Des Moines Outdoors

Campgrounds Near Interstate 80 in Iowa: Find the Best Camping Along I-80

Coralville Lake Campground near Iowa City & I-80
Campsite at Coralville Lake, near Iowa City

Look no further if you’re looking for campgrounds in Iowa along Interstate 80! Below, we list all campgrounds within 15 miles of I-80 in Iowa. You can camp at everything from roadside RV parks to beautiful state and county parks near this popular route.

And if you’re looking for stops along I-80, see our companion article: Interstate 80 in Iowa: Must see stops  & top things to do along I-80.

Table of Contents

Map of campgrounds near I-80 in Iowa

This handy map will help you find campgrounds along I-80 in Iowa. Just click on the tent to see the name of each campground.

Complete list of campgrounds along Interstate 80 (I-80) in Iowa

The list of campgrounds below goes from Iowa’s west to the east side along I-80. We divided the list in half: campgrounds between Council Bluffs & Des Moines and those between Des Moines & Davenport.

Campgrounds between Omaha-Council Bluffs & Des Moines (Iowa I-80 Exit 1- 137)

Lake Manawa State Park, Council Bluffs (Exit 1B to I-29 Exit 49)

  • Full hookup campsites
  • Dump station on site
  • Modern restroom/shower
  • Reservations accepted

Hitchcock Nature Center Campground, Honey Creek (Exit 1A to I-29N Exit 61A)

  • Electric & water hookup campsites (first-come, first-serve)
  • Tent camping area (first-come, first-serve)
  • Pit & flush toilets/shower house
  • Primitive backcountry hike-in sites (reservable)
  • Modern camping cabins (reservable)
Cabin at Hitchcock Nature Center
Cabin at Hitchcock Nature Center/Public Domain

Arrowhead Park, Neola (Exit 23)

  • Electric campsites (first-come, first-serve)
  • Tent sites (first-come, first-serve)
  • Modern restrooms/shower house
  • Modern cabins (reservable)

Shelby RV Park (Exit 34)

  • Full hookup RV sites
  • Shower house
  • Laundry on site

Pottawattamie County Fair Campground (Exit 40)

  • Electric and full hookup sites (first-come, first-serve)
  • Modern restrooms/showers

Botna Bend Park (Exit 40)

  • Electric campsites (first-come, first-serve)
  • Tent sites
  • Modern restrooms/showers

Nishna Bend Recreation Area (Exit 40)

  • Electric campsites (first-come, first-serve)
  • Modern restrooms/showers
  • Modern cabins (reservable)

Prairie Rose State Park (Exit 46)

  • Electric & full hookup campsites
  • Tent campsites
  • Modern restrooms/shower & pit latrine
  • Modern camping cabins 
  • Reservations accepted
Prairie Rose State Park Campsite
Prairie Rose State Park Camping/dwstucke, CC BY 2.0, via Wikimedia Commons

Elk Horn Creek Recreation Area, Shelby (Exit 54)

  • 11 electric & non-electric campsites (first-come, first-serve)
  • Modern restroom & pit latrine

Schildberg Recreation Area, Atlantic (Exit 57)

  • Full hookup campsites
  • Modern bathhouse
  • Reservations accepted

Littlefield Recreation Area, Audubon (Exit 70)

  • Electric campsites with water hookups (a few with sewer)
  • Modern restrooms/showers & pit latrines
  • All sites are first-come, first-serve

Lake Anita State Park, Anita (Exit 70)

  • Electric and full hookup campsites
  • Tent sites
  • Modern restrooms/showers
  • Reservations accepted
Lake Anita State Park Campground near Iowa I-80
Lake Anita State Park Campground

Adair City Park Campground, Adair (Exit 76)

  • Small campground with electric sites (first-come, first-serve)
  • Modern restrooms/showers

Casey City Park, Casey (Exit 83)

  • Small campground with electric sites
  • Modern restrooms/showers

Menlo City Park Campground, Menlo (Exit 88)

  • Small campground with electric sites (some full hookups)
  • Pit latrine

Nation’s Bridge Park, Stuart (Exit 93)

  • Electric campsites (first-come, first serve)
  • Tent camping
  • Modern restrooms/showers

Lenon Mill Park, Pandora (Exit 93)

  • Electric campsites (first-come, first-serve)
  • Tent sites
  • Modern restrooms

Beaver Lake Campground, Dexter (Exit 97)

  • Electric sites (first-come, first-serve)
  • Modern bathrooms/showers
  • On gravel road

Shady Brook Camping, Earlham (Exit 104)

  • Electric & full hookup campsites
  • Tent sites
  • Modern restrooms/showers
  • Reservations accepted
  • On gravel road

Des Moines West KOA Holiday, Adel (Exit 106)

  • Electric & full hookup sites
  • Tent sites
  • Modern restrooms/showers
  • Cabins
  • Reservations accepted

Dallas County Fair Campgrounds, Adel (Exit 110)

  • Electric and full hookup sites
  • Tent camping
  • Modern restrooms/showers
  • Reservations accepted

Winterset City Campground, Winterset (Exit 110)

  • Full hookup and electric+water campsites
  • Tent sites
  • Modern restrooms/showers
  • Reservations accepted
Winterset City Park Campground - 15 miles from I-80
Winterset City Campground

Timberline Campground, Waukee (Exit 117 or 118)

  • Electric+water and full hookup campsites
  • Tent sites
  • Cabins
  • Modern restrooms/showers
  • Reservations accepted

Walnut Woods State Park, West Des Moines (Exit 123B from I-80 Eastbound)

  • Electric and full hookup campsites
  • Modern restrooms (no showers)
  • Reservations accepted

Saylorville Lake Campgrounds, Johnston & Polk City (Exit 127)

  • Acorn Valley, Bob Shetler, Prairie Flower & Cherry Glen Campgrounds (go here for more info)
  • Electric campsites
  • Tent camping
  • Modern restrooms/showers
  • Reservations accepted (through the US Army Corps of Engineers)
Prairie Flower Campsite (B loop)
Prairie Flower Campsite at Saylorville Lake

Jester Park, Granger (Exit 127)

Iowa State Fair Campgrounds, Des Moines (Exit 137 to I-235 Exit 10A)

  • Water & electric sites and full hookups
  • Tent camping
  • Modern restrooms/showers
  • Reservations accepted

Campgrounds between Des Moines & Davenport (Exit 141 – 306)

Yellow Banks Park, Pleasant Hill (Exit 141)

Adventureland Resort Campground, Altoona (Exit 142)

  • Electric and full hookup campsites
  • Modern restrooms/showers
  • Camping cabins
  • Reservations accepted

Griff’s Valley View RV Park & Campground, Altoona (Exit 142)

  • Full hookup campsites
  • Modern restrooms showers
  • Reservations required

Chichaqua Bottoms Greenbelt Campground, Maxwell (Exit 143)

  • Electric campsites (first come-first serve)
  • Tent sites (first come-first serve, except youth group site)
  • Modern restrooms/showers

Thomas Mitchell Park, Mitchellville (Exit 149)

  • Electric campsites
  • Tent sites
  • Modern restrooms/showers
  • Some sites are reservable/most first-come, first serve
Campsite at Thomas Mitchell Park, just south of I-80
Thomas Mitchell Park campsite

Quarry Springs Park, Colfax (Exit 155)

  • Primitive tent campsites (first-come, first serve)
  • Four RV parking spots (no hookups)
  • Future RV park (summer 2023)

Ashton Wildwood County Park, Mingo (Exit 155)

  • Non-electric sites (first-come, first-serve)
  • Vault toilets

Newton/Des Moines East KOA, Newton (Exit 168)

  • Electric & full hookup campsites
  • Tent sites
  • Cabins
  • Modern restrooms/showers
  • Reservations accepted

Mariposa County Park, Newton (Exit 168)

  • Primitive camping (first-come, first-serve)
  • Vault toilets

Kellogg RV Park, Kellogg (Exit 173)

  • Full hookup campsites
  • Tent camping
  • Modern restrooms/showers
  • Reservations accepted

Rock Creek State Park, Kellogg (Exit 173)

  • Electric campsites
  • Tent camping
  • Modern restrooms/showers
  • Reservations accepted
Rock Creek State Park Campground
Rock Creek State Park campground

Diamond Lake Park, Montezuma (Exit 191)

  • Electric campsites (first-come, first-serve)
  • Primitive tent sites (first-come, first-serve)
  • Modern restrooms/showers

Lake Iowa Park, Ladora (Exit 211)

  • Electric campsites (first-come, first serve)
  • Tent camping (first-come, first serve)
  • Cabins (reservable)
  • Modern restrooms/showers

Hannen Park, Blairstown (Exit 216)

  • Electric campsites (first-come, first-serve)
  • Tent sites (first-come, first-serve)
  • Modern restrooms/showers
  • Rustic cabin (reservable)

Amana RV Park, Amana (Exit 225)

  • Electric and full hookup campsites
  • Tent camping
  • Modern restrooms/showers
  • Reservations accepted

Beyonder Getaway at Sleepy Hollow, Oxford (Exit 230)

  • Electric and full hookup campsites
  • Tent camping
  • Camping cabins
  • Modern restrooms/showers
  • Reservations accepted

Kent Park, Oxford (Exit 237)

  • Electric campsites (first-come, first-serve)
  • Tent camping (first-come, first-serve)
  • Modern restrooms/showers
Kent Park Campsite
Kent Park campsite

Hills Access, Iowa City (Exit 239)

  • Electric campsites (first-come, first serve)
  • Tent sites (first-come, first serve)
  • NO modern restrooms/showers or water

Sugar Bottom Campground/Coralville Lake, Solon (Exit 240)

  • Electric campsites
  • Tent camping
  • Modern restrooms/showers
  • Reservations accepted

Scales Pointe Camping, North Liberty (Exit 240)

  • Electric & full hookup campsites
  • Tent camping
  • Modern restrooms/showers
  • Reservations accepted

Coralville Lake Dam Complex Campgrounds, Iowa City (Exit 244)

  • Includes West Overlook, Cottonwood, Linder, Tailwater West, & Tailwater East Campgrounds
  • Electric campsites
  • Tent sites
  • Modern restrooms/showers
  • Reservations accepted

Lake Macbride State Park, Solon (Exit 246)

  • Electric campsites
  • Primitive tent camping
  • Modern restrooms/showers
  • Reservations accepted
Electric campsite at Lake Macbride Campground
Lake Macbride State Park campsite

Little Bear Campground, West Liberty (Exit 259)

  • Electric & full hookup campsites
  • Tent camping
  • Camping cabins
  • Modern restrooms/showers
  • Reservations accepted

Cedar Valley County Park, West Branch (Exit 259)

  • Electric campsites, some with water (first-come, first-serve)
  • Tent camping (first-come, first serve)
  • Vault toilets

Hidden River Campground, Tipton (Exit 267)

  • Electric & full hookup campsites
  • Tent sites
  • Modern restrooms/showers
  • Reservations accepted

Cedar River Campground, Tipton (Exit 267)

  • Electric & full hookup campsites
  • Tent sites
  • Modern restrooms/showers
  • Reservations accepted

Wildcat Den State Park, Muscatine (Exit 277)

  • Primitive tent campsites
  • Modern restrooms (no showers)
  • Reservations accepted
Wildcat Den State Park Campsite
Wildcat Den State Park campsite

Bennett Park, Bennett (Exit 280)

  • Electric and water hookups (first-come, first-serve)
  • Tent camping
  • Modern restrooms/showers

Sherman Park Campground & RV Park, Calamus (Exit 284)

  • Small campground with electric campsites (first-come, first-serve)
  • Tent camping (first-come, first-serve)
  • Modern restrooms/showers

Clark’s Ferry Recreation Area, Montpelier (Exit 284)

  • Electric campsites
  • Tent camping
  • Modern restrooms/showers
  • Reservations accepted

Buffalo Shores Park, Buffalo (Exit 284)

  • Electric & water hookups campsites (first-come, first-serve)
  • Tent camping
  • Modern restrooms/showers

West Lake Park Summit & Park Terrace Campgrounds, Davenport (Exit 290)

  • Electric & full hookup campsites
  • Tent camping
  • Modern restrooms/showers
  • Reservations available for select campsites
West Lake Park Shelter
West Lake Park Picnic Shelter/Farragutful, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons

Interstate RV Park, Davenport (Exit 292)

  • Electric & full hookup campsites
  • Modern restrooms/showers
  • Reservable

Scott County Park, Eldridge (Exit 295B)

  • Electric & full hookup campsites
  • Tent camping
  • Modern restrooms/showers
  • Reservations accepted for some sites

Rock Creek County Park, Camanche (Exit 306)

  • Electric campsites
  • Tent camping
  • Cabins
  • Modern restrooms/showers
  • Some sites are reservable

Next:
• Camping in Des Moines: Guide to Local Campgrounds
• Campgrounds in Iowa City & Cedar Rapids
• Campgrounds in Northeast Iowa
• Our four favorite camping spots in Northeast Iowa

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