed
  • Prairie Rose State Park West Campgroundnear JacksonvilleListed business, not yet confirmed
  • Lake Keomah State Park Campgroundnear Keomah VillageListed business, not yet confirmed
  • Lacey-Keosauqua State Park Campgroundnear KeosauquaListed business, not yet confirmed
  • Springbrook State Park Campgroundnear Lake PanoramaListed business, not yet confirmed
  • Black Hawk State Park Campgroundnear Lake ViewListed business, not yet confirmed
  • Lakeside Marina Campgroundnear LakesideListed business, not yet confirmed
  • Dolliver Memorial State Park Campgroundnear LehighListed business, not yet confirmed
Show all 45
  • Geode State Park Campgroundnear LowellListed business, not yet confirmed
  • Ledges State Park Campgroundnear LutherListed business, not yet confirmed
  • Highland General Store & Campgroundnear Mabel, MNListed business, not yet confirmed
  • Pikes Peak State Parknear McGregorListed business, not yet confirmed
  • Massey Marina and Park Campgroundsnear Menominee, ILListed business, not yet confirmed
  • South Fork Marinanear MysticListed business, not yet confirmed
  • Stone State Park Campgroundnear North Sioux City, SDListed business, not yet confirmed
  • Lake Shore RV Resort & Campgroundnear OelweinListed business, not yet confirmed
  • Lake Darling State Park Campgroundnear Pleasant PlainListed business, not yet confirmed
  • Nine Eagles State Park Campgroundnear PleasantonListed business, not yet confirmed
  • Honey Creek Resort Parknear RathbunListed business, not yet confirmed
  • Honey Creek State Parknear RathbunListed business, not yet confirmed
  • Honey Creek State Park Campgroundnear RathbunListed business, not yet confirmed
  • Rathbun Marinanear RathbunListed business, not yet confirmed
  • Pleasant Creek State Park Campgroundnear ShellsburgListed business, not yet confirmed
  • Waubonsie State Park Campgroundnear SidneyListed business, not yet confirmed
  • Lake Macbride State Park Campgroundnear SolonListed business, not yet confirmed
  • Cutty's Okoboji Resort Clubnear Spirit LakeListed business, not yet confirmed
  • McIntosh Woods State Park Campgroundnear VenturaListed business, not yet confirmed
  • Gull Point State Park Campgroundnear WahpetonListed business, not yet confirmed

What the badges mean

  • Verified by a nomad A Road Wild member reported on it from the ground.
  • Agency record From an official listing: Recreation.gov, the Forest Service or the National Park Service.
  • Overnight policy sourced We have a source for whether overnight stays are allowed.
  • Access checked Someone researched how you get in. Not a confirmation that overnight stays are allowed.
  • Listed business, not yet confirmed A private campground or RV park from map data. We have not yet confirmed it is open.

Things to do in Iowa

820 places on the Road Wild map, from trailheads to laundromats.

Outdoors 16

  • Walk the Nature Trails
  • DeSoto National Wildlife Refuge
  • Driftless Area National Wildlife Refuge
  • Iowa Wetland Management District
  • Neal Smith National Wildlife Refuge

Culture and history 702

  • Be a Junior Ranger at Herbert Hoover National Historic Site
  • Get Started at the Visitor Center
  • Tour the Presidential Library & Museum
  • Golden Spike Monument · Council Bluffs
  • Angel of Death Statue (Black Angel) · Council Bluffs

Food and drink 46

  • Full Fledged Brewing Company · Council Bluffs
  • Backpocket Dubuque · Dubuque
  • Jubeck New World Brewing · Dubuque
  • Dimensional Brewing Company · Dubuque
  • 7 Hills Brewing Company · Dubuque

Nomad services 40

  • Homestyle Laundry & Dry Cleaners · Council Bluffs
  • Max I. Walker Cleaners & Launderers · Council Bluffs
  • Laundry Max Laundromat · Dubuque
  • River City Laundry · Sioux City
  • Select Laundry · Sioux City

Check locally

A listing is a lead, not a promise. These are places we know about, not places we have confirmed you can sleep tonight. Rules, closures, seasons and fees change, and forest roads and passes close for snow. Check signs and local rules before you commit to a night somewhere, and tell us when something is wrong.

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Neighbouring states: Illinois · Minnesota · Missouri · Nebraska · South Dakota · Wisconsin · All states