Public land camping
Camping in Iowa
26 federal places to camp in Iowa, from Army Corps of Engineers, on the land they sit on.
- 26
- federal places to camp
- 26 Army Corps of Engineers
- 1,893
- campsites you can book ahead
- At the 23 places that take reservations on Recreation.gov. The rest are first come or not listed there
- 971 ft
- the highest you can drive to
- Bridgeview (Rathbun Lake)
- 6
- counties with federal camping
- 15 gateway towns, each with three or more within 30 miles
The Iowa campground map
Select a pin for its elevation, its sites and its page. Switch on forest roads or BLM routes to see how you get there, and use the finder for a campground, a town or a peak.
Interactive map. Drag to pan, scroll or pinch to zoom, and select any point to see which agency manages the land. Arrow keys pan and the plus and minus keys zoom when the map has focus. A list of every state with its share of federal land is on the Explore page.
Map layers
Legend
Federal land, by managing agency
Bureau of Land Management (BLM)
US Forest Service (USFS)
National Park Service (NPS)
US Fish and Wildlife (USFW)
Bureau of Reclamation (USBR)
Department Of Defense (DOD)
Bureau of Indian Affairs (BIA)
Other Federal
State
Local
Alaska Native Lands (Patented or Interim Conveyed)
Alaska Native Allotment
Federal campgrounds, by agency
- Forest Service
- Bureau of Land Management
- National Park Service
- Army Corps of Engineers
- Reclamation, Fish and Wildlife and others
State and local land (USGS PAD-US)
- State land
- County and city land
- Regional agency or district
- Land trust or conservancy
BLM roads and trails
Roads Managed for Public Motorized Use
Road
Primitive Road
Roads Managed for Limited Public Motorized Use
Road
Primitive Road
Trails Managed for Public Motorized Use
Trail
Trails Managed for Limited Public Motorized Use
- Trail
Forest Service Motor Vehicle Use Map
Roads
Roads open to all Vehicles, Yearlong
Roads open to all Vehicles, Seasonal
Roads open to highway legal vehicles only, Yearlong
Roads open to highway legal vehicles only, Seasonal
Special Designation, Yearlong
Special Designation, Seasonal
Trails
Trails open to all vehicles, Yearlong
Trails open to all vehicles, Seasonal
Trails open to vehicles 50" or less in width, Yearlong
Trails open to vehicles 50" or less in width, Seasonal
Trails open to motorcycles, Yearlong
Trails open to motorcycles, Seasonal- Special Designation, Yearlong
Special Designation, Seasonal
Trails Open to Wheeled Vehicles Only < 50" in Width, Yearlong
Trails Open to Wheeled Vehicles Only < 50" or Less in Width, Seasonal
BLM Wilderness
Wilderness Area
Wilderness Study Area
BLM recreation sites
- Camping
- OHV area
- Trailhead
Gaps with no tint inside public land are private parcels, often old mining claims and homesteads. They are not open to the public.
Dashed clay lines on the base map are unpaved tracks from OpenStreetMap. They show what exists on the ground, not what is legal to drive.
Select any point to see who manages the land.
The map could not start in this browser.
It needs WebGL, which is turned off or unavailable here. You can still browse public land by state, or use the BLM’s own maps.
Boundaries are approximate and land status changes. This map is a planning aid, not a survey or a statement of access. Confirm routes, closures and camping rules with the managing office.
Camping near a town
- Ankeny
- Coralville
- Ely
- Harvey
- Johnston
- Knoxville
- Melrose
- Monroe
- Moravia
- Mystic
- North Liberty
- Pella
- Polk City
- Rathbun
- Shueyville
No town by that name has three federal campgrounds within 30 miles. Try the county list below.
Every federal campground in Iowa
26 places
- Acorn Valley Army Corps · Saylorville Lake · Polk County 949 ftelevation 85sites 70 ftlongest rig ReserveRecreation.gov
- Bob Shetler Recreation Area Army Corps · Saylorville Lake · Polk County 810 ftelevation 67sites 62 ftlongest rig ReserveRecreation.gov
- Bridgeview (Rathbun Lake) Army Corps · Rathbun Lake · Appanoose County 971 ftelevation 103sites 58 ftlongest rig ReserveRecreation.gov
- Buck Creek (Rathbun Lake) Army Corps · Rathbun Lake · Appanoose County 925 ftelevation 42sites n/alongest rig ReserveRecreation.gov
- Bulger's Hollow Recreation Area Army Corps · Mississippi River - Pools 11-22 · Clinton County 608 ftelevation 24sites n/alongest rig ReserveRecreation.gov
- Cherry Glen Campground Army Corps · Saylorville Lake · Polk County 933 ftelevation 125sites 53 ftlongest rig ReserveRecreation.gov
- Clarks Ferry Army Corps · Mississippi River - Pools 11-22 · Muscatine County 680 ftelevation 42sites 70 ftlongest rig ReserveRecreation.gov
- Cottonwood Campground Army Corps · Coralville Lake · Johnson County 725 ftelevation 11sites n/alongest rig ReserveRecreation.gov
- Elk Rock Campground and Boat Ramp Army Corps · Lake Red Rock · Marion County 825 ftelevation n/asites n/alongest rig First comeor not listed
- Howell Station Army Corps · Lake Red Rock · Marion County 705 ftelevation 135sites 80 ftlongest rig ReserveRecreation.gov
- Island View (Rathbun Lake) Army Corps · Rathbun Lake · Appanoose County 938 ftelevation 188sites 80 ftlongest rig ReserveRecreation.gov
- Ivans Army Corps · Lake Red Rock · Marion County n/aelevation 20sites 60 ftlongest rig ReserveRecreation.gov
- Linder Point Campground Army Corps · Coralville Lake · Johnson County 805 ftelevation 14sites 70 ftlongest rig ReserveRecreation.gov
- North Overlook Camp Army Corps · Lake Red Rock · Marion County 818 ftelevation 49sites 80 ftlongest rig ReserveRecreation.gov
- Prairie Flower Recreation Area Army Corps · Saylorville Lake · Polk County 933 ftelevation 252sites 80 ftlongest rig ReserveRecreation.gov
- Prairie Ridge (Rathbun Lake) Army Corps · Rathbun Lake · Appanoose County 936 ftelevation 55sites 75 ftlongest rig ReserveRecreation.gov
- Roberts Creek East Campground Army Corps · Lake Red Rock · Marion County 784 ftelevation n/asites n/alongest rig First comeor not listed
- Roberts Creek West Campground Army Corps · Lake Red Rock · Marion County 768 ftelevation n/asites n/alongest rig First comeor not listed
- Sandy Beach Camp Army Corps · Coralville Lake · Johnson County 731 ftelevation 56sites 66 ftlongest rig ReserveRecreation.gov
- Shady Creek Army Corps · Mississippi River - Pools 11-22 · Muscatine County 559 ftelevation 53sites 79 ftlongest rig ReserveRecreation.gov
- Sugar Bottom Campground Army Corps · Coralville Lake · Johnson County 691 ftelevation 234sites 78 ftlongest rig ReserveRecreation.gov
- Tailwater East Campground Army Corps · Coralville Lake · Johnson County 747 ftelevation 22sites 68 ftlongest rig ReserveRecreation.gov
- Tailwater West Campground Army Corps · Coralville Lake · Johnson County 683 ftelevation 22sites 69 ftlongest rig ReserveRecreation.gov
- Wallashuck Army Corps · Lake Red Rock · Marion County 824 ftelevation 79sites 71 ftlongest rig ReserveRecreation.gov
- West Overlook Campground Army Corps · Coralville Lake · Johnson County 766 ftelevation 89sites 73 ftlongest rig ReserveRecreation.gov
- Whitebreast Camp Army Corps · Lake Red Rock · Marion County 816 ftelevation 126sites 65 ftlongest rig ReserveRecreation.gov
Nothing matches those filters. Clear one and try again.
Camping rules worth knowing in Iowa
- There is no dispersed camping in Iowa, and the state defines the term against you
- The administrative code defines camping as erecting a tent, hammock or shelter of natural or synthetic material, placing a sleeping bag or other bedding on the ground, or parking a motor vehicle, motor home or trailer for the apparent purpose of overnight occupancy. Camping is permitted in designated campgrounds only, and no state or federal agency in Iowa publishes a general permission to camp away from one. Plan every night into a reservable site, a first come forest site, a county area or a Corps park. Source 15
- Burn bans come from the county, through the State Fire Marshal
- Iowa has no numbered fire stage system. Under Iowa Code 100.40 the State Fire Marshal may prohibit open burning in an area of the state during extremely dry conditions, but only at the request of a local fire chief, a city council or a board of supervisors, and only where an investigation supports it. Whoever asked for the ban may rescind it. Violation is a simple misdemeanour. A proclamation does not prohibit a permitted supervised burn, outdoor fireplaces, barbecue grills or a trash burner of metal, concrete, masonry or heavy wire mesh. Source 33
By agency
Campground records: Recreation Information Database (Recreation.gov), read September 19, 2026. Elevations: USGS 3D Elevation Program. Fees, seasons and limits change; confirm with the managing office before you go.