James M.
Legend
LegendHorseshoe 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.
Dog-Friendly Camping near Mount Vernon, IA
119 campgrounds · Check availability for any dates.
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Palisades-Kepler State Park Campground maintains pet-friendly accommodations with designated sites for campers traveling with dogs. The park accepts pets in tent sites, RV spots, cabins, and glamping options, all requiring leashes throughout the grounds. Wanatee Park, formerly Squaw Creek, offers spacious pet-friendly campsites with picnic tables and fire rings where dogs can join their owners. Very clean and well-kept grounds make this destination particularly suitable for pet owners concerned about sanitation. The sites are well-maintained with a mixture of mature and young trees providing shade during summer months, important for keeping pets comfortable during warmer weather.
Hiking trails throughout Lake Macbride State Park's primitive south campground welcome leashed dogs on miles of beautiful, well-maintained walking paths along the waterfront. Dogs must be kept on leashes no longer than six feet when outside vehicles, and owners must clean up waste immediately. Most campgrounds in the Mount Vernon area provide designated pet waste stations and require proof of current vaccinations upon check-in. Wildlife encounters are common in these parks, with raccoons and coyotes frequently seen near campsites, requiring pet owners to monitor their animals carefully after dark. The Cedar River and Wapsipinicon River access points offer dogs swimming opportunities during summer months, though pet owners should check water conditions and blue-green algae alerts before allowing dogs in the water.
Best Dog-Friendly Campgrounds near Mount Vernon (119)
1. Sugar Bottom Campground
"Very nice COE campground north of Iowa City in the Lake Coralville area. Beautiful setting, lots of options for sites."
"Nice grassy sites near lake for fishing, hiking, wildlife viewing. Near Iowa Raptor Project that conducts raptor programs and site with walking tour and live raptors, and Macbride State Park as well."
from $14 - $260 / night
Check Availability2. Palisades-Kepler State Park Campground
"Great walking trails through wooded areas near the river. Beautiful place."
"Situated along the Cedar river, fishing and paddling can be done. Lots of trails, CG and cabins closed for winter season for improvements and online reservations."
from $18 - $80 / night
Check Availability3. Modern North Campground — Lake Macbride 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. "
"Close access to boating and town"
from $26 - $38 / night
Check Availability4. West Overlook Campground
"The reservoir behind the dam creates both the Coralville Lake alongside Lake MacBride which is a state park in a side bay."
"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."
from $22 - $28 / night
Check Availability5. Primitive South Campground — Lake Macbride State Park
"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."
from $14 - $25 / night
Check Availability6. Wanatee Park (formerly Squaw Creek)
"We camped at this park for 9 nights with W/E on site with a dump upon exit/entrance. Our site was unlevel but was able to get the RV right with tri-levelers. "
"There are a variety of sites to choose from, nice trees, and a beautiful wildflower field to walk through."
from $23 - $33 / night
Check Availability7. F. W. Kent Park
"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."
"It is the perfect camping destination between Amana colonies and Iowa City."
from $20 / night
Check Availability8. Wapsipinicon State Park Campground
"The RV sites aren’t really out of the ordinary but the park sits upon a slight rise above the Missouri River and the road around the campground leads down to the river."
"It is a short drive to the river to hike, picnic, paddle, fish. There are 2 boat ramps, one just above the dam. This site is a Registered Historic site."
from $12 - $40 / night
Check Availability9. Scales Pointe Camping and Boating
"The couple downfalls is the shower and bath house is outdated and there's no swimming area on this side of the lake. Other than that I had a blast."
"Just looking for a layover spot after a long day of driving. Couldn't figure out where to register so we walked into the bar/restaurant, Bobber's Grill. The owner was at the bar."
10. Sandy Beach Camp
"Probably the best spot in the whole camp, overlooks the lake. Level sites with adequate space."
from $14 - $28 / night
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Drive Time
- 13 min from Cedar Rapids, IA
- 29 min from Iowa City, IA
- 1 hr from Dubuque, IA
- 1 hr 5 min from Davenport, IA
Recent Dog-Friendly Camping Photos near Mount Vernon, IA
62 Photos of 119 Mount Vernon Campgrounds
Elizabeth G.
Primitive South Campground — Lake Macbride State Park
Terri R.
Modern North Campground — Lake Macbride State Park
Tiffany K.
Sandy Beach Camp
Kristin B.
Sugar Bottom Campground
Sara S.
Wapsipinicon State Park Campground
Suzan E.
Draco Hill Farm and Prairie
juliana
Tailwater East Campground
Janet R.
West Overlook Campground
Phillip B.
Tailwater West Campground
Brandon T.
Pinicon Ridge Park
Laura Sue W.
Amana RV Park & Event Center
David J.
Pleasant Creek State Recreation Area Campground
Dog-Friendly Camping Reviews near Mount Vernon, IA
614 Reviews of 119 Mount Vernon Campgrounds
- James M.Legend
Iowa 80 Truckstop
Good overnight parking and I 80 access
This overnight access is a small town in itself. This site offers not only the basic communities and needs of fuel, including EV, charging stations, but auto parts, showers, dentist, Chiropractic, care, gifts, dog park, and is right next to the I 80 trucking museum. Good lighting in the overnight spots which has room for long RVs.
- James M.Legend
Horseshoe Pond
Small City CG in Maquoketa Iowa
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.
- James M.Legend
Lakeside RV Park and Campground
Travelling overnight stay suggested
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.
- CCassie K.
ScoutBeyonder Getaway at Sleepy Hollow
No Pets?
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
- James M.Legend
Koch's Meadow Lake Campground
Private CG with lake
This CG is a full service CG for RVs with community buildings, gravel road lanes, pet friendly, and lake access for fishing, paddling and swimming.
Janet R.LegendWest 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.
Brett F.
GuideMaquoketa Caves State Park Campground
Camping & Caves
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.
- James M.Legend
Shady Creek
Nice campground along Mississippi River
Nice location to spend time fishing, watching sunsets, and paddle. Near Wild Cat Den State Park.
Guide to Mount Vernon
Mount Vernon, Iowa camping options span across a diverse range of state and county parks within a 30-minute drive radius. The area sits at approximately 850 feet above sea level near the Cedar River watershed, with primarily hardwood forest ecosystems. Seasonal camping runs primarily April through October, with summer temperatures averaging 70-85°F during peak camping months.
What to do
Water recreation access: Sugar Bottom Campground offers direct lake access for fishing and paddling. "Nice grassy sites near lake for fishing, hiking, wildlife viewing. Near Iowa Raptor Project that conducts raptor programs and site with walking tour and live raptors, and Macbride State Park as well," notes James M.
Hiking trail systems: Wapsipinicon State Park Campground features multiple trail difficulty levels. "Great hike trails, beautiful scenery, nice town short bike ride away. I had a great trip even though it was cool and rainy," says Sara S. The park sits atop bluffs with trails leading down to the river.
Fossil exploration: West Overlook Campground provides access to the Devonian Fossil Gorge, a unique geological formation. "This campground is one of many around Coralville Lake. This campground is close to the dam and the Devonian Fossil Gorge," explains Carolyn M. The gorge contains exposed 375-million-year-old marine fossils.
What campers like
Affordable electric hookups: Sugar Bottom Campground offers budget-friendly sites with utilities. "Great campground, cheap sites with electric and water even for tent campers. Fantastic amenities including hot showers and nice bathrooms and a cleaning station with sink basin for camping dishes," shares Steve T.
Spacious site layout: F.W. Kent Park provides well-separated camping areas. "Nice park, spacious campsite, $20 for electric hookups. Love this park!!" writes Amritasri F. The park features a 2-mile trail around the central lake.
Wildlife viewing opportunities: Sandy Beach Camp offers quiet surroundings for animal watching. "Quiet with smaller camp ground size. It was close to a boat ramp for easy access to the lake," notes Tiffany K. Deer are commonly spotted at dawn and dusk near the water.
What you should know
Campground terrain varies: Many sites require leveling equipment. At Wapsipinicon State Park Campground, "No such thing as a level camping spot at this campground. Bathrooms have three toilets and one shower stall," reports Andrea H.
Reservation requirements: Popular campgrounds fill quickly on weekends. "This campground is one of many around Coralville Lake. Reservations are a must," explains Carolyn M. at West Overlook Campground.
Insect preparation needed: Depending on season, biting insects can be prevalent. "During our stay (Labor Day) there were tons of flies and gnats, like annoyingly so. At one point there were a dozen flying around," notes Tiffany K. at Sandy Beach Camp.
Tips for camping with families
Playground access: Modern North Campground — Lake Macbride State Park offers recreational facilities for children. "This is our favorite place to be in the summer. Great trails for hiking and walking and my kids love swimming here as well. The beach area is usually well maintained. Great place to take the family for summer fun," shares Jessica P.
Beach swimming areas: Multiple campgrounds feature designated swimming spots. "Great campground, cheap sites with electric and water even for tent campers. Great beach swimming area. Fun for all," notes Steve T. about Sugar Bottom Campground.
Educational opportunities: F.W. Kent Park includes nature learning centers. "Conservation education center open seasonally with programs offered. Forest, prairie, wetland habitats," explains James M., making it ideal for educational family camping.
Tips from RVers
Dump station locations: Wanatee Park (formerly Squaw Creek) provides full services. "We camped at this park for 9 nights with W/E on site with a dump upon exit/entrance. Our site was unlevel but was able to get the RV right with tri-levelers," shares Clint G.
Site leveling requirements: West Overlook Campground needs preparation for larger rigs. "The RV sites vary in length from about 25' up to 60'. Unfortunately, none of them are more than mostly level and several are on about a 20 degree slope," explains Sherry N.
Seasonal accessibility: Some campgrounds restrict larger vehicle access during certain months. "Park offers lots of amenities and recreation opportunities. CG and cabins closed for winter season for improvements and online reservations," notes James M. about Palisades-Kepler State Park Campground.
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According to TheDyrt.com, the most popular dog-friendly campground near Mount Vernon, IA is Sugar Bottom Campground with a 4.5-star rating from 24 reviews.
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