Best Dog-Friendly Camping near Iowa City, IA

Sugar Bottom Campground and West Overlook Campground accommodate pets throughout their facilities with designated pet exercise areas. Both campgrounds maintain clean, well-maintained sites with fire rings, picnic tables, and access to drinking water. Sugar Bottom features mountain biking trails where leashed dogs can accompany owners, while West Overlook provides spacious campsites with lake views suitable for pets. F.W. Kent Park allows pets at both tent and RV sites with electric hookups, though pets must remain leashed at all times. Lake Macbride State Park's Modern North and Primitive South campgrounds both permit pets with standard leash requirements. Beyonder Getaway at Sleepy Hollow allows pets at RV sites but restricts them from tent camping areas. Campground data and reviews near Iowa City, Iowa is regularly updated on The Dyrt.

Coralville Lake recreation areas provide multiple pet-friendly camping options with varying amenities. Cottonwood Campground offers tent-only sites where pets can enjoy shaded walking paths. Tailwater West and East campgrounds feature electric hookups and water access where dogs can cool off during summer months. Most campgrounds require pets to be leashed at all times, with leashes no longer than six feet. The Devonian Fossil Gorge near several campgrounds provides interesting walking terrain for pets and owners. West Overlook's spacious sites allow comfortable accommodation for families with pets, though the campground can become crowded during summer weekends and holiday periods. Linder Point Campground maintains clean facilities with grassy areas suitable for pet exercise between camping loops.

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Best Dog-Friendly Sites Near Iowa City, Iowa (94)

    1. Sugar Bottom Campground

    24 Reviews
    North Liberty, IA
    8 miles
    Website
    +1 (319) 624-2102

    $14 - $240 / night

    "Very nice COE campground north of Iowa City in the Lake Coralville area. Beautiful setting, lots of options for sites."

    "A great campground if you want to mountain bike, kayak, boat, hike, fish, play disc golf or just enjoy the view of the lake. Lots of sites to choose from with varying amounts of privacy."

    2. West Overlook Campground

    18 Reviews
    Coralville, IA
    5 miles
    Website
    +1 (319) 338-3685

    $22 - $28 / night

    "LuLu and I stayed for 10 days while visiting family in Iowa City. The campground hosted mainly locals but it’s only a couple of miles off the I80."

    "We were on a road trip from Colorado to Michigan and Iowa City is a good distance from our destination. The drive from I-80 is not too far and pretty. 

    The locale is beautiful, just on the lake."

    3. F. W. Kent Park

    18 Reviews
    Oxford, IA
    11 miles
    Website
    +1 (319) 645-2315

    $20 / night

    "It is the perfect camping destination between Amana colonies and Iowa City."

    "We stayed during an Iowa Football weekend, attended the game in nearby Iowa City, and then enjoyed the rest of our weekend exploring the ponds and trails in the park."

    4. Modern North Campground — Lake Macbride State Park

    15 Reviews
    Solon, IA
    11 miles
    Website
    +1 (319) 624-2200

    $25 - $35 / night

    "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. "

    "Close access to boating and town"

    5. Primitive South Campground — Lake Macbride State Park

    10 Reviews
    Solon, IA
    10 miles
    +1 (319) 624-2200

    $12 - $25 / night

    "You may also be able to take the dam trail with a bike, but I'm not totally sure about that."

    "This is for the primitive southern camp site at lake macbride, iowa. Their is a modern campsite on the north side as well. This one is spacious, beautiful and peaceful."

    6. Beyonder Getaway at Sleepy Hollow

    13 Reviews
    Oxford, IA
    14 miles
    Website
    +1 (319) 628-6900

    $45 - $65 / night

    "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"

    "Given its proximity to the busy interstate highway, this campground scores high on the convenience factor being EZ on- and off-, but it is just far enough away where you will feel as though you have escaped"

    7. Tailwater West Campground

    4 Reviews
    Coralville, IA
    5 miles
    Website
    +1 (319) 338-3685

    $14 - $30 / night

    "Iowa River runs alongside offering fishing. Trails, play area and Visitor Center just a 2 minute drive or hike away. Firewood available at check station."

    "Very short walk to the overflow of the dam. People are friendly facilities are clean."

    8. Linder Point Campground

    3 Reviews
    Coralville, IA
    5 miles
    Website
    +1 (319) 338-3685

    $26 - $30 / night

    "This is one of around 4 campgrounds near/around Lake Coralville."

    "Very quiet and relaxing- nice hiking trails and the dam is amazing!"

    9. Cottonwood Campground/Coralville Lake (COE)

    3 Reviews
    Coralville, IA
    5 miles
    Website
    +1 (319) 338-3685

    $14 / night

    "Campground Review:

    Cottonwood campground is one of several that surround Coralville Lake near Iowa City."

    "Showers/restrooms onsite, walk in sites too, firewood available at West Overlook permit station, beach nearby, Iowa River and Coralville Lake nearby (good fishing)."

    10. Tailwater East Campground

    3 Reviews
    Coralville, IA
    5 miles
    Website
    +1 (319) 338-3685

    $14 - $26 / night

    "CG has sites along Iowa River for good fishing and paddling."

    "Hot showers, very clean bathrooms, fish cleaning stations, some concrete pads, some gravel Site #1 is right next to the boat ramp with a very bright security light, FYI."

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Dog-Friendly Camping Reviews near Iowa City, IA

446 Reviews of 94 Iowa City Campgrounds


  • Tim M.
    Oct. 6, 2021

    West Overlook Campground

    Comfortable Campground

    LuLu and I stayed for 10 days while visiting family in Iowa City. The campground hosted mainly locals but it’s only a couple of miles off the I80. The park is electric with a convenient dump and water station as you enter the park. It’s located on a lake with boat-ramp, kids play area, hiking trails near by, and close to quaint Iowa City home of the Hawkeyes.

  • S
    Aug. 28, 2020

    Sugar Bottom Campground

    Very well maintained

    Very nice COE campground north of Iowa City in the Lake Coralville area. Beautiful setting, lots of options for sites. A recent wind storm had the area shut down for two weeks but they did a great job cleaning up downed trees and broken limbs. It was very quiet, lots of wildlife and amenities like a boat ramp, beach, playground, walking trails, recycling (!) and an amphitheater (!). Daughter lives close by so we will definitely return.

  • Evan G.
    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.

  • Sarah H.
    Jul. 23, 2016

    F. W. Kent Park

    Nice Midwest Campground off I-80

    Our family enjoys tent camping at Kent Park because the sites are grassy and open, but more private than many Midwest campgrounds because they are lined with tall prairie grasses and trees. We stayed during an Iowa Football weekend, attended the game in nearby Iowa City, and then enjoyed the rest of our weekend exploring the ponds and trails in the park. Prairie life makes for good photo ops and bird-watching. Restrooms and campsites were clean and well maintained. We will definitely be back!

  • Janet R.The Dyrt PRO User
    May. 16, 2025

    West Overlook Campground

    A darn good dam campground

    This campground is maintained by the Army Corps of Engineers as part of an outdoor recreation complex around a large dam on the Iowa River. The reservoir behind the dam creates both the Coralville Lake alongside Lake MacBride which is a state park in a side bay. The recreation area also includes campgrounds and river recreation downstream of the dam, including a gorge of geologic interest that is filled with Devonian fossils exposed in the flood of 1993.

    This review is for the West Overlook campground located on the lakeside upstream of the dam. This is one of the larger campgrounds at Coralville Lake, and is popular due to the large sandy beach, the modern boatlaunch area, and options for a variety of kinds of campsites in separate loops. Some of the loops are close to the lake or in various heights overlooking the lake, some loops are tucked into beautiful shady woods further inland. As a tent camper I chose one of the loops in the woods as the sites are larger and quieter and more spacious. All of the loops seem family friendly and pretty quiet even though pretty full. There are new modern bath houses with showers, and hiking trails all around. There is easy access to a nearby mountain bike trail complex, the state park, fishing, and boating. This seems to be a camping destination for a lot of folks in the area, but is also an easy stopover right off Interstate 80 for folks on road trips. It is also a nice and inexpensive basecamp for folks visiting Iowa City or the University of Iowa, only about a 15-20 minute drive away. My most recent time camping here was this month, May 2025, but I have camped here many times in the past as far back as 1964, and the campground improvements and recreation opportunities have just gotten better and better over the years. Its a popular location, so Spring camping is quieter; fall camping is also quiet, and the fall leaves are beautiful then.

  • Dennis G.The Dyrt PRO User
    Jun. 30, 2023

    West Overlook Campground

    Spacious, quiet, calm

    We spent a night on this property June 28-29, 2023. We were on a road trip from Colorado to Michigan and Iowa City is a good distance from our destination. The drive from I-80 is not too far and pretty. 

    The locale is beautiful, just on the lake. All of the internal roads are paved and the spaces are nicely paved or graveled. The sites are spacious and angled for ease of backing into. Some sites are a bit far from the bathhouses, but that's the only ding. 

    We'll keep this one on our list.

  • Laura E.
    Jun. 17, 2020

    Sugar Bottom Campground

    Mountain Bikers Dream Spot

    A great campground if you want to mountain bike, kayak, boat, hike, fish, play disc golf or just enjoy the view of the lake. Lots of sites to choose from with varying amounts of privacy. All have electric hookup, a few have full and there are some neat hike in tent spots. You really can’t go wrong with this campground. Many activities, very well kept campground, located by Iowa City, Solon, North Liberty so many places to get a bite and see the locals or just get groceries. Here’s a picture from our site 26 stay.

  • Stuart K.The Dyrt PRO User
    Jan. 1, 2024

    Beyonder Getaway at Sleepy Hollow

    Sleepy Campground Oasis Stone’s Throw from Highway Thoroughfare

    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!

  • Stuart K.The Dyrt PRO User
    Dec. 26, 2024

    Beyonder Getaway at Sleepy Hollow

    Short Jog to This Campground Outpost From I80

    If you’re looking for a family-friendly place to pull over for a decent escape to nature, then you may very well want to consider Sleepy Hollow, which is just a few minutes north of I80. Given its proximity to the busy interstate highway, this campground scores high on the convenience factor being EZ on- and off-, but it is just far enough away where you will feel as though you have escaped both the non-stop whir of incessant highway traffic and the unsightly view of a heavily trafficked main roadway. Add on top of this that you’ll find this location is perfectly suitable to the RV crowd as much as it is the tent-pitching bredren that belong to my tribe of outdoor enthusiasts.

    Here at this campground you’ll find RV and 5th Wheel sites offering both pull-thru and back-in sites complete with full hook-ups (water, 30 / 50 amp electric and sewage). There’s 7 tent sites that are very well shaded, have a decent patch of land and include picnic tables, fire pits and scattered stand-up BBQ grills. Whether you have a tent, an RV or not, this campground has a small handful of cozy cabins available to rent that come with running hot & cold water as well as electricity and are located close to the fishing pond. What I enjoyed most with the primitive camping area was the serenity offered by the abundance of new growth Oaks that shaded the place, along with unfettered views of the lake itself. Priceless.

    Sleepy Hollow offers a number of amenities including: ‘catch& release’ pond (both swimming and fishing potential), ball pit, kid’s playground, puppy park, designated dumpsters, fairly decent WiFi, community firepits, general market store, laundr-O-mat, shower facility, pavilion, horseshoes, game room, volleyball and basketball courts, artificial beachhead with swim area and windmills. There’s a lagoon with hundreds of ducks, but depending upon how you look at this, it may or may not be considered an amenity, but if you have kids like I do, it’s a great distraction that offers up a lot of duck-feeding fun.

    Insider’s tips? Here’s a few: (1) If you’re looking for a decent bit of hiking, there’s a nice slice of nature near here at Sleepy Hollow a bit NE called Hawkeye Wildlife Management Area where there’s plenty of trails, shooting ranges and some fairly decent bird watching; (2) When you get tired trying to conjure up that next meal from your cooler or on-board fridge, then head over to nearby Renee’s Roadhouse where this roadside stand serves up standard Americana fare like burgers, sandwiches and wraps. For anything more substantial, you’ll have to take a longer drive east to Iowa City of which I recommend Steak & Shake, Back Berner Bar & Grill or Barrel House; (3) 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 hand-made blankets and artisan-crafted cabinetry all while offering you some very warm Midwestern hospitality.

    Happy Camping!


Guide to Iowa City

If you're looking for pet-friendly camping options near Iowa City, Iowa, there are several great spots where you and your furry friends can enjoy the great outdoors together.

Dog owners appreciate spacious sites and modern amenities

  • At Lake Macbride State Park Campground, you’ll find well-maintained facilities including clean bathrooms and showers, making it a comfortable stay for both you and your pet.
  • Sugar Bottom Campground offers a variety of sites with electric hookups and easy access to trails, perfect for long walks with your dog.
  • F. W. Kent Park features spacious sites and amenities like picnic tables and fire rings, ideal for a relaxing camping experience with your pet.

Pet-friendly campgrounds include plenty of activities

  • At Cedar River Campground, you can enjoy fishing and hiking along the river, providing ample opportunities for outdoor fun with your pet.
  • Palisades-Kepler State Park is known for its scenic trails and fishing spots, making it a great place for pet owners who love to explore nature.
  • Linder Point Campground offers access to hiking trails and a peaceful environment, perfect for a quiet getaway with your furry companion.

Pet owners like the welcoming atmosphere and community feel

  • Amana RV Park & Event Center is a friendly spot where pets are welcome, and you can enjoy the nearby charming town of Amana.
  • Little Bear Campground provides a cozy atmosphere with a community hall for family-friendly activities, making it a great choice for families traveling with pets.
  • Tailwater East Campground is known for its clean facilities and friendly staff, ensuring a pleasant stay for both you and your pet.

Frequently Asked Questions

Which is the most popular dog-friendly campsite near Iowa City, IA?

According to TheDyrt.com, the most popular dog-friendly campground near Iowa City, IA is Sugar Bottom Campground with a 4.5-star rating from 24 reviews.

What is the best site to find dog-friendly camping near Iowa City, IA?

TheDyrt.com has all 94 dog-friendly camping locations near Iowa City, IA, with real photos and reviews from campers.