West Overlook Campground

We spent a night on this property June 28-29, 2023. We were on a road trip from Colorado to Michigan and Iowa City is a good distance from our destination. The drive from I-80 is not too far and pretty. 

The locale is beautiful, just on the lake. All of the internal roads are paved and the spaces are nicely paved or graveled. The sites are spacious and angled for ease of backing into. Some sites are a bit far from the bathhouses, but that's the only ding. 

We'll keep this one on our list.

This campground was one of our favorites and we would go back. Sites are decently spaced out & there is ample natural shade. New spots are being constructed. Coralville Lake is huge and there's a launch space for boats, etc. There is firewood on site for purchase- honors system $1 per piece to be put in the money box. Rangers were friendly. If staying for a while bikes might be nice. There is disc golf as well. We didn't get to use the bathrooms due to a water main break which was of course out of anyone's control & doesn't affect this review at all. We would go back here !

Had a quick stop on our way out to Colorado. Easy to find, easy reservations. Made online about 9 PM and pulled in around 10 PM. Great, cheap stop overlooking the water.

This is a solid campground with a lot of close by activities. Heavily used by locals and connected to the Coralville Dam. Boat ramp playgrounds fossils and disc golf all within walking distance. Make sure to grab a bite to eat at FunCrest.

LuLu and I stayed for 10 days while visiting family in Iowa City. The campground hosted mainly locals but it’s only a couple of miles off the I80. The park is electric with a convenient dump and water station as you enter the park. It’s located on a lake with boat-ramp, kids play area, hiking trails near by, and close to quaint Iowa City home of the Hawkeyes.

We stayed in campsite W44, a very level site with a great view of the lake.

Stopped here in September. Very nice and clean! Beautiful area!

CG is spread out along pines, forest, and open areas including shoreline to Coralville Lake. Sites include electric or primitive. Multiple shower/restrooms, firewood available, recycling, beach and boat ramp, COE Visitor Center near by, ice cream shop just down road, trails, well maintained grounds. Good fishing in reservoir and Iowa River across dam.

Nice level spots on the Iowa River, both back country and electrical sites available

West overlook provides some of the best views of the lake from your own campsite. Campsites here only offer electric hook ups but do provide showers and bathrooms.

This campground has become our go to on travels west. September 9, 2020 was our third visit. Beautiful view of the water. Very clean and well run COE

This campground is one of many around Coralville Lake. Reservations are a must. This campground is close to the dam and the Devonian Fossil Gorge.

This was a very handy spot for an overnight while driving cross-country on I-80. We didn’t have a reservation but found that there were several. We highly recommend W-38, where we set up our tent. It was a gravel pull-in that could have handled a small trailer. It was the most secluded site in the campground, facing right out onto a leafy forest and an easy walk down to the water where there are fairly clean restrooms with free showers, and a playground. The place seems to be very popular with the RV crowd. It was pretty quiet, especially after the person blaring their radio got the message that it was after 10 pm quiet time. Check in was very easy on Recreation.gov. We got our site for $10, thanks to our Golden Eagle Pass, or whatever they’re calling it these days. Well worth the price.

CAMPGROUND REVIEW - 4 stars

The West Overlook Campground at the Coralville Dam Complex north of Iowa City is run by the Army Corps of Engineers and has 89 sites. We've stayed at many of their campgrounds and have always been pleased with them; trees and grass are always appreciated. My only issue with this campground is that the sites are too visible and usually too close to each other for our liking.

FYI there are other campgrounds at the Dam Complex: https://corpslakes.erdc.dren.mil/visitors/projects.cfm?ID=B503910

Campground Basics

• See the video of the campground for a view of 5 camping areas within West Overlook. There is a bathroom/shower house near sites 1-33 and a second bathroom/shower house near sites 39-60.

• Dump station, drinking water, filling station, trash dumpsters and fish cleaning station are on the right just before the campground entrance.

• Bathrooms are a bit old but fine. We were there mid-week when the campground wasn't busy so the bathrooms were quite clean. It's nice that there's a utility sink outside the bathroom.

• Sites are all back in/pull in, and most are parallel to each other. Most parking pads are gravel but there are some concrete pads.

• Each site has a picnic table and fire ring.

• The price is right at $20 ($10 if you have an NPS Lifetime Senior Pass).

Activities In and Near the Campground

• Horsehoe pits and 2 playgrounds in the campground

• Boat launch site within the campground along with parking slots for boats in the camping area

• Day use area with picnic tables, picnic shelter, volleyball court, beach and playground

• Boating and fishing

• Devonian Fossil Gorge and hiking trails near the campground

The lack of privacy and close proximity to other sites would probably prevent us from making this more than a one night stopover in the future. Our camping unit is a teardrop trailer so we spend most of our non-sleeping time outside, and we really don't like being in full view of another site less than 20 feet away. As you can see on a photo of the map, it's parallel parking at the sites. In some cases, they aren't too close to each other, but the tall trees do nothing to shelter you from having to view neighboring sites. It's a pretty area with all the trees and the lake.

PRODUCT REVIEW - 5 stars

As a Ranger for The Dyrt, I will receive products to test from time to time. The OOahh Sport Slide Sandal by OOFOS is my first product review. And, yes, they are feeling great on my feet.

OOFOS advertises their products as 'recovery technology for your feet' with emphasis on absorbing shock on your feet, providing arch support, and reducing stress on your feet, knees and back:

https://www.oofos.com/pages/your-feet-earned-this

Here's what I noticed and what's important to me:

- Lightweight: I noticed this immediately when I opened the package and when I put them on.

- Arch Support: OOahh is a good name for the arch support I felt when I slipped them on. Other slides and flip flops I've worn have had a flat footbed.

- Sizing: At first, I thought they might be a bit large. My feet are 9.5 US, and the instructions indicated women should order up a half size while men order down a half size. I ordered a women's size 10. The size is working out well; they didn't feel too large despite my initial impression.

- Just Walking Around: I've tried flip flops, slides and Crocs as my 'hanging around camp' shoes which double as shower shoes. The flat flip flops make my Achilles tendons tight if I wear them too much, and Crocs cut into the tops of my bony feet. Slides fit my feet better, and the addition of arch support along with a cushy sole is great. The tops are not causing any hot spots on the top of my feet. I'm already wearing these other places than the campground.

- Shower Shoes and Safety: These are a 'must have' for me at the campground shower or my preferred Planet Fitness showers on the road because I'm not showering at any of these places in bare feet! This slide has to handle the moisture. Water collects a bit in the footbed due to the curviness, but I just shook it out. Most importantly, I haven't had the sandal slide or stick to any floor; sticking or sliding could be a disaster for a knee.

In addition to the blue slide (Wave) that I chose, the OOahh Sport Slide Sandal is available in many colors for women: https://www.oofos.com/collections/womens-ooahh-sport-slide-sandal

and men: https://www.oofos.com/collections/mens-ooahh-sport-slide-sandal

A note about sizing: The packing slip indicated the slides are a women's 10/men's 8. The OOahh Sport Slide is unisex sizing with a medium width, but be aware that not all OOFOS products are unisex sizing. Kudos to OOFOS for the comprehensive list of FAQs that I found helpful: https://www.oofos.com/pages/common-questions