Best Dog-Friendly Camping near Coralville Lake

Tent area among trees includes fire rings. Showers/restrooms onsite, walk in sites too, firewood available at West Overlook permit station, beach nearby, Iowa River and Coralville Lake nearby (good fishing).

CG offers gravel pads, tables, fire rings, electric, sump station, water, small pond with fishing, paddling, dog park. Close to stores for supplies, dining, fuel.

CG lies within Maquoketa and is seasonal. Has pond for fishing, shelter, dog park, playset, disc golf course. Sites are pulling, have electric and fire pits. Camp supplies including wood in nearby stores. Prairie Creek runs along south of CG.

I suggest this site only if you need to get off the road for an overnight stay. Very few amenities, all but a few spots appear to be full-time RV living onsite, has nice playground, gazebo, dog park (small), lake is small but appears well kept, electric/water/septic onsite.

Was looking forward to camping there until I found out they do not allow pets at tent sites. Apparently they don’t feel responsible pet owners use tents. Not happy will never stay there

Great fishing, near Fairport Fish Hatchery, and Wild Cat Den State Park.

Nice location to spend time fishing, watching sunsets, and paddle. Near Wild Cat Den State Park.

Nice campground along Mississippi River with lots of fish to catch. Has playground for younger children, near Wild Cat Den State Park.

CG has views of Mississippi River with good amenities: electric, tables, fire rings, RR/showers. Play areas, camp volunteers onsite, wood available, boat ramp, shelter. This is a seasonal cg and has a train track upon entering park. Wild Cat Den State Park just up US61.

Just off Highway 22 and runs along Mississippi River and railroad tracks. Shady sites, showers, 50 amp service, fish cleaning station, playground, and small amphitheater for naturalist programs.  Near Wild Cat Den SP, Fairport Rec Area, and Towns of Buffalo to north & Muscatine to south ( food, drinks, supplies)

Campground Review:

Cottonwood campground is one of several that surround Coralville Lake near Iowa City. This particular tent only campground is set in a nice grove of cottonwood and other trees within easy walking distance of the spillway and the Devonian Fossil Gorge. There are fifteen sites spread out in two areas: a heavily wooded area and a mature cottonwood grove. I was at site 2 in the cottonwood grove. While there is no understory to provide privacy, sites are nicely spread out and well maintained with mown grass, clean picnic tables and fire pits.There is a clean bathroom with flush toilets and showers next to the parking lot. The previous campers had left wood at several sites, so you may get lucky and not have to buy much wood. One unfortunate thing that was overlooked was an access trail that could lead down to the Fossil Gorge. To get there you will either have to walk the busy road or drive. When in the Fossil Gorge there is an interpretive trail winding through the limestone gorge that will help you spot fossils. There is also a nice river walk trail. I also hiked the Woodpecker Nature Trail down and alone the lake. There are two additional campgrounds that had primarily RVs on either side of the river below the spillway and dam release. In total there are five different campgrounds in the Dam Complex, with Linder Point going through some renovations at this time. The whole facility is run by the Corps of Engineers.

Product Review:

As a Ranger for The Dyrt, from time to time I get to test products. This weekend I got to test the Gregory Jade 33 day/backpack. I refer to it as a day/backpack because while it may be sold as primarily a day pack, it can hold enough for an overnighter. Let me just say this: I used to love my Osprey pack. Now it will likely gather dust in the gear closet since I will now just use this Gregory all the time. I really like this pack, let me count the ways:

1. The fit is amazing. The torso sizing has overlapping sizes (the small and medium sizes have about 2” of overlap, so no weird “I’m in between sizes” baloney. It’s the “just right” mama bear pack size.

2. The hip belt wraps nice and snug with just the right amount of padding. I don’t feel like I’m being squeezed by a boa constrictor, but I also feel like the hip belt is going to stay in place and not rub or chafe.

3. The hip belt has huge pockets that fit my phone, some snacks, the keys, and anything else I need handy. I like how the pockets seem to expand to hold it all.

4. The back is super breathable with a cool ventilated back panel and moisture wicking mesh. I never got hot using it and my back was dry after a long day hiking.

5. Hands down my favorite thing about this pack is the U zipper to get into the main compartment along with the normal drawstring. The U zipper is the game changer since it means I can easily reach something I shoved to the bottom without having to take everything out.

6. I haven’t played much with the sunglasses loop/snugger on the front, but I like the idea that I can hook and snug them in without having to take off my pack to put them in the top pocket.

7. Having the rainfly included is great. I don’t necessarily think the under the flap pocket is the best place to keep it (might be nice to have it in an integrated pocket on the bottom of the pack), but since it is not attached in anyway, you can store it wherever you want.

8. The front mesh pocket seems to be made out of really nice stretchy mesh that is less likely to snag. It’s nice and large and will fit my rain gear easily.

9. The side pockets for H2O are nice and deep and you can snug anything in with the compression straps.

Things that could be improved:

1. I wish the top pocket was lined in case I wanted to store my sunglasses there.

2. The built in safety whistle is a bit weak. I will still take my own whistle that is really shrill and loud.

3. For this price I would have liked the pack to include a water reservoir (it’s all set up to include one, with the right straps to hold the tube in place and a cool hanging set up inside for the Gregory water reservoir that they sell).

This is one of our favorite parks in the Midwest. We usually make a day trip from Chicagoland, but this time we camped at the park. We are glad we did!

You really can't go wrong with any trail or cave. The kids enjoyed hiking between Lower- and Upper-Dancehall Caves. The trail goes underground and through some water. Window Cave was also a hit. You can climb up about 5-7 feet and out the "window". The kids felt like real spelunkers!

While the park is usually crowded during the day, we find it nearly empty beginning in the late afternoons on the weekdays we visited. It felt like we had the place to ourselves.

The campground is about a five minute walk to the park's main entrances. The campground was very quiet... just the way we like it. There is a family of cats that hang around: they visit from a nearby dairy farm. The kids loved this added attraction. The dog did not.

The bathroom and shower house is clean. There is only one. So it gets pretty busy during "flush hour". Our campsite was right next to the bathroom/ shower and dumpster. We noticed flies and the occasional whiff of trash.

We'll continue visiting this park. And we look forward to camping on site.

General: Very popular state park with a small, 30-site campground (five walk-in tent sites and the rest electric). I read somewhere that the campground was recently upgraded, and I did see some evidence of upgrades. We were dismayed when we arrived at 3 pm on a Sunday to find the place packed with day-use visitors. The campground provided a quieter respite and when we returned after dinner (around 7 pm) to explore the caves, most everyone had gone home! The good news is that likely due to the bats, there were no gnats or mosquitos but there were many annoying flies! 

Site Quality: Gravel pads that all appeared to be level. Although not exceptionally long, we did see quite a few big rigs fit into the spaces. The campground is wooded and there is some separation between sites, but you could still see (and hear) your neighbors. Each site has a picnic table and fire ring with a grill. 

Bathhouse: This did not appear to be part of the campground upgrades. The handicapped stall was closed and because the cave trails were muddy, there was a lot of mud tracked into the bathroom (not the fault of the park). Apparently, people have taken their pets into the showers because there was a sign letting people know they could not do this! 

Activities/Amenities: Explore the caves! Some require spelunking but others have stairs and/or walkways for easy exploration. I had read on the All Trails app that the trail system was confusing and easy to get lost on, but I did not find this to be the case when we were there. There was good signage and if you pick up a map (there were plenty at the entrance to the campground), you should not get lost. There was a naturalist station with several activities that would be good for families. At night, the fireflies are abundant and put on a great show! 

Maquoketa Caves has long been on my list to visit and I’m glad we finally made it!

Caves were closed but we had a great time hiking the trails. Very clean campground. Plenty of wood for campfires, just had a donation box. Electric campsites have plenty of shade. The ground is gravel, which my dog hated. Next time we plan to try the primitive sites. First time camping at an Iowa state park and we were impressed!

Easy drive in spot. We only stayed one night (dog friendly!). Camp sites are pretty spread out so you have your own privacy.

Wildcat Den State Park is somewhat of an unknown gem. Surrounded by cornfields, rolling hills and the Mississippi River, this park is tucked neatly away in Southeast Iowa. We've been here in all four seasons and each one provides a different landscape.

The park offers non-electrical campsites with pit toilets located in the campground area. A portion of the sites are available on a first come first serve basis. The remaining sites have to be reserved. Each campsite has a fire pit and picnic table. There is well water available. There is also a large shelter across the road from the campground area. The bottom portion of the park, where the Pine Creek Grist Mill is located has modern restroom facilities as well as another shelter.

Hiking the Wildcat Den Trail Loop is a must. Looming sandstone cliffs, tall pines, and rock formations are all part of the park's landscape. This is also a great place to view spring wildflowers. There's several spots of interest you'll want to be sure to take in while there, including the Devil's Punch Bowl, Steamboat Rock, The Pine Creek Grist Mill built in the 1800's, the Melpine School, and most recently, a renovated log cabin. The Mill offers tours during the warmer months and it's worth the time to take the tour.

While the trails at the Den are very scenic, they're not well-marked. This is perhaps the only downside of the park. The park is dog-friendly, but they must be on leash at all times.

This is one of my favorite "hidden" parks in Iowa.

The campground has a small lake, great showers/bathhouse and laundromat. Fenced dog area and plenty of shade. A little trouble with water/electricity while we were here but they were quick to fix the issues.

Not too far off the highway.  Very clean and quiet.  The campground is above the lake but a short trail will take you to the lake.  Couldn't see the lake from where we camped, but nice woody area behind our campsite.  Nice little visitor area.  Lots of trails to walk with the dog including a nice trail along the lake.

Great place to spend one night.  If I had more time, I would have gone paddle boarding or fishing on the lake.

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!