Best RV Parks & Resorts near Carter Lake, IA

Recent RV Reviews in Carter Lake

454 Reviews of 90 Carter Lake Campgrounds

• C

  Chris H.

  Traveler

  

  Nov. 14, 2024

  Bob Hardy RV Park

  Campsite

  Cute little campground, electrical only. Picnic table and grill at each site. No fires. Shower house available until it's gets down to freezing weather. Dump station and water fill.

• R

  Roberto G.

  Traveler

  

  Nov. 4, 2024

  Jones Pond

  Hidden Gem

  Very quiet and peaceful place I have been there few times and I never see anyone else around. There is no bathroom or drinking water so make sure you are ready for that. October is a very colorful time of the year very peaceful the pond for what I heard isn’t a good place for fishing but just a mile away there is a hunting park highly recommend it

• 

  stephen W.

  Guide

  

  Oct. 11, 2024

  Hitchcock County Nature Center

  Stay for the trails

  I pulled in late at night easy to navigate stayed the next day and did some trails apparently the land formations are 1 of only 2 in the world how about that Iowa.

• O

  Olivia B.

  Traveler

  

  Oct. 10, 2024

  Little Rivers Edge

  Amazing stay!

  Had a great night here, the area is beautiful. Had to stop to admire the corn fields in the sunrise on the way out. Owner is lovely and kind. Electrical amenities are prime for anyone with an RV, but as a tent camper, I enjoyed our stay!

• 

  Pat V.

  Ranger

  

  Oct. 4, 2024

  Lake Wanahoo State Recreation Area

  Quiet and relaxed weekend

  It’s been a few years since we stayed at Lake Wanahoo, but we decided to stay there over our anniversary weekend. The place is still great, and this time of year it was very quiet and peaceful.

  I was able to fish at the lake, we used the trails for walking and biking. Being close to town allowed us to have a great anniversary dinner at a steakhouse!

  We are definitely going to be using it more!

• 

  Lynn J.

  Scout

  

  Oct. 3, 2024

  Syracuse City

  Perfect for a traveling camper

  We stayed the first week in October. We were the only campers in the campground. We found 30 and 50 amp power pedestals. We stayed beside a pavilion with a water hydrant. The pavilion has several picnic tables and 20 amp outlets. It's in a treed area with a nice playground. The whole area is very flat. Leveling was a breeze. The entrance was a little bit confusing. There is a pay box at the edge of the parking box. The bathrooms were locked, but being self contained, we wouldn't have used them. I'm sure we will be staying here again.

• S

  Steve

  Guide

  

  Sep. 25, 2024

  Pottawattamie County Fairgrounds

  Cheap and easy to get to from the highway

  This is a no-frills stop off on a road trip kind of place. The bathrooms were pretty gross and there are lights on all night so hopefully you have a blackout tent or good shades on your RV. It's nothing to write home about but it was quiet and I slept well. I would stay again

• 

  Edger G.

  Scout

  

  Sep. 25, 2024

  Nelson Park Crawford County Park

  Descent place for camping

  It’s a good place for camping not perfect. Has a descent size lake good for kayaking and fishing.

• B

  B S.

  Traveler

  

  Sep. 19, 2024

  Hitchcock County Nature Center

  Meh, for tent camping

  Stopped overnight in late August. Did not want to drag our gear up/down a hill to the tent campsites in the lower loop. Paid more to stay in the upper RV loop where we listened to a neighbor's generator all night. Pretty buggy. Showers/toilets okay. Note there are at least 2 railroads running nearby in the wee hours of the morning. Also, this is on the flight path for jets leaving (I assume) the Omaha airport. Not a restful night--won't be back.

• K

  Karen J.

  Scout

  

  Sep. 16, 2024

  Platte River State Park Campground

  Just one night

  If you don’t mind lugging your stuff to your tent spot, it’s primitive, no frills camping at its finest! We chose the closest spot to the vault toilets. There are only 4. It’s a bit off the beaten path but we got to enjoy the beautiful horses. Bonus!

• 

  Jason G.

  Scout

  

  Sep. 14, 2024

  Military Park Camp Ashland Campground

  Unimpressed

  I planned an event at this military installation because of pricing and being a gated community.  The prices are good and the overall area is clean but the reason for the rating given is below:

  Due to this being a military site with a managed gate, ID or authorization roster is required...I submitted and got my roster approved within the allotted time only to find out that it was not shared with the gate guards so no one was being let in.  The keys for each facility had issues like broken locks or no pin code given for the key system to even get the keys.  The cabins are nice but not very well cleaned and the emergency phone number that is provided is a great feature although no one answered it. 

  If you find yourself looking for a venue for your event, pass on this one.  Too much hassle for the money saved.  I wish the state of Nebraska could figure out how to hire competent people to manage their facilities.

• 

  Fred S.

  Legend

  

  Sep. 6, 2024

  Waubonsie State Park Campground

  Really good hiking trails

  Stayed one night on Sept 4. Camped at site 35 in the non-equestrian campground; non-electric fee $15. Parked van on the grass at this site. Like nearly all of the sites in this campground, this site was close to the campground road. Overall, I felt that the campsites were all bunched together - offering no privacy and spacing between sites. The shower house was closed during our visit. Water was also turned off at the wayer pumps in the campground. There was one single vault toilet available for all of the campers; it was reasonably clean. Wayne, the campground host, was nice & helpful. There is a self-serve firewood station in the campground; cost is either $5 or $10, depending on the amount of wood you purchase. The campsites have a picnic table & metal fire ring. I wasn't too pleased with this campground, but I was very happy with the nearby hiking trails within the park. It's a pretty state park with hills & lush forest. The day use areas looked great. I recommend those traveling along I-29 to stop at this park - not necessarily for the camping, but for the hiking. Had some T-Mobile 4G service.

• 

  Danni A.

  Traveler

  

  Aug. 11, 2024

  Waubonsie State Park Campground

  Quiet and Peaceful

  This park was a great place to head to and unplug for a weekend. We camped in the area without hookups, so we pretty much had that area to ourselves. The area with hookups was somewhat crowded. The bathrooms and shower were clean. Water is easily accessible. The park is small, and we didn't find much to do other than a few hikes. 

  There are signs in the bathrooms warning of the raccoons. These signs are not exaggerating. We had a raccoon at our campsite trying to steal our food while we were there, like the raccoon was less than 10 feet from humans during mid-day.

• 

  Wanda E.

  Scout

  

  Jul. 29, 2024

  Victorian Acres RV Park & Campground

  Great Place to Stay

  We arrived later in the day finding our spot was easy. The camp ground staff were very nice and friendly. The grounds were beautifully groomed. They amenities such as showers and bathrooms were clean and decorated cute. It was quiet and relaxing. We were able to get a good nights rest before hitting the road again. We would highly recommend.

• C

  Colleen L.

  Scout

  

  Jul. 26, 2024

  Lake Manawa State Park Campground

  Not great for tents

  This campsite seems nice, but with blaring Omaha heat and no trees, the heat here is absolutely brutal. It was mid July and still 96 degrees at 7:00pm, so I ended up leaving knowing it would be too hot for a comfortable night sleep. Beautiful view of the lake and short walk to the swimming beach.

• A

  Amy S.

  Scout

  

  Jul. 22, 2024

  Lancaster Event Center

  Nice quick stop-close to 80

  Pulled in late off of 80 looking for somewhere to sleep for a few hours. Quick, easy, mostly quiet as long as you don’t mind trains. Didn’t use electric but it was there. Happy to see 10-20 other campers, but not at all crowded.

• 

  Kyla B.

  Traveler

  

  Jul. 21, 2024

  Dead Timber State Rec Area

  Quiet retreat

  There are areas dedicated for daily use, primitive camping and electric sites. Great Lake for kayaking or a small jon boat. Has restrooms available, no showers. No dumpsite. Fire pit and picnic table available at sites.

  Appears to be a quiet retreat with minimal campers.

• 

  Randall K.

  Ranger

  

  Jul. 19, 2024

  Bluffs Run RV Park at Horseshoe Casino

  Simple, easy and free

  Great spot! Easy on/off. Was $45 for overnight with amenities.

  We opted for the free stay which was great. Nice, flat parking lot with other rv’s and tractor trailers off to the side.

  Slept great. Used the casino bathrooms and really liked it for a free overnight. Casino is fun too!

  Would def stay here again. Felt very safe and well lit. Noise was minimal and only came from the tractor trailers. If I had parked at the other end I wouldn’t have even heard it.

  Got take out from Modern Love to bring back. Molo is amazing - all vegan and most GF too. Never pass through Omaha without a visit there. Great way to end the night.

• W

  Wes S.

  Scout

  

  Jul. 17, 2024

  Memphis Lake State Rec Area

  Nice simple campground

  Don’t forget the day use fee it’s $14 a day for out of state and seven dollars in state A decent number of mosquitoes on my visit in July in the evening

• M

  Mills C.

  Scout

  

  Jul. 11, 2024

  Pony Creek Co Park

  NOT affiliated with DYRT

  Do not pay Dyrt to use this campground.  They are not affiliated.

• S

  Sabrina E.

  Guide

  

  Jul. 5, 2024

  Hitchcock County Nature Center

  Amazing!!

  We camp all the time at different locations, and I 100% recommend this campground! The hosts are so polite and helpful and they keep the place immaculate. Even the pit toilets were spotless and didn’t smell. The hosts went around several times a day collecting trash and even mopping the pit bathrooms. Camping here also gives you access to the playground and nature trails into some beautiful countryside. The only downside is bring several bottles of bugspray, the mosquitos are terrible!

• 

  Madison H.

  Scout

  

  Jul. 5, 2024

  Arrowhead Park Pottawattamie County Park

  10 out of 10

  This was the perfect place for us — just passing through on our way out to Wyoming. This camp ground is awesome all around — especially for tent campers. Absolutely beautiful views of the lake and so many open camp sites even on the 4th of July. I wish we could have spent more time here.

• C

  C D.

  Scout

  

  Jun. 20, 2024

  Eugene T. Mahoney State Park Campground

  Great stay passing through

  Populated but spacious. Friendly staff. Lots of greenery and trees. Only stayed one night but the list of activities seemed great. Safe, relaxing place. Bathrooms and showers could use some work but I was happy for a warm shower after traveling so long. Highway and trains can be heard from a distance but I found it soothing.

• 

  AUDREY S.

  Scout

  

  Jun. 18, 2024

  Weeping Water

  Stopped for RV dump only

  Did not stop to Camp!!, only dumped my tanks and filled up water. Wish I would’ve stayed. Looks like a very well done out-of-the-way and quaint park. $20 for dumping, or camping and dumping, seven dollars for tent campers.

• T

  Tammy F.

  Guide

  

  Jun. 15, 2024

  Huff - Warner Access Area

  Nice campground with easy access

  Clean and mostly well-kept campground. Much nicer than I had expected. Has on-site host, but we didn't see much of her/him/them. Had good cell service (ATT).

  The only serious complaint I can make is that the water, while potable (so we were told), has a very, very strong iron/metallic taste. To the point that, for us, it was undrinkable.

  The campsite we chose was level, concrete, and cost $20 (the site we wanted by the water had electric). Very little shade though, which made it really hot (other sites had more shade).

  Other observations: 

  The river current is quite fast here. I wouldn't plan on letting my kids or dogs get into the water, except to, maybe, wade at the boat ramp where it is protected from the current by small islands where the creek comes in.

  They have a table near the boat ramp that, I assume, is for cleaning your caught fish. If it matters, it did not have running water.

  The small dock from the boat access area felt unstable and one had to step across a couple of rocks to get to it from land, maybe because the river level was up(?).

  Of the 4 bathroom/shower combination rooms in the bathhouse, only two were unlocked. That said, we were the only tent campers and the RV campers didn't seem to be using them. And they were clean and in good repair.

  Our campsite was right next to the facility loading/unloading barges next to the campground. (They were unloading dried soybeans while we were there.) There are also security lights, but the light is mostly blocked by the trees at night. They start work at 7am and seem to stop at 4pm during the week. 

  I would call this location reasonably quiet. But not absolutely quiet. There is noise from various sources at various times: the loading/unloading from the barges, the farming going on across the road from the campground, boats going up or down the river, and, minimally, the sound from the traffic on the highway. So not absolutely quiet, but it wasn't loud enough or continual enough to detract from the stay.

  Lastly, it probably doesn't need to be said, but I didn't think of it before our stay (duh), so just a reminder. You're camping by a river (i.e., water), so there are many, many flying insects. Be sure to have insect repellent, as they are merciless.

• a

  alex R.

  Scout

  

  Jun. 15, 2024

  Arrowhead Park Pottawattamie County Park

  Perfect getaway

  Perfect place to get away for the weekend. Grounds are clean bathrooms are clean. Shout out to Dave the park ranger for being very generous. We drove from Davenport to stay here for Father’s Day weekend and we will definitely be back. You also can tent camp right next to the water as well. Love it!

• 

  Michael M.

  Guide

  

  Jun. 9, 2024

  Two Rivers State Recreation Area

  Quick getaway to nature

  A short drive from Omaha, two rivers offers generally clean TV and tent camping sites across multiple campgrounds. I camped right by the river. Also a short walk to the outhouse and playground. Fun and quick trip if you’re in the Omaha area. My boys (4&7) loved it.