Best RV Parks & Resorts near Princeton, IA

Hiding underneath of the I80 bridge carrying you over the Rock River, you’ll spot Lundeens Landing on the EAST side of this interstate (you’ll want to take note of this as The Dyrt has this campground in the wrong location on the WEST side of I80 in the small town of Barstow). Getting here to Lundeens is not the easiest journey, as you’ll need to head northwards on I80 crossing the bridge (if you are coming in by way of Colona), where you’ll want to get off on I88 heading west, where shortly after the exit, you’ll have to make a U turn and take the frontage road (193rd Street) that straddles I80 heading south until you can catch Route 4 / Barstow Road heading east, where you’ll pass underneath that bridge holding up I80 and continue east about 2 miles before spotting Lundeens on the left with a gorgeous view of the Rock River.

Now that you’ve made your way here, let me tell you about this place. First, you’ll be greeted by the main office that sits up about a story on stilts, which BTW isn’t for bird watching, but rather to safeguard the building from any river flooding that may happen (and trust me, in this parts, it happens). After checking in with the owner, Joe, or one of his few employees, you’ll make your way down a single narrow loop that will take you to your designated plot of land. It goes without saying that the best sites are those located right in front of the Rock River. And if you’re a tent camper, you’ll find bliss at the far end of the loop as far away from the main office as possible, where you’ll find water & electric-equipped sites tucked into some really thick brush complete with your own mini-forest.

Apart from the very warm Midwestern hospitality that you’ll receive here from Joe, his father and the rest of the Lundeens crew, this medium-sized camping outpost offers up a no-frills, basic level of camping comfort with direct access to one of the most exciting rivers I’ve had the great pleasure of kayaking and fishing on. Amenities include: pull-thru and back-in sites for RVs, general market, typical RV hook-ups (water, 15 / 20 / 30 / 50 amp electric), concrete patios, picnic tables, fire rings, honey wagon, dump station, pet-friendly, playground, nature trails, weekly events, boat ramp & 7 river docks, shuttle service, canoe & kayak rentals, pretty clean restroom & showers, innertubes, adventure island (located just across the river) and a small beachhead.

Insider’s tips? Here’s a handful: (1) While it’s likely the direct access to Rock River that attracted you to this location, if you have bikes, you should bring them as the frontage road that brought you here is one very EXCELLENT road to bike on to see and explore the gorgeous Midwestern country landscape that exists here; (2) In speaking with Joe’s father at length about the campground, there’s plans to put in another campground area just across the street and due northwest of this property, which will offer additional RV spots, a designated laundry facility with coin-operated washers & dryers as well as many more amenities; and (3) Depending upon your interest and a craving, if you want to gnosh on some local grub, the best nearby spots include: Choppers Bar & Grill, Tap 22 Bar & Grill and 11th Hour Bar & Grill (yes, everything's a Bar & Grill out in these parts).

Happy Camping!

Thomson: (Scale 1- bad, 5-Very good (70 yr olds in 17’ trailer) Overall Rating: 4.5. Some great water views. Some open water and some water covered w blooming lilies - blooming while we were there .
Price 2023: $12 per night w senior discount. Usage during visit: Very heavy. Site Privacy: Varies. Some lake sites become moderately to very private w trailer in the site. Site Spacing: Some lake sites are pretty close Site surface: Blacktop Reservations: Yes Campground Noise: Pretty quiet. There are children on bikes - Not a bother.
Road Noise: Far off main road Through Traffic in campground: Not in loops. Electric Hookup: Yes Sewer Hookup: No Dump Station: Yes, Belford entering the campground Potable Water Available: At the site. Bathroom: Pit toilets and flush Showers: Yes, not in every loop. Note, the one in the picnic area is only lightly used.
Pull Throughs: Some Cell Service (AT&T). Fair in our loop. Setting: Lakeside and along woods. Weather: Some lightening storms.
Bugs: Mosquitoes. Be ready.
Host: Around Rig size: Large rigs are there.
Sites:

On water or clear view- some of best: Open water.: 69, 68, 67, 65, 60, 59, 58 Lily pads: 54,55,56 , 46,47,49,51, 40,41,43, 34,36,38, 30,32,33( getting close to cg entry road. ) (Some inner loop sites have an obstructive water view. But, little privacy. These sites, I did not list. )

Back up to woods but no view of water: best of woods sites :9,11,13,15,17,19,8,3,5 Still good: 100,102,104,106,108,110 , 112, 126

One of the 6 campgrounds that you will have to choose from here at Scott County Park, Bald Eagle CG & Cabins is one that is more geared for the RV driving and trailer toting tribes as each site has FHUs with electric, water & sewage, fire rings and picnic tables; however, if you wanted to pitch a tent here, you could, although I would recommend nearby Incahias as an alternative. Unlike some of the other campgrounds here, Bald Eagle kind of lives up to its name as there’s not much in the way of tree cover or brush, so the land is somewhat BALD. The land is incredibly flat, back-in slots are spacious, hard and very level grounds are incredibly well-organized and the bathroom / shower facilities with great HOT running water and are about as impeccably clean as can be.

Near by Bald Eagle is Pride Lake, which makes this pet-friendly CG your top pick if you’re an angler or looking to get some decent oaring with your kayak or canoe. Sitting in front of Pride Lake are 2 very large shelters – Whispering Pines and Hickory Hills – as well as a playground for the kiddos and a restroom facility that is also spartan-clean. Surrounding Bald Eagle is also no shortage of hiking / biking / horse trails. We found the CG itself to be fairly quiet, although lacking in privacy without the benefit of any real brush or trees to blot out our next-door neighbors, but that said, everyone was incredibly friendly with full displays of Midwestern hospitality that this area is known for. There is also a single large cabin available for rent that has capacity for 10 people.

We loved Scott County Park so much because there is a lot that this gem offers up, from fresh water catch & release lakes, a combination of topographies (from woodlands, wetlands and prairie grasslands), a beautiful 18-hole championship golf course, outdoor exercise areas, club house and concessions, stand-alone cabins for rent, designated dump stations and trash receptacles, numerous picnic areas, a massive heated swimming pool complete with a snake-like water slide, volleyball court, ranger stations, seasonal on-site hosts, firewood available for purchase at entry stations, Walnut Grove Pioneer Village and St. Anne’s church at the park’s NW perimeter, 7 community shelters, designated picnic areas, a memorial park, equestrian area and an incredibly well-paved network of roads that allows you to easily access just about every corner of this park.

Happy Camping!

This CG is one of 6 that you have to choose from here at Scott County Park, wherein Woodside is definitely more geared for the RVs – especially the much larger ones, so if you have a very big rig, this likely is the best CG for you – with each site offering FHUs with electric, water& sewage, fire rings and picnic tables. If you wanted to tent camp here, you could, although I would recommend nearby Incahias or Sac-Fox as better for tent campers. Unlike some of the other campgrounds, Woodside is somewhat bare and desolate inside the actual campground with the land being incredibly flat, but wide open so therefore not providing much privacy or shade whatsoever. Back-in slots are spacious, hard and very level with the grounds being incredibly well-kept and impeccably clean bathroom / shower facilities with great HOT running water.

Albeit with a short hike through the forest, Woodside CG is near Cody Lake and Glynn’s Creek, which offers some decent oaring in your kayak or canoe. Sitting adjacent to Cody Lake is an eponymous community shelter than can be reserved or used on a first-come, first-served basis. There’s also a playground for the kiddos and a restroom facility that is also spartan-clean as well access to Glynn’s Creek Trailhead which is a moderate hike and further afield throughout the rest of the park, there’s no shortage of hiking / biking / horse trails. We found Woodside to be fairly quiet, although lacking in privacy without the benefit of any real brush or trees to blot out our next-door neighbors, but that said, everyone was incredibly friendly with full displays of Midwestern hospitality that this area is known for.

Scott County Park is easy to fall in love with, whether traveling solo or with a family as there is a lot that this park offers up: from fresh water catch & release lakes, combination of topographies, from woodlands, wetlands and prairie grasslands, beautiful 18-hole championship golf course, outdoor exercise areas, club house and concessions, stand-alone cabins for rent, designated dump stations and trash receptacles, numerous picnic areas, massive heated swimming pool complete with a snake-like water slide, volleyball court, ranger stations, seasonal on-site hosts, firewood available for purchase at entry stations, Walnut Grove Pioneer Village and St. Anne’s church at the park’s NW perimeter, 7 community shelters, designated picnic areas, a memorial park, equestrian area and an incredibly well-paved network of roads that allows you to easily access just about every corner of this park. Oh, and the incredibly friendly rangers that constantly patrol and keep this beautiful park in full working order were nothing short of amazing.

Happy Camping!