Best RV Parks & Resorts near Aurora, IA

Close to major highway. Gravel sites. Clean campground. Many paved and grass walking trails surrounded by trees and natural areas. Bath/shower house is under construction. Child’s play equipment. Bathrooms with flush toilets nearby. Dump station for a fee. All sites had water and electric. Water was off during our visit in March. Park connected to nearby town by paved trail, approx 1 mile away. Gas and convenience store nearby. Camphost on site. Park is in a quiet rural location. Payment is made at dropbox when entering the park. Cell signal was 2 bars with Verizon.

Well maintained campground with mature shade trees. Gravel sites, a little bit of leveling required. Poor Verizon cell signal, no internet signal. Not much natural privacy between sites, but sites were well spaced apart. Paved trail nice for biking and walking. Fishing nearby and the Dutch themed town of Pella is a short drive and a must see. Bathrooms and showers were nice, clean. Handicap camp site and bathhouse available. Firewood for sale at front gate. The potable water available at the dump station was clear and good for drinking. Dump station is easily accessible. Dumpsters were positioned around the campground. Staff was friendly. The night we stayed, there was a severe weather threat, and the staff, at the end of the night, had unlocked the storm shelters (utility area in the middle of the bathhouses) should the need arise. We ended up having to seek shelter because of a tornado warning.

If you’re looking for a family-friendly place to pull over for a decent escape to nature, then you may very well want to consider Sleepy Hollow, which is just a few minutes north of I80. Given its proximity to the busy interstate highway, this campground scores high on the convenience factor being EZ on- and off-, but it is just far enough away where you will feel as though you have escaped both the non-stop whir of incessant highway traffic and the unsightly view of a heavily trafficked main roadway. Add on top of this that you’ll find this location is perfectly suitable to the RV crowd as much as it is the tent-pitching bredren that belong to my tribe of outdoor enthusiasts.

Here at this campground you’ll find RV and 5th Wheel sites offering both pull-thru and back-in sites complete with full hook-ups (water, 30 / 50 amp electric and sewage). There’s 7 tent sites that are very well shaded, have a decent patch of land and include picnic tables, fire pits and scattered stand-up BBQ grills. Whether you have a tent, an RV or not, this campground has a small handful of cozy cabins available to rent that come with running hot & cold water as well as electricity and are located close to the fishing pond. What I enjoyed most with the primitive camping area was the serenity offered by the abundance of new growth Oaks that shaded the place, along with unfettered views of the lake itself. Priceless.

Sleepy Hollow offers a number of amenities including: ‘catch& release’ pond (both swimming and fishing potential), ball pit, kid’s playground, puppy park, designated dumpsters, fairly decent WiFi, community firepits, general market store, laundr-O-mat, shower facility, pavilion, horseshoes, game room, volleyball and basketball courts, artificial beachhead with swim area and windmills. There’s a lagoon with hundreds of ducks, but depending upon how you look at this, it may or may not be considered an amenity, but if you have kids like I do, it’s a great distraction that offers up a lot of duck-feeding fun.

Insider’s tips? Here’s a few: (1) If you’re looking for a decent bit of hiking, there’s a nice slice of nature near here at Sleepy Hollow a bit NE called Hawkeye Wildlife Management Area where there’s plenty of trails, shooting ranges and some fairly decent bird watching; (2) When you get tired trying to conjure up that next meal from your cooler or on-board fridge, then head over to nearby Renee’s Roadhouse where this roadside stand serves up standard Americana fare like burgers, sandwiches and wraps. For anything more substantial, you’ll have to take a longer drive east to Iowa City of which I recommend Steak & Shake, Back Berner Bar & Grill or Barrel House; (3) If you’d like to embrace the Amish vibe that exists here in rural Iowa, then head due north to Amana Colonies where you’ll come across hand-made blankets and artisan-crafted cabinetry all while offering you some very warm Midwestern hospitality.

Happy Camping!

Literally a single stone’s throw from I80, one of the busiest thoroughfares you’ll find yourself on here in the great ‘Hawkeye State,’ this is one campground that very much deserves your attention, despite being a KOA. In fact, this campground outpost is so close to the highway that you’ll be hard pressed not to see or hear it during your entire stay. While this KOA does sit down a bit from the hustle & bustle that comes with a major interstate highway, a good number of the available RV sites sit on a sloping hill that is the same elevation as the highway itself, so if you do have the choice, opt for the lower sites (more on that later). 

Sitting just 30 minutes east of Des Moines, Newton KOA offers up about 100 sites for RVs and 5th wheelers offering up all the standard hook-ups (water, sewage and 30 / 50 amp- but be careful because some sites only offer 30 or 50, while some do offer both, so be sure to ask when making your reservation). For mi tent pitching bredren, there’s about a dozen or so sites to choose from and all are fairly intermingled with the RV sites, although each site does sit on a plush patch of grass, so this KOA does a nice job on that front of integration. Oh, and if you don’t have an RV, 5th wheeler or a tent, on worries, this KOA will rent you one of its three cabins. 

As this is a KOA you can expect a ton of amenities and this place does not disappoint with: catch & release fishing pond w/ fish cleaning station (that is oddly placed about as far away from the fishing pond as you can get), disc golf course, K9 camp for the puppies, cable TV, WiFi, in-ground pool (available 5/25 until 9/3) with ADA pool lift, horseshoes, meeting rooms, firewood for sale, LP gas refueling station, pool table, shuffleboard, social lounge, two kids playground, laundr-O-mat, basketball court, restroom & shower facilities, mini-market with basic groceries, ping pong, jump pad, game room, gaga pit, designated dumpster and dump station and of course the scattered fire pits and picnic tables. Just to go above and beyond, this KOA serves up free breakfast of flapjacks on Saturdays. Yahoo! 

Insider’s tips? Here’s a few: (1) Whether you are pitching a tent or pulling up in your RV, the best sites IMHO are those in the lower valley, but located right in front of the main office, where there are 6 RV slots numbered #45 – 50 and 6 tent sites numbered T1 – T6; (2) Should you get hungry and might want to try some local fare, check out Taco John’s and La Cabaña Mexican Restaurant, which I guess stand for ‘local’ around here, although there is Newton Family Restaurant. If you are looking for something really different and amazing, I would suggest heading on over to Dan’s Sandwich Shop, which feels like real Americana from a bygone era, complete with a diner-esque vibe and matching elbow counter to warm up to over a nice piece of apple pie, scoop of ice cream washed down with a hot mug of coffee; (3) While this KOA has a mini-market, you will find a bigger selection with better prices just down the road at the local Walmart, where just due west of this, you’ll find a Hy-Vee Grocery store with a wine & spirits shop positioned there as well. Further down the road, you have excellent fresh cut meat from Fareway Grocery, but check out the local hotspot, Newton Market as well; and (4) While what you will discover from an outdoor standpoint at Newton KOA is interesting, if you want something more substantial, head to Newton Arboretum & Botanical Gardens for 6 acres of family-friendly landscape to explore with more displays and demonstrations that you can shake a stick at! Seriously, there’s a butterfly garden, peony border and nearly 200 individual species of trees here to check out. 

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Should you be traveling east-west on one of the country’s busiest thoroughfares – Route 80 – and find yourself in central Iowa and looking either for a place to pull over for a day or for much longer than that, then you may very well want to consider Beyonder Getaway at Sleep Hollow. Given its proximity to a busy interstate highway, this campground scores high on the convenience factor, but it is just far enough away where you will feel as though you have escaped the busy hustle and drive-by buzz of non-stop traffic. 

This campground oasis planted square in the middle of the 'prairieland' of the Hawkeye State, you’ll appreciate that there is a decent-sized lake here that is perfect for a quick dip should you want to get some swimming in and cool down from the blistering Midwestern summer heat or perhaps you’d like to put a kayak or canoe in to get some decent oar exercising in or cast a line to try your luck and some mild ‘catch& release’ fun – whatever the reason … up to and including no reason at all … the mini lake that is front and center here at Beyonder is both a good distraction as well as makes for a great landscape. 

As for the campground itself, there’s RV sites offering up pull-thru and back-in sites complete with full hook-up water, 30+ 50 amp electric and sewage lines. If you’re a primitive camper like me, there’s a handful of sites (7 by my count) that include picnic tables, fire pits and scattered stand-up BBQ grills. And if you don’t have either a tent or an RV, no worries, Sleepy Hollow will easily rent you one of their 3 cozy cabins which are located up front and close to the fishing pond, where these structures come with running hot and cold water along with electricity. 

With amenities in mind, Beyonder packs a punch with offering the following: horseshoes, kid’s playground, dog run/ puppy park, designated dumpsters, fairly decent WiFi, community firepits, general market store, laundr-O-mat, shower facility, pavilion, game room, ball pit, volleyball and basketball courts, man-made beachhead with swim area and windmills. Oh, and there’s a lagoon with hundreds of ducks, but depending upon how you look at this, it may or many not be considered an amenity. My kids loved it and we had a lot of fun feeding our feathered friends. 

Insider’s tips? Here’s a few: (1) When you get tired of digging through your Cordova roto-molded cooler or onboard mini-fridge, then head on over to nearby Renee’s Roadhouse where this roadside stand serves up standard-fare Americana fare like burgers, sandwiches and wraps; (2) For anything more substantial, you’ll have to take a longer drive east to Iowa City of which I recommend Foundry Food+ Tap, Back Berner Bar& Grill or Casa Tequila Tiffin; (3) Should you be looking to explore a nice slice of nature while here at Beyonder’s then head due northeast to Hawkeye Wildlife Management Area where there’s plenty of trails, shooting ranges and some fairly decent bird watching; (4) If you’d like to embrace the Amish vibe that exists here in rural Iowa, then head due north to Amana Colonies where you’ll come across what looks like German colonies that have been expelled from the Schwarzwald (Black Forest) where this displaced utopian outcrop will sell you anything from blankets and cabinetry all while offering you some nice wienerschnitzel and apfelpflanzen. Auf wiedersehen! 

Happy Camping!

I grew up a few miles from this state park so stayed here when we went back to visit family. This park, like all state parks, has had it's ups and downs. Unfortunately, the amazing swimming beach with concession stand and changing rooms with showers is gone. Due to the large population of geese, ducks, and cranes, the water is not safe to swim in. 

On the upside, the camping, boating, and fishing are amazing! We dry camped right on the water's edge for $6 a night, 2 weeks for $88! Electric sites are only 12. Their sites are 20/30/50 amp. No water or sewer at the sites but there are water spigots dispersed through the campground and full dump station as you come in/leave. There is a nice camp store next to the campground st the marina for fishing gear, firewood, and a few essentials. You can also rent fishing boats, pontoons, kayaks, and canoes. 

We were able to kayak and bike here and it was amazing! We will definitely be back!!!

This campground is maintained by the Army Corps of Engineers as part of an outdoor recreation complex around a large dam on the Iowa River. The reservoir behind the dam creates both the Coralville Lake alongside Lake MacBride which is a state park in a side bay. The recreation area also includes campgrounds and river recreation downstream of the dam, including a gorge of geologic interest that is filled with Devonian fossils exposed in the flood of 1993.

This review is for the West Overlook campground located on the lakeside upstream of the dam. This is one of the larger campgrounds at Coralville Lake, and is popular due to the large sandy beach, the modern boatlaunch area, and options for a variety of kinds of campsites in separate loops. Some of the loops are close to the lake or in various heights overlooking the lake, some loops are tucked into beautiful shady woods further inland. As a tent camper I chose one of the loops in the woods as the sites are larger and quieter and more spacious. All of the loops seem family friendly and pretty quiet even though pretty full. There are new modern bath houses with showers, and hiking trails all around. There is easy access to a nearby mountain bike trail complex, the state park, fishing, and boating. This seems to be a camping destination for a lot of folks in the area, but is also an easy stopover right off Interstate 80 for folks on road trips. It is also a nice and inexpensive basecamp for folks visiting Iowa City or the University of Iowa, only about a 15-20 minute drive away. My most recent time camping here was this month, May 2025, but I have camped here many times in the past as far back as 1964, and the campground improvements and recreation opportunities have just gotten better and better over the years. Its a popular location, so Spring camping is quieter; fall camping is also quiet, and the fall leaves are beautiful then.

While it was our first time camping in Iowa, we were extremely lucky to land upon this slightly hidden fresh water centered campground just a 20 minute drive south of Route 80 near Montezuma, wherein one needs only follow Road#63, before coming across Diamond Lake County Park. With the fall colors being in full bloom when we visited, the entire campground was awash in bright yellows, reds and oranges from the changing colors of the leaves. Also, as we were visiting in mid-October, versus some of the other reviews here, we found that we had the place mostly to ourselves, which made for a rather peaceful sublime respite we were searching for. 

As for the campground itself, what we enjoyed most was how this location is, for the most part, very well organized in keeping the RV'ers and 5th Wheeler crowds together, while preserving a nice slice of verdant lakeside pasture for us primitive camper types. Each of the sites for camping come equipped with (in most cases) fairly new aluminum picnic tables, fire ring with folding BBQ grill. While we didn’t stay in the RV areas, given our tent-pitching persuasion, what we did see was fairly impressive and looked altogether rather brand new with freshly poured concrete slots and fairly mint-looking RV hook-ups (50 amp electric and water) and this same area also boasted a brand new restroom facilities. 

Obviously, the main attraction here is Diamond Lake itself, with its more than 90 acres of fresh water, albeit murky fresh water, was certainly a hit with this camping family. We enjoyed being able to get out on the lake with our kayaks and canoes as well as go for very long walks around the circumference of the lake itself, with which you will find simply splendid trails. And if that’s not enough exploration for you, then head further inland and away from the lake to explore this parks other 660 acres of grassy prairieland. 

From an amenities standpoint, there’s a decent amount, including: three shower houses, four shelters, 2 dump stations, three his / her latrines (some much more dated than others), boat ramp and fishing dock, a dedicated fish cleaning station and what looked to be a fairly new kids playground. In all there’s a total of 120 sites to choose from, with 80 designated for RVs / 5th Wheelers and 40 earmarked for primitive camping, which do not come with any electric, which was on one hand the biggest bummer, but on the other hand, offered up front-row access to lakeside camping bliss as many of these primitive campsites are located right on the water’s edge. 

Insider’s tips? Here’s a few: (1) Check-in is self-registration and is done onsite, so net-net, this place is first-come, first served as no online or advanced registration is taken. While we didn’t mind this, and given that we arrived right around noon as folks were actually checking out, we got the ‘pick of the litter’ of campsites. Electric sites are $20 / night and non-electric are $10, so this place is incredibly affordable; (2) If you are looking for some grub nearby after growing weary of another meal of franks & beans, then there’s really just a few nearby options: Subway, Sauced Pizza & Pub, Casey’s and Yolanda’s Tacos over in the little town of Montezuma; (3) While there are actually few different campgrounds here at Diamond Lake, for primitive campers, the best sites IMHO are located as far southwest as you can possible go around the lake, where there’s more than a dozen or so sites that sit right in front of the water and present a completely isolated surrounding. 

Happy Camping!