Best RV Parks & Resorts near Hopkinton, IA

Recent RV Reviews in Hopkinton

524 Reviews of 126 Hopkinton Campgrounds

• 

  Stuart K.

  Legend

  

  Nov. 10, 2024

  6B's Campground

  Duo-Layered Camping Experience

  My twin brother and I discovered this little hidden gem of a campground outpost just a mile or so east of Maquoketa Caves SP. This nature-infested outpost is split into 2 levels with an upper plateau section that is more geared towards the tent-pitchin’ bredren of my tribe, while the lower level straddles the Maquoketa River and offers up splendid waterfront views of the slow-moving, fresh-water creek variety. Apart from the very welcoming folks that run this place, led by Karen Townsend, what I loved most about 6B’s was the very welcoming community of fellow campers who rolled out the‘red carpet’ treatment for us when we rocked up. The upper level offers up only a solid picnic table, in-ground fire rings w/ fold-up BBQ grills and a tree-lined backdrop with a fenced in front lawn– perfect for a quick and EZ set-up. Massive bonus points for the location of this campground, which apart from rural country farmers and bat cave tourist passerby traffic, there was virtually no noise pollution to battle with.

  If you’re rolling in on an RV, 5th wheeler or trailer, while you likely could park your mobile living room on the upper plateau, you’ll likely feel much more comfortable on the lower river basin, providing that you can make it down the somewhat steep decline gravel road(this is Iowa, so I don’t think anyone will be too challenged, but just want to put the decline out there). Before you’ve arrived at the river’s edge, you’ll notice a simply sublime solo picnic table that has strategically been placed in one of the very large, abandoned bat caves, which makes for a very special picnic outing. Turning left as you reach the riverfront, you’ll follow a single, narrow loop that offers up slots on a first-come, first-served basis, with each offering up water, 30 amp electric, boat ramp, diving platform and a fairly flat landing to park for the night or a week(or even month!).

  Downsides? This camping outpost only accepts cash, money order or checks, which was a major bummer for us as we didn’t have any of those with us and while there were banks nearby(well, some 30 miles away), we weren’t members of the bank, which wasn’t even open, on account that it was after noon on a Saturday, so yeah, while a small thing, it became quite a big deterrent for us. If you can get this solo downside, there really is nothing else but upside, chief of which includes direct access to the Maquoketa River, which we enjoyed, given we were toting my tandem kayak with us, as well as, of course, just 3 miles west to Maquoketa Caves SP.

  Happy Camping!

• 

  Stuart K.

  Legend

  

  Nov. 10, 2024

  Maquoketa Caves State Park Campground

  Eco-Locate This Blissful Hidden Campground Gem

  This Iowa SP campground is simply AMAZING and if you are a bat cave spelunker, you are going to be absolutely excited by this place, if you don’t know it already. For the rest of us outdoor enthusiasts who are simply looking for a great campground, then you’ve also struck the campground lottery, but if you are interested in staying here, I would STRONGLY encourage you to mind your dates taking note of when bat hibernation ends and begins – for what it’s worth, my brother and I drove all the way here only to find out that hibernation began the day of our arrival. That said, we could still hike all of the amazing trails, but couldn’t access the bat caves.

  The campground that resides here, is less than a quarter mile away from the access point to the bat caves, creating huge upside for selecting this campground in the first place. A heavily wooded area encompasses every single site (there’s 28 in total w/ 24 offering 20 / 30 / 50 amp electric) providing a substantial amount of shade, will also allowing decent sunlight as well along a slowly winding lone lane that leads one into this shrouded camping haven. While the spots (#12-#16) towards the end of the lane are more earmarked for mi tent pitchin’ bredren, whereas the rest of the sites (#1-#11; #17-#28) are set-up for the RV and 5th Wheel toting crowd (although you could easily set up a tent on any one of these sites should you choose to).

  A couple of points to keep in mind– the entrance to the campground is the busiest, so if this is of concern, steer clear of #1-#3 or #27-#28. Second, if you have kids and want to be planted near the playground, you might want to target sites #26-#28, where the spacious kids playground sets right behind these sites. In the event that being nearest the built-in amenities (restroom, shower, water source, community library, trash, firewood) are important to you, then look at sites #5-7 and #23-26. With this in mind, as you meander further down the lone campground loop lane, the quieter and more sheltered the place gets, so from #6-#24 should be a prime target for you if peace & solitude are important to you. Despite all of the advice I’ve just given, I don’t think you can really go wrong with any site here.

  Insider’s tips? Here’s a few: (1) If you’re looking for a primitive tent camping experience, then you’re going to want to book sites #12 and #13, which set a bit further back for the cul-de-sac end of the lane offering up more privacy and less noise from the rest of the camping commune; (2) All sites designated for RV’s are back-in and range in driveway length between 31 and 68 feet; (3) The campground itself is closed between December 1 thru February 28 each year; (4) This SP offers up more than 370 acres with 6 miles of hiking trails with 13 distinct bat caves to explore, so bring good hiking shoes, headlamps, proper long sleeve shirts and pants to keep the bugs and ticks away, which abound here aplenty; and (5) There’s plenty of picnic tables, most under shelters as well as scattered stand-up and in-ground BBQ grills all offered up on a first-come, first-served basis.

  Happy Camping!

• j

  joelle V.

  Traveler

  

  Oct. 13, 2024

  West Overlook Campground

  Wonderful place to enjoy Fall Colors

  We enjoy the peace and quiet especially with the views of the lake and the fall colors.

• 

  James M.

  Legend

  

  Oct. 9, 2024

  Jackson County Iowa Fairgrounds

  Small County fairground cg

  Offers basics: water, electric, showers some shade, stores nearby

• 

  James M.

  Legend

  

  Oct. 9, 2024

  Horseshoe Pond

  Nice smaller CG in City of Maquoketa, Iowa

  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.

• 

  Brian O.

  Legend

  

  Oct. 2, 2024

  Maquoketa Caves State Park Campground

  Nice campground, fun caves, older established state park

  My mom remembers visiting this park in the 40's. Not a surprise since Grampa was a Geologist.
  This is a small campground for such an old park, only 34 sites, walk-ins included. All sites are along one road with a turnaround at the end. There is only one building with toilets, showers and no pit toilets. These are clean and well maintained.
  There is a playground near the entrance that is shared with the caves entrance area, a bit of a walk.
  The caves themselves are down a long hill from the campground. There are facilities there too, and a concession stand with limited hours/ days. The caves are fun to explore, but not ADA accessible. Bring flashlights and in some areas watch your head.
  The Visitor's center at the park entrance is staffed by volunteers and only open on weekends.
  Once you've done the caves, there's not much else to see within the park. But visit the Hurstville interpretive center for a nice nature center and trails.

• 

  Ashley F.

  Guide

  

  Sep. 24, 2024

  Nelson Dewey State Park Campground

  Great place for a short trip

  I’ll begin by saying this is by far the cleanest campground I have stayed at. The facilities were well kept including the vault toilet houses. We stayed in a walk to site and the views were incredible. Our tent pad was quite rocky so I would recommend sleeping pads or you will be very uncomfortable. Our site was also extremely dusty which wasn’t a problem at all just be prepared to be a little dirty. The campground was quiet except for the occasional train that rolled through those are quite loud due to how close they are to the campground. I would definitely come back to Nelson Dewey and stay again. There was not a ton to do in the area so a short weekend stay was perfect. A highlight is that the park provided cart to use to haul all your stuff to the walk to sites. There is 1 designated parking spot per walk to site as well. The walk to sites are small and only accommodated our one (6 person) tent which was not a problem for us as we knew this ahead of time.

• R

  Ryan S.

  Guide

  

  Sep. 22, 2024

  Oelwein City Park

  This is a beautiful city park campground

  I 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.

• R

  Ryan S.

  Guide

  

  Sep. 22, 2024

  Elkader City Park

  Close to town, nice facilities, not quiet

  I had good Verizon signal here (70 down, 20 up) but zero T-mobile signal.

  The campground is close to down, there are two museums within walking distance (just steps from the campground entrance). Across the street is a walking & biking trail that will take you straight to downtown, where you'll find a coffee shop, a few restaurants, and other shopping. It's less than a 5 minute bike ride to get there, and very scenic as it follows the river.

  The facilities are newer and pretty nice. The showers are the single-button kind with no temperature adjustment. If you wait a while, the water does get barely warm enough for a comfortable shower.

  This is not a quiet campground, it has a well traveled highway on one side, and a city main street on the other side that semi trucks use during the day. Sometimes there are highschool football games at the stadium next to the campground. Late at night it does get quiet.

  The sites are grass or gravel. There are electrical hookups at most sites, with water faucets spread throughout the campground. The sites are mostly shaded.

  I enjoyed the George Maier Rural Heritage Center and Museum ($5 admission) and the Elkader Depot Museum (free) which are located right next to the campground.

  The downside to this campground is the dump station. It is just a hole in a manhole cover. It's in a dirt/weedy area and smells terrible. It's located across the street from the campground.

• L

  Lonnie C.

  Scout

  

  Sep. 20, 2024

  River of Lakes Campground

  Ok. Great checkin - however..

  Nice campground with many sites on the Mississippi backwaters and decent fishing stayed two days and opted on a third. However, after we paid for the third night we noticed a campsite on the other side. Of course the first amendment is everyone’s freedom but really ,do campers need to put out “2024 No More Bulls***” AND how about 2024 Fu** your Feelings” that was in front of their welcome sign. These phrases were on massive flags nailed to trees. Of course we all have freedoms but because these vulgar, in your face phrases were seen every time we left the campground we did not feel comfortable. Good thing I did not have my grandkids along. We all have our beliefs, but is offensive language regarding politics have a place in campgrounds have a place? I say “No!” those folks were out of line and it is wrong. We will never return to this campground again.

• 

  Jeff and Linda L.

  Guide

  

  Sep. 20, 2024

  Grant River Recreation Area

  Feet from the Mississippi

  The park is on the beautiful might Mississippi river. It’s 2 miles from Potosi, WI with a large brewery with good food as well. Army Corps so half price with America The Beautiful senior discount card. If you like trains you will see many, close and going fast.

• J

  John B.

  Traveler

  

  Sep. 20, 2024

  Wyalusing State Park Campground

  Nice Park

  Nice sites, trails and facilities. Stayed during the week in mid September. Beautiful sites overlooking the Wisconsin and Mississippi rivers. Great hiking with clean bathrooms and toilets. Private with plenty of room from neighbors for our teardrop.

• 

  James M.

  Legend

  

  Sep. 19, 2024

  Bennett Park

  Nice small County CG with pond

  Campground is nice with a few newer amenities, including shower house and handicap campsite. Gravel pads at sites include tables, fire, pits, electric,. There’s a dump station, play area, shelters for rent, and a pond that you can actually swim and fish and paddling.

• R

  Ryan S.

  Guide

  

  Sep. 15, 2024

  Fontana County Park

  New, clean, no trees

  There is a brand new campground here with full hookups. There are no trees so I decided to pass and not camp here. Evidently there is an "old" campground somewhere in this park also that I did not find. The signs will direct you to the new campground.

  I had good T-mobile and Verizon service here.

• R

  Ryan S.

  Guide

  

  Sep. 15, 2024

  Klocks Island Park

  Crowded and quiet

  This seems like a quiet campground. It's just off the highway but there was almost zero traffic on this small highway. I drove through here on a Saturday in mid September. All spots were taken. I had barely usable Verizon service here and no T-mobile service. I was not able to camp here. The restroom building looked fairly new.

• 

  Jerry H.

  Scout

  

  Sep. 12, 2024

  Swiss Valley County Park

  Very nice experience

  Nice trails around. Camp was clean. Cool creek and bridge. Priced appropriately at $23 a night.

• 

  Jeff and Linda L.

  Guide

  

  Sep. 2, 2024

  Wildcat Bluff County Park

  Nice small park

  Small quite county park with electricity at most sites. First come sites. On Labor Day weekend only 5 campers there out of 21 sites. We found one with mostly shade. There is a first class 21 hole frisbee golf course at this park. Close to 52 mile Cedar Valley Nature bike trail. On the Cedar River. Boats were going in and out, I would guess you could Kayak there. One half mile on gravel to the park. No cell service.

• 

  James M.

  Legend

  

  Aug. 28, 2024

  Sherman Co Park

  Scenic County park along Wapsipinicon River

  The campground offers to camp areas: one better suited for RVs, and the other area is better suited for primitive tent, camping. Sites have picnic tables and fire rings, our recites include electric. There is a campground host, shower house, shelter and playground area there too. The tent sites are prone to flooding occasionally from the gun river. There is a boat ramp with access to the river for fishing and paddling.

• W

  Wayne K.

  Traveler

  

  Aug. 24, 2024

  Riverview Ridge

  Unique River and Trail Access Campground

  Two hour float trips on the North Fork Maquoketa River are available directly from the campground. There is a mix of permanent and temporary campers. The tent sites, nearest the river, are well spaced with flush toilets. Apparently there are also good trails, as many of the campers have ATV’s parked at their sites. The shower house, under the office, was spacious and clean.

• 

  Evan G.

  Guide

  

  Aug. 22, 2024

  F. W. Kent Park

  The perfect weekend get away

  My dad and I tent cramped here in mid August. It is the perfect camping destination between Amana colonies and Iowa City.

• 

  Dj Y.

  Traveler

  

  Aug. 19, 2024

  Grant River Recreation Area

  Sandy and Gentleman worker=AMAZING

  I was hitchhiking thru, was dropped off by a ride that said he was buying a $14 tent site for me, come to find out he never did, I just was honest with sandy and the gentleman worker and offered the only 8$ I had, no sir, they said please stay for free and just enjoy. WONDERFUL PPL THAT CARE ABOUT OTHERS!! THANKS YALL

• 

  Jim C.

  Traveler

  

  Aug. 18, 2024

  Little Bear Campground

  Great week of camping

  This was a great campground very clean all around, very nice pool..wish I could for a month. But they don't allow monthly stays

• 

  Evan G.

  Guide

  

  Aug. 12, 2024

  F. W. Kent Park

  The perfect Amana colonies campsite

  Amazing experience with lots of amenities and space to spread out.

  Easy to get to, very well maintained, electric hookups with 120 volt power outlets, lots of stuff to do, including: hiking, swimming, kayaking, easy to get to amenities and grocery stores. plenty of trails and overlooks with picnic benches. Fire pits With built in grill grates.

• C

  Colleen L.

  Scout

  

  Jul. 26, 2024

  Wanatee Park (formerly Squaw Creek)

  Great location and amenities

  I loved this campground. There are a variety of sites to choose from, nice trees, and a beautiful wildflower field to walk through. Bathrooms are stationed without so it’s never a far walk and the shower house was really nice. You can hear the highway, but overall the campground was very quiet.

• 

  Anna R.

  Scout

  

  Jul. 23, 2024

  Lakeshore RV Resort and Campground

  Rude Host

   Please do not ignore the negative reviews written by people on other sites regarding the owners. My husband and I drove almost 2 hours to check out the campground. We are looking for a permanent site for our RV next year. When we arrived we called the phone number listed on the closed gate. The owner, Joyce came out and said we would need an appointment to drive thru and she did not have time to show us around. The owner was very rude. We had been on their website and it did not state appointments were needed. Yes, I guess we could have called ahead, but as seasoned campers its never been a problem to check out a campground ahead of time.. Just beware owner unfriendly:( NO WE WONT BE RETURNING, WE WOULD NEVER STAY HERE

• 

  Kenneth M.

  Scout

  

  Jul. 6, 2024

  Clayton Hills Campground

  Best Owners Ever

  I was looking around for a place and being the weekend after the 4th of July, I knew there wouldn't be many options. This place is literally a hidden gem and should get more focus!!! The owner had a spot for my family and me!!! When he found out that I was only tent camping, he even lowered the price!!! He didn't have to do that at all and it wasn't expected. Grassy locations everywhere. Wonderful water and electric hookups!!! A little piece of heaven here. JJ is an AMAZING host!!!

• 

  Robert P.

  Scout

  

  Jun. 26, 2024

  Blue Inn Campground

  Reservations

  I made a reservation back in April 20 q24 June 26th 6 days before vacation I received a refund notice from them not in the full amount I paid less than a half