Best RV Parks & Resorts near Cresco, IA

Several RV campgrounds provide full-hookup options near Cresco, Iowa. Chimney Rock Canoe and Campground offers electric hookups and water with spacious RV sites along the Upper Iowa River. Skip-A-Way Resort in Clermont features full-hookup sites with 50-amp service, accommodating larger motorhomes on gravel pads. "Sites are gravel, fairly level. Water and electric available at RV sites," noted one camper about the area's typical setup. Pulpit Rock Campground in Decorah provides big-rig friendly sites with 50-amp hookups, sewer connections, and water, making it suitable for extended stays in larger RVs. Most campgrounds in the region maintain gravel parking pads that require minimal leveling.

Seasonal availability varies significantly across northeast Iowa's RV parks, with many operating from April through October. Dump stations are available at most campgrounds, though some smaller parks may only offer partial hookups requiring campers to use central dump facilities. Cell service can be spotty in the river valleys, particularly for T-Mobile customers, while Verizon generally maintains better coverage throughout the area. Many campgrounds along the Upper Iowa River feature pull-through sites that accommodate larger rigs without disconnecting tow vehicles. Reservation policies differ between parks—some operate on a first-come basis during off-peak seasons while requiring advance booking during summer weekends. Most RV parks in the region welcome pets but may have specific leash requirements or designated pet areas.

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Best RV Sites Near Cresco, Iowa (105)

    1. Peterson City RV Park

    2 Reviews
    Rushford, MN
    32 miles
    Website
    +1 (507) 875-2222

    $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. "

    2. Skip-A-Way Resort

    3 Reviews
    West Union, IA
    35 miles
    Website
    +1 (563) 423-7338

    "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."

    3. Green Acres RV Park-Dexter

    1 Review
    Austin, MN
    38 miles
    +1 (507) 440-6384

    "It also has laundry, which is a nice bonus! Also has two single bathrooms with showers."

    4. Pulpit Rock Campground

    17 Reviews
    Decorah, IA
    16 miles
    Website
    +1 (563) 382-9551

    "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."

    "Bike trails and good trout fishing. You can acess the whole city of Decorah and all the scenic places by walking or bikes."

    5. Autumn Woods RV Park

    5 Reviews
    Stewartville, MN
    42 miles
    Website
    +1 (507) 990-2983

    "This campground has everything they say: nice spots that are level (pull through and back in), right off Hwy 90, quiet, and friendly staff. Their bathrooms are also well kept."

    "Easy backing in, plenty of room. Some hi way noise."

    6. Bluffton Resort

    5 Reviews
    Decorah, IA
    10 miles
    Website
    +1 (563) 735-5738

    $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"

    7. Maple Springs Campground

    11 Reviews
    Preston, MN
    19 miles
    Website
    +1 (507) 352-2056

    $35 / night

    "Beautiful spaces of various size, a river runs next to it and they have duck races."

    "Some girlfriends and I wanted to stay at the camp for the weekend and have a place to social distance ourselves. We rented the horse camp sites and we couldn't have been happier."

    8. Chimney Rock Canoe and Campground

    6 Reviews
    Cresco, IA
    10 miles
    Website

    "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."

    9. Forestville Mystery Cave State Park Campground

    18 Reviews
    Preston, MN
    19 miles
    Website
    +1 (507) 352-5111

    $35 / night

    "There are so many activities to do both within the park and surrounding areas, but my most favorite thing to do was walk the endless miles of hiking trails."

    "This is a pretty great campground with mostly large, private sites. Not all sites are level and there’s little to no cell coverage."

    10. Eagle Cliff Campground and Lodging

    16 Reviews
    Lanesboro, MN
    27 miles
    Website
    +1 (507) 467-2598

    $30 - $46 / night

    "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."

    "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."

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RV Park Reviews near Cresco, IA

318 Reviews of 105 Cresco Campgrounds


  • Amy G.The Dyrt PRO User
    Mar. 1, 2021

    Minneiska Campground — Whitewater State Park

    Small and quaint with plenty of space

    This campground is small and quaint...plenty of space without being too close to your neighbors.  Super easy to social distance here.

    We visited in winter (February) and while there was snow on the ground, the spaces were kept plowed with easy access to the electric boxes.  We were in a teardrop trailer.  Plenty of space for the car and the teardrop in space #202, but all spaces that were plowed had plenty of room to pull in.  Some were even "pull through" which would be extra nice if you wanted it (either big rig type RV or pull behind).

    As with State Parks in MN, it's best to make the reservation online, especially with office staff being spotty these days. Price is $35 for the space/night with electric, and this time of year, there are no other options besides electric spaces. The bonus of making "day of" reservations means there is no extra service fee.  But waiting that "long" to make the reservation also means there are no refunds if you can't get there. You are far better off as a "no show" than "cancelling", since there is actually a cancellation fee on top of losing your nightly rate if you actually "cancel".

    The campground has far more spaces than you can reserve this time of year (typical of "winter" camps at State Parks in MN). But the loop that had the openings was super easy.  Just literally a loop around one side of the camp with a vault toilet on one side that was super easy to get to from anywhere you were plugged in.  It was fairly clean (dirty floor understandable this time of year due to wet boots and slush).

    I was surprised at the nature of the young trees.  Lots of them, but all very small.  That said, in the winter this is more obvious due to lack of leaves, but in summer, I suspect it's lovely. Still, there are plenty of them and with the huge spaces between sites, even without leaves it wasn't an issue. I don't think there are any trees big enough to hammock in.

    The entrance to the campground is literally right inside the park.  Across from the visitor center, so you can't miss it. And although it was close to the road, very little road noise.  The only noises we were actually aware of were natural ones...some cows in the distance, lots of birds and at night, Barred Owls and a few coyotes.  All welcome noises for us!

    This time of year, water is not on in the campground, but there is a spigot right across the road at the visitor center that is on (easy 2 min walk). They also have firewood for sale with an "honor" box, but the bundles the day were were there were $6 and the small bundle was basically small kindling. Not idea for a winter fire.

    All spaces had a nice picnic table and fire ring. We had to "dig" to ours with a small snow shovel in the car, but it wasn't an issue.

    **NOTE:  You do need a MN state park sticker or day pass to stay at the campground**

  • D
    Jun. 26, 2020

    Eagle Cliff Campground and Lodging

    River Camping

    Overall 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!

  • J
    Oct. 19, 2021

    Maple Springs Campground

    Eden

    We 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!

  • Greg K.
    Apr. 13, 2024

    Twins Campground

    Twins campground- cresco,Iowa.

    Very 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 .

  • Renee H.
    May. 23, 2024

    Sylvan City Park

    Small city park campground right in town

    Walking 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.

  • JThe Dyrt PRO User
    Jul. 30, 2023

    Autumn Woods RV Park

    Great campground

    This campground has everything they say: nice spots that are level (pull through and back in), right off Hwy 90, quiet, and friendly staff. Their bathrooms are also well kept. I would highly recommend this campground!

  • RThe Dyrt PRO User
    Sep. 28, 2024

    Cedar View Park

    Beautiful park, gross bath house

    This 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.

  • Kayla S.
    May. 27, 2018

    Eagle Cliff Campground and Lodging

    Perfect set-up

    This 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.

  • Kari S.
    Aug. 5, 2018

    Pulpit Rock Campground

    Beautiful!

    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.


Guide to Cresco

RV camping near Cresco, Iowa offers a blend of natural beauty and convenient amenities, making it an ideal getaway for outdoor enthusiasts.

Explore the Root River Trail

  • The Peterson City RV Park is situated right on the Root River bike trail, providing easy access to scenic rides and walks through shaded paths.
  • Enjoy a peaceful stay at Autumn Woods RV Park, where you can unwind after a day of biking along the picturesque trails nearby.
  • The Gilbertson Conservation Education Area offers educational opportunities about local wildlife and conservation, perfect for families looking to learn while enjoying the outdoors.

Family-Friendly Activities

  • At Peterson City RV Park, families can enjoy a playground and open spaces for games like badminton and croquet, ensuring fun for all ages.
  • Autumn Woods RV Park features well-maintained facilities and a friendly atmosphere, making it a great spot for family gatherings and outdoor activities.
  • The Gilbertson Conservation Education Area provides a unique setting for educational family outings, with opportunities to explore nature and learn about environmental conservation.

RV Amenities and Comforts

  • Harvest Farm Campground offers electric hookups and sanitary dump facilities, ensuring a comfortable stay for RV travelers.
  • At Green Acres RV Park-Dexter, you’ll find convenient amenities like laundry facilities and clean showers, perfect for a restful stop on your journey.
  • Autumn Woods RV Park is known for its level sites and friendly staff, making it a highly rated choice for RV camping in the area.

Frequently Asked Questions

Which is the most popular RV campsite near Cresco, IA?

According to TheDyrt.com, the most popular RV campground near Cresco, IA is Peterson City RV Park with a 5-star rating from 2 reviews.

What is the best site to find RV camping near Cresco, IA?

TheDyrt.com has all 105 RV camping locations near Cresco, IA, with real photos and reviews from campers.