The Dyrt is here to help plan your best camping near Calmar. There's so much to see and do, from exhilarating hikes or bike rides to exploring the local dining and shopping. Discover great camping spots near Calmar, reviewed by campers like you.
"Sewer, water and electric."
"This was a nice campground next to a small town- nice quiet sites. Sites were kind of close together. Mostly seasonal spots here."
$30 / night
"The RV sites have electricity, water, and sewer, and they are level– we were only staying one night and didn’t even need to unhook our pickup. There is also an RV dump behind the bathrooms."
"The park and campground are right on the trail, so very handy. I was amazed that sewer hookup is included, along with water and electricity, although my sewer hose was not long enough. "
"My boyfriend and I stayed right on the river with our pups (pet friendly) and it was BEAUTIFUL. Easy access to restrooms but secluded and quiet too."
"Hiking trails close by. Caves and water falls only a short drive away. Tubing, canoeing, and kayaking services behind camp grounds. Super affordable site rates. Shower house."
$25 / night
"The campground had quite a few geese when we went so lots of honking and goose poop which dont work out if you want peace and quiet and clean shoes."
"Amenities were solid. Shuttle service is nice but I felt a little mislead after our phone conversation compared to what happened.
We’ll go back"
"Every time I visit I have a wonderful time enjoying the scenic Upper Iowa River. This part of Iowa is a treasure. Deb and her crew are always helpful and accommodating."
"The campground is more on the rustic side but they have a nice clean shower house, very well kept grounds and a ton of space to spread out."
$12 - $200 / night
"The camp ground that we stayed at was family friendly. Hammocks were ok to put up. The only not so great experience was that 2 out of the 3 showers on the women's side were out of order."
"Backbone State Park is unlike any other place in Iowa, having geological features uncommon in Iowa.
There are two campgrounds."
"Very nice QUIET park! RV Campsites are gravel with fire ring and picnic table. The sites are fairly level. There is also a cabin to rent. Many electric sites."
"Site 25 is fairly level, we were just 1.5 inches off on one side."
"This campground is perfectly situated on the Upper Iowa River."
"Wen I lived in Minnesota and my boyfriend was living in iowa, this was our go-to meeting place for our weekend getaways. "
$12 / night
"Not a lot of free parking options in this part of Iowa. No water, electric, or dump station, so very much like a parking lot overnight from that perspective."
"Visited the 3 lookouts including Iowa only Fire tower. Bird life is colorful. Lots of places to hike. Scenery is lush. I had no phone service."
GuideFYI When we made reservations this site required a two- night minimum stay. Don't know if that is for all seasons. Nice pull-through, large enough for our 36' 5th Wheel and pickup tow vehicle, needed more leveling than some. Some sites have power and water, ours only power. There's a water pipe and dump station on the way out. Nice hiking trails, including to a beautiful river overlook.
RangerThere are about 30 electric site big enough for RVs, and about 35 non electric site. All are very nice sites with fairly level gravel pads. There are lots of trees for shade making the sites really beautiful if not spacious. We had a tight fit with our travel trailer on site 33e, but once we squeezed in it was excellent. Two bathrooms one with showers, and well kept. The best thing about this park are the wonderful hiking trails. Some are ADA accessible near the camp store, but most are a good climb with lots of ups and downs. Town of McGregor has a few cute restaurants and bars, but enjoy the park and the amazing views of the Mississippi and the Wisconsin rivers. Several big rig RVs were there, but call ahead if you’ve got a big RV to make sure you’ll fit.
There are some fantastic cycling routes near the river, with stops in all the little towns along the way. A wonderful place to spend a weekend, with apple orchards nearby.
TravelerOverall great experience! Located on the Root River. Cliff View has very clean bath houses. Lots of sites to choose from. 50 amp service, sewer hook up and of course water. If your close enough to the office wifi available. Some sites are tight for large motor homes, 5th wheelers and tavel trailer. If your a bicyclist, campgrounds on great paved trail. They like their grass, no rugs or carpet on the grass. I take this as a positive. Dogs n cats are welcome. Lots of seasonal sites. Camping during the week is quite!
ScoutWe stayed here for the month of august, and this place is awesome! Beautiful spaces of various size, a river runs next to it and they have duck races. Dog park, small general store, backs up to a national park, close to town, immaculately maintained, volley ball court, lots of shade trees, easy access, and Andy(owner/operator) is the nicest person you’ll ever want to meet. For those so inclined there’s church service on Sunday in an old (cool looking!) barn! Fire pits at every spot. There is WiFi there, but little to no phone service unless you have a cell booster. 5/5 will definitely be back!
RangerI enjoyed my 5 night stay at Oelwein City Park Campground. It's located on the south end of town, there is only one business within walking distance. It's a great restaurant (Oelwein Family Restaurant) and it's about a 15 minute walk.
There is one shower house, and several vault toilets throughout the park. The shower house is old and a little run down but was very clean. I had no problems using it.
The city park is adjacent to the campground and has picnic shelters, a playground, and a dog park.
There are electric and water hookups at most sites, and there is a dump station. The park was pretty full on the weekend as you would expect, but very quiet during the week.
I had great Verizon and T-mobile service here.
GuideVery friendly and helpful owner. He even drove to town so we could follow him in. Has playground community area fire pit and a structure built to cover picnic tables. atv trails. Turkey river right there was 20 feet from my site. Porta potty and shower water is hot. 30/50 amp power with water on each site. Water fill station and dump station. Garbage .
RangerWalking distance to downtown and easy access to Root River Trail.
RV sites were close to each other with little privacy. Many tent sites around the perimeter. Short walk to bathhouse. Showers are not free, 4 quarters for 5 minutes. No laundry available. Campground is first come/first serve and doesn’t take reservations or online payment. Payment is made at adjacent city office.
Sites are gravel, fairly level. Water and electric available at rv sites.
Nice park nearby with stocked fishing pond. There is some noise due to the park being tucked into the city.
Garbage and dump station free for campers. They ask for a donation for dumping if not camped there. Tight access at dump station might make it difficult for larger rigs.
Strong Verizon signal.
RangerThis is a lovely park. It is fairly quiet, you can hear some highway noise in the distance. The lake is lovely and clean. The spots are gravel, most sites will require some leveling but are not too bad.
Each site has a newer electric pedestal with 30 and 50 amp service, and each site has a water spigot, as well as a picnic table and fire ring.
There are a few sites that back up directly to the lake. There is a swimming beach and a dock. There is a city park adjacent to the campground with a playground and picnic shelter.
I had 3 bars on on T-mobile which got me 64 down and 18 up. On Verizon I had 3 bars which got me 65 down and 12 up.
The shower house was pretty bad though. It was older, which doesn't bother me, but it was dirty. There are camp hosts on site but I guess their duties do not include ever cleaning the restroom. There was food trash in there all week, and if you look around you'll find feces, blood, and personal hygiene trash including used condoms.
I would stay in this campground again because I have a self contained unit and do not need to use the on-site shower house.
ScoutThis campground has it all. Situated right along the Root River next to the bike trail. They offer kayak, canoe and tube rentals and shuttles. They also have bike rentals.
This facility is clean and very well kept. Even the shower rooms are very nice and sanitary.
This is by far my favorite camping spot. I would recommend this place to any and everyone. Family orientated and pet friendly.
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According to TheDyrt.com, the most popular RV campground near Calmar, IA is Skip-A-Way Resort with a 4.3-star rating from 3 reviews.
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