Best RV Parks & Resorts near Independence, IA

Recent RV Reviews near Independence, IA

287 Reviews of 104 Independence Campgrounds

• m

  michelle

  Traveler

  

  Oct. 5, 2022

  Wilder City Park

  Beautiful city park

  Wilder Park is a beautiful city park. Very much a gem, quiet and peaceful . 50 + sites with about half of them full hook up. Costs for a full hook up in 2022 was under $25 a night. The park has two fishing areas, a dog park,pickle ball, volleyball mini golf, basketball and two playgrounds. A beautiful walking and bike path connects the parks to the neighboring cities. A free dump is also available. We highly recommend this park. 1

• 

  Lisa M.

  Scout

  

  Jul. 9, 2022

  Lake Macbride State Park Campground

  Nice State Park

  My niece who lives nearby recommended this place to stay when we went to visit her since was a short drive from where she lives.  Full hook-ups, nice clean bathhouse, quiet nearby trail within walking distance, beautiful lake. Will stay here again when come back to visit her.

• K

  Kimberly E.

  Guide

  

  Jun. 8, 2021

  Waterloo - Lost Island Waterpark KOA

  Great Campground for Kids, Lots of Amenities

  Decent sites with full hook ups. Little shade with small trees next to about each site. Gas, propane, laundry room, beach area, small boat rentals, good sized convenience store with ice, beer, snacks, milkshake machine, etc. Enough to do for a day or two without going to the water park. Overall felt pretty exposed but the amenities made up for it.

• B

  BRIAN F.

  Traveler

  

  Jul. 12, 2022

  New Wine Park Dubuque County Park

  Would use again

  Very nice county Rv park, best to call for reservations but not heavily used during the week

• L

  Lori H.

  Scout

  

  Aug. 22, 2020

  Waterloo - Lost Island Waterpark KOA

  Something for everyone

  Great RV park. Lots of room and cabin rentals for folks that don’t have an RV. The fenced dog park was fantastic for those of us with dogs. A lake with beach area and an area for fishing founded it out! Would recommend!

• 

  Kimberly B.

  Guide

  

  Sep. 18, 2021

  Amana RV Park & Event Center

  Very convenient for visiting the Amana Colonies.

  We tent camped here for two nights so we could visit the Amana Colonies. This is an RV park with tent sites on the lawn around the perimeter. A bit of a walk to the bathroom and showers, but the sites were level with short grass. The bathrooms and showers were very clean, and everyone was extremely friendly. The only drawback was that the tent sites don’t have picnic tables, but for two nights we made it work. We’d stay here again.

• S

  Steve T.

  Scout

  

  Jun. 10, 2019

  Big Woods Lake

  Will be great!

  As far as RV parks go, this one is young and the lack of shade is only evidence of that. Sites are well planned out though, giving each camper plenty of space. Several buddy set ups, allowing two campers to set up with main doors facing each other. The lake is small, no wake lake - but great for using your SUP or kayaks.

• D

  Dennis G.

  Guide

  

  Jul. 6, 2020

  Lakeview Campground — Volga River State Recreation Area

  Quiet, secluded

  Gravel parking spots, fairly level, most without shade unless you get on the "back loop" where you can find 4 with good shade. All manner of amenities (electric only, water & electric, and a few with full hookups). Bathrooms are clean and well stocked. 4 private showers available...clean. Weekends are typically busier than weekdays.

• 

  Clint G.

  Guide

  

  Jul. 20, 2021

  Rodgers County Park

  Nice for a County Park

  This campground offers electric only sites for RVs.  Water can be a bit tricky to get in the park and there was not host onsite to assist.  The RV sites were mostly level on a gravel pad with a grass yard.  There is some shade with fire pits on site and picnic tables.  It was very quiet as this is in the heart of corn fields.  There was a bit of a disturbance which the ranger promptly addressed.  There are showers and toilets onsite as well.

• 

  Mike C.

  Traveler

  

  Sep. 4, 2021

  Blue Inn Campground

  Cozy, basic CG

  37 full-hookup sites, some tent sites, all right on edge of town. Adjacent to Kitty Creek, joins Maquoketa River. Some concrete pads, most are gravel, fairly level. Pretty tight layout, average of only 30-40' between sites. New fire rings, picnic tables in good condition. Bakery and other facilities are closed due to COVID. Previous campers at our site left lots of trash on ground...always disappointing. Electrical and water were good. Sewer connections a bit high.

• 

  Mary D.

  Guide

  

  Jul. 9, 2020

  Waterloo - Lost Island Waterpark KOA

  Huge!

  Just stayed one night passing through Iowa. Very pretty Campground with colorful Kabin’s and a lake for swimming or paddle boats. Level sites but not much shade.

  Surprised we did not get an escort to our site as is usual at KOA’s. Did not use bathroom facilities. Laundry needed attention as it was a bit unkempt and one machine was broken and half full of dirty water.

  Would stay again to try some of the other amenities.

• 

  Jacob B.

  Guide

  

  Oct. 7, 2020

  Lake Macbride State Park Campground

  A little crowded but very nice!

  This park has two campgrounds. The modern side on the north end of the park with full hookups, and the primitive side on the south side of the park with no electricity or water hookups. Both campgrounds have flushing toilets but only the modern side has showers. All restroom facilities are very well kept. Beautiful park with lots to do! Only thing keeping me from giving it 5 stars is how busy both campgrounds get on weekends and holidays giving you little to no privacy since sites are pretty close together.

• 

  Jeremy B.

  Guide

  

  Jul. 20, 2023

  Lake Macbride State Park Campground

  Not Too Shabby

  Pros:

  • clean bathrooms
  • good Starlink north clearing (site 13)
  • right next to trails
  • quiet
  • pretty level sites

  Cons

  • bugs (actually had a hornets nest in my electrical plug-in compartment)
  • showers had to be continually pushed to keep rolling
• 

  Jennifer F.

  Scout

  

  Aug. 11, 2021

  Wapsipinicon State Park Campground

  Great day use park

  Not a level site to be had. Significant slope at all RV/camper sites. Bathrooms leave a lot to be desired: maintenance and updating.

• M

  Mary

  Guide

  

  Apr. 14, 2022

  BEYONDER Getaway at Lazy Acres

  RV park near Cedar Rapids, Iowa

  Well run campground with full hookups available for$35/ night. Bathrooms are clean and lots of warm water for showers. Great place for a night or two. Near the highway but road noise is minimal.

• 

  Andrea H.

  Guide

  

  Aug. 21, 2018

  Wapsipinicon State Park Campground

  Outdated :(

  No such thing as a level camping spot at this campground. Bathrooms have three toilets and one shower stall. Bathroom is outdated. Needs serious repainting and improving. Campground hosts were friendly and on top of things! There was an event at the golf course...very snotty ladies parked their vehicles on our campsite and refused to move. Campground hosts were notified and they alerted DNR who in turn forced them to remove vehicles off our paid and reserved campsite. No playground equipment for children to enjoy. No dump station for RVs.

• 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.

• C

  Christoph R.

  Guide

  

  Oct. 29, 2020

  Amana RV Park & Event Center

  Functional but Barren

  The campground is great for RVs and anybody who has a setup that doesn't rely on shaded areas. They hosts had a super efficient hygiene protocol to get you to your spot. Campground is a nice bike ride away from the Amana villages and overall a great base camp

• 

  Annie C.

  Legend

  

  May. 31, 2019

  Elkader City Park

  Nice city park camping

  This was a great surprise in a pretty little town. The campground is across the river from Elkader, up on a rise. The campground is next to the city pool and history museum, which has great exhibits and a few historic train cars to explore. The campground has hookups for RVs primarily, with a few tent sites in a grassy area next to the road. However, you can easily just get a site with hookups to be further away from the road (the sites in the middle seem to have better hammock trees, too). None of the sites have any privacy, but all have picnic tables and fire rings. The shower house is like a bunker house- seriously, it is the tornado shelter for the park and campground! It’s super clean and large, with separate toilets, showers, and changing rooms. FREE firewood!! They even provide a couple of wheelbarrows for you to haul firewood to your site. In town there is an access point for kayakers who want to play in the river at the rapids, as well as access for fishing. There is a GREAT bakery on the main corner in town- this is THE place to buy your hamburger buns (one of their biggest sellers). There is a nice cornerstone bridge crossing the river that you can walk across to view the spillway.

• 

  Diane A.

  Scout

  

  Jun. 19, 2018

  Six Pines Campground — Backbone State Park

  Very nice and lots to do!

  There is a variety of things to do here. You can rent cabins, shelters, tent and RV camp, hike the trails especially the “Backbone”, explore the cave, fish trout streams, visit fish hatchery, swim at the beach, canoe, kayak or just have a picnic. Beautiful park! My sons have even repelled the bluffs.

• 

  Kristin B.

  Traveler

  

  May. 22, 2022

  Sandy Beach Camp

  Sandy Beach Campground

  Probably the best spot in the whole camp, overlooks the lake. Level sites with adequate space.

• 

  Jeannie D.

  Guide

  

  May. 25, 2023

  Six Pines Campground — Backbone State Park

  Just stunning

  This campground was large. The lake reminded me of a puzzle I did with my grandma as a kid. It was fall, and it was just gorgeous. There was a wedding the weekend we were there, but we were lucky to explore the tower the day prior. The nearby communities offer ameneties, which were needed as I sprained a knee hiking the backbone trail my third go. Absolutely adored the weekend we spent here. Wonderful neighbors, great spacious, level sites. I want to say we had electric only, and service was definitely spotty in most areas of camp. We used Verizon, and could not hulu.

• 

  Kerry M.

  Ranger

  

  Aug. 21, 2021

  Six Pines Campground — Backbone State Park

  Two campgrounds to enjoy at Backbone State Park

  Backbone State Park is unlike any other place in Iowa, having geological features uncommon in Iowa.

  There are two campgrounds. I have camped in both:

  Modern Campground: This is a large, modern campground with all of the standard amenities found in a modern campground… electric hookups, flush toilets, water. I have camped here twice, both times in my travel trailer. Overall, it is a nice campground with decent space in between campers, however, I tend to avoid it during the busier summer and fall colors seasons.

  Primitive Campground: This is my favorite at Backbone for camping, especially in the autumn after the leaves have fallen off of the trees. As this campground is non-electric, there are not many people camping after it turns colder. I have spent many nights there alone in the primitive campground, watching RVs pull in and then leave after realizing that it has no hookups.

  Nearby trout fishing: Backbone is home to one of the more popular trout streams in Iowa. The fishing is easy as most of the fish are stocked (April-October). Still, it is an enjoyable fishing trip as the stream itself is mostly rocks and gravel, with several deep holes. The water is cold and clear.

  Other activities: Hiking is very popular in Backbone. I have also seen rock climbing and rappelling. There are some nice spots away from the trout stream for wading and a little swimming. Backbone State Park also has a small lake with a swimming area and boat rentals during the summer. Several nice cabins are available for those who do not want to camp.

• 

  Jennifer T.

  Scout

  

  Oct. 3, 2018

  Big Woods Lake

  Nice easy park.

  Nice park with a bike path around the lake. A few nature trails, but nothing I would call hiking. Two vault toilets placed on the bike path. One modern bathroom with showers in the campground. A few cabins with air conditioning and one large one. Rest of the sites are on gravel and meant for RVs, but I've seen a few tents dotted in the grass next to them. Two ramps for boats and two spots for kayaks or canoes. Nice paddling and usually pretty easy going. One beach, but I've never seen anyone really swimming. Just mostly small kids splashing around.

• R

  Richard &.

  Guide

  

  Jun. 22, 2023

  Waterloo - Lost Island Waterpark KOA

  Great place to stay

  We stayed at started at the Lost Island water park KOA for just one night while passing through the area. We were in our class C while slowly making our way across the country. We had no problems getting a spot here. Sites are gravel for the RV, reasonably level, and very well maintained. Most sites are pull through. Hookups are in very good condition. Each site had a grassy area with a picnic table. Staff was very friendly and helpful. There was a playground, beach and fenced dog area. Cost was very good for the amenities provided.

  The campground had a store, gas station and propane available.

  We had 4 bar LTE with Verizon. Our hotspot was usable and performed very well. We enjoyed our brief stay at this campground. We will stay again when traveling this way.

• 

  Steph P.

  Guide

  

  Oct. 9, 2022

  Nelson Dewey State Park Campground

  Walk-in sites or bust!

  We stayed in walk-in site C, which the furthest site from the parking lot. Arrive before dark!! The wheelbarrows provided are a lifesaver, the trail to the site is manageable until the last 50 feet, which is steep and rocky.

  It is a smaller site and mostly slanted so we had to use our backpacking tent (90"x70") on the small patch that's sort of level, as our car camping tent (10'x14') was entirely too huge.

  The views are stunning. There was a pair of bald eagles in a nest down by the river - bring binoculars!

  HUGE caveat - this site sits on a ridge above a county highway and freight train tracks. There are also train tracks on the other side of the river. When trains are blowing their horns miles away, the sound carries. When they go past the site, it's incredibly loud! I was amazed at the racket - we live in Chicago on a busy street, a block from the L and the Metra tracks. 

  Bring ear plugs, trains rolled through until just after midnight and started up around 5am (that I noticed anyway).

  While Site C is incredibly difficult to reserve (best dates I could find were a Mon-Wed in October which I booked in APRIL), it's worth the views and the privacy.

  Site D is the first of the four walk-ins, huge, level, has a wide view, and  a bend in it's trail so isn't exposed. A great choice if C is booked.

  Site A is next, least amount of privacy, medium sized, looked level. Sites B was occupied our entire time there so wasn't able to check it out, but it's a bit more private.

  Pit toilet by the walk-in sites was as nice as pit toilet gets, it even has a urinal. Water is conveniently located near the parking.

  Shower house with flush toilets was really nice, 2-3 shower stalls and 4 toilets. No pay, just have to push the button over and over since the water only stays on for 10 seconds.

  The electric and non-electric sites are well spaced and on the larger side. A nice campground overall.

  For supplies and firewood, I recommend the Okey Market. It's convenient and has everything you need, huge beer cave too. If you want some local flavor, stop into the Silver Spigot Saloon, cheap beer, tasty fries, and they have a dog-friendly patio.

• J

  Jamee H.

  Traveler

  

  Jul. 18, 2016

  Lake Macbride State Park Campground

  Highly recommend! Non-modern site was great for us! Clean, family-friendly, quiet, but no shower house

  Lake MacBride State Park is divided into two areas, and you need a car (or boat) to get between the two sections. You may also be able to take the dam trail with a bike, but I'm not totally sure about that. One side is called the "modern campground" and has spots for RV camping and tent camping, and this campground has toilets, playground, beach, and shower house. The other side is the "non-modern campground" and has RV and tent sites, playground, boat access to the lake, modern bathroom and pit latrine, but NO shower house. Our family of two parents and 2 young boys stayed a Friday night in the non-modern campground in site #49, which is off to the side, close to the woods, and is appropriate for two tents. We had no complaints at all! The campground is well-maintained, the lake is beautiful, the modern toilet house was clean, there was water on site. Our kids played with other kids in the campground at the small but nicely maintained and modern playground. There were some safe little trails in the woods next to our campsite that our kids walked around on with lanterns and looked for bugs and spiders. There was a normal amount of chatter from a Boy Scout group that was near us, but the sound died down fairly early, and it was quiet sleeping. The next morning, we got up and did some exercise and watched the lake while the fog was still low. Saw lots of neat birds, including a great blue heron. There is no swimming beach on this side, but you can launch a boat (boat ramp) or kayaks and canoes. Many of the campsites were empty when we went, and for the empty ones, you just get your campsite on the honor system. I do sort of wish there was a shower house on that side, just in case, but that is probably what is keeping this site quiet. We reserved the campsite through ReserveAmerica, and unfortunately we had to reserve for a minimum of 2 days, so my only other wish would be that we could reserve for just one day, BUT the campsite was very inexpensive, only $9/night, so for $18 plus a very minimal processing fee (I think we paid $22 total for the 2 nights), we had a great place to camp, and much cheaper and quieter than a cheap motel, along our destination from Wisconsin to Kansas! Things nearby to check out include: the beach at the park, the Devonian Fossil Gorge in Coralville, and the Coffee Press (for coffee lovers) in Iowa City.