Looking for the best RV campgrounds near Rathbun Lake? The Dyrt can help you find the best RV campsites for your next trip. Each RV campsite offers quick access to one or more of Rathbun Lake's most popular destinations.
Just steps away from all the action of Lakeside Casino, all 47 sites of the RV Park are fully equipped with water, sewage and electrical hookups, as well as Wi-Fi. With breathtaking views you can’t beat, and the best amenities any RV park has to offer, Lakeside’s RV Park is the perfect place to stay during any getaway!
MINUTES FROM THE FUN, MILES FROM THE EVERYDAY
$35 - $45 / night
Built in 2020, Ted’s RV Park is a family owned business located in the heart of Decatur City. Known as the best place to camp in Southern Iowa, our year-round park offers 26 sites with full hookups, 20, 30 and 50 amp service.
Conveniently located one-half mile from Interstate 35 our spacious campground is easy to navigate even with the largest of campers.
Come stay for the night, week, or month and enjoy our newly renovated bathrooms, laundry room, and free high speed wi-fi. We make RV camping hassle free with easy access sites in a prime location.
$35 - $500 / night
Welcome to River Oaks RV Park located on the Des Moines River in beautiful central Iowa. The park is full of fun things to do and is one of the premier campgrounds in Iowa. You can spend your day biking and hiking the miles of trails carved through the woods or enjoy the serene atmosphere throughout the park. You'll enjoy mature hardwood trees and large RV sites during your stay. Also, take advantage of our one-acre stocked fishing pond or cast a line out on the Des Moines River! Looking for RV storage near Des Moines? We offer RV storage during the winter months at an affordable rate. But wait, there's more! We also rent RVs! Come experience camping in one of our premium RV rentals. So, if you're looking at campgrounds in Iowa with full hookup RV sites, and primitive campsites nestled in central Iowa timber, come visit us at River Oaks RV Park!
$45 - $60 / night
This recreation area is part of Rathbun Lake
$40 - $49 / night
Crow’s Nest RV Resort is a full-hookup RV park and campground located less than 30 minutes from downtown Des Moines. We have a passion for the outdoors and want to share the ability to enjoy nature with each and every one of our visitors. With rolling hills and a stream running through the center of our resort, Crow’s Nest has the look and feel of a countryside escape with all the amenities you need for a relaxing stay. Enjoy full-hookup sites with grilling, running water, electricity plugins and free wifi. Plus, we have a multitude of activities throughout the year for all our guests to participate in.
Looking for a place to enjoy the great outdoors? Papa's Alpacas offers the perfect place with graveled RV sites with full hookups located on the hilltop with breathtaking views in every direction.
$20 / night
Guide
Very nice view of the lake, lots of campsites around the lake. Not many lights around and no big cities and a low horizon so it’s a good place to visit for a visual observation night with a telescope or binos. Only one other camper at my campsite when I visited, so it’s a good weekend retreat from the city life. This is a primitive campsite; there are two waterless bathrooms and 8 or so gravel spots at site B on the Eastern side of the lake.
Legend
East not west as satellite view in Dyrt is old and doesn’t show East campground. I did add a screenshot of current satellite view. FHU. Easy in and around campground. A lot of space between sites. Sites are fairly level with hard pack gravel.
Ranger
Well maintained campground with mature shade trees. Gravel sites, a little bit of leveling required. Poor Verizon cell signal, no internet signal. Not much natural privacy between sites, but sites were well spaced apart. Paved trail nice for biking and walking. Fishing nearby and the Dutch themed town of Pella is a short drive and a must see. Bathrooms and showers were nice, clean. Handicap camp site and bathhouse available. Firewood for sale at front gate. The potable water available at the dump station was clear and good for drinking. Dump station is easily accessible. Dumpsters were positioned around the campground. Staff was friendly. The night we stayed, there was a severe weather threat, and the staff, at the end of the night, had unlocked the storm shelters (utility area in the middle of the bathhouses) should the need arise. We ended up having to seek shelter because of a tornado warning.
Scout
Facilities are available and very convenient and comfortable. Nice lake to swim and fish. Absolutely beautiful park and really nice trails. Thanks, Tina
Ranger
RV park is relatively quiet and easy to get into. The concrete in our site was in poor condition, it had crumbled leaving a dip in the pad. The cable didn’t work, but electric and water had no issues. Easy on and off to the interstate. There is only one garbage dumpster near the entrance and we didn’t see a camp host on site or anybody to check in with. We stayed just one night on our way through the area and were comfortable.
Scout20 bucks a day you submit your fill out sheet at the service area and drop it off in a drop box.
Scout
We really enjoyed our stay at site 4 in the woods. It was absolutely beautiful with the fall colors and leaves falling all around us. We also enjoyed the trails around our site and a pretty view of a pond a short walk away. Anna was very responsive and gave thorough directions for us. We would stay again.
Guide
First, there is no dump station! All sites have water and electricity with 20, 30, and 60 amp plugs. The sites are 20 dollars. The campsites located near the entrance are pull-through but need maintenance. The campsites along the lake will support short to medium length RVs or trailers, and all are back in. As of this posting, all are not level and in poor condition. The city of Huneston, Iowa is a few minutes away and has several gas stations and a grocery store.
Traveler
Stayed two nights with my son and we absolutely loved it.
ScoutWe had a great time at this site:) Anna was very responsive and helpful when we had questions. I would definitely recommend to others, and I would return again.
Guide
The campground was clean and quiet with water and electricity at each site. The dump station was set aside from the camp sites. The trees at the campground were recently planted so no shade. The best part is that there is plenty of room between camp sites so your not camping on top of your neighbors. Playground and bathrooms on site.
Guide
Large sites and plenty of space between sites.
Scout
We were able to camp in a tent near RVs without feeling crowded. The restrooms, showers, and playground were all close by…great for camping with kids. There were some nicer than ours and some with less privacy or further away than we’d prefer.
A nice mix of convenience and privacy. Perfect location to showers and playground for kids. Ample space for our needs, but not overly private
Traveler
This park is beautiful with plenty to do and see. We camped out at site 82 which is a non-electric site and close to a Red Rock Lake shoreline. Spots are pretty close but they perfectly have grass tall enough to give you some privacy between spots. I was never bothered by either neighbors. The grass also gives you a path to the water spout. The staff member at the front was such a gentlemen and helped us with our firewood. There are some walking paths down to the lake which you can fish from. The views by the lake are beautiful too. The only thing to keep in mind with this spot is it is as far away from the bathrooms as possible. I, personally, didn't mind, but wanted to make note of it. We will be returning to this park.
Restrooms: Cleaner than I expected! And they are not port-a-potty type bathrooms, plumbing with nice stalls, toilets and sinks.
Dog-friendliness: My dog LOVED this campground. We kept her on a long-line stake(per parks' guidelines) and she had plenty of room to roam.
Picnic area: A picnic table is provided but they are older, so I recommend bringing your own table cloth and some towels or something for the seats.
RangerPeaceful and quiet our last stop in our week long overlanding trip. Plus just 6 miles from our fav brewery in Iowa.
TravelerNice little spot
Legend
Ashley here with The Dyrt. We're excited to welcome this partner to our platform. Randy is your host, and would love to take you on a tour on his farm. There are 4 sites in total, all with stunning 360 rolling hill views. A shared toilet and shower are available! Check them out and post some pictures here. Happy Camping!
Legend
General: This small county park (16 electric, 14 tent sites plus three cabins) is not reservable which might be an issue on summer weekends but on a Sunday in April, was no problem. Including us, only three sites were occupied. The rates are very reasonable -$15 for electric, and $12 for tent sites.
Site Quality/Facilities: Each site has a generous-sized picnic table and fire ring. Some sites are better than others, however. Sites 2 and 3 (both electric) are sloped down and the driveway is a bit overgrown. No physical separation between sites which when we were there was not an issue but might be when more crowded. Some of the sites have a direct water view but again, some are more sloped than others.
Bathhouse: A short hike uphill from all sites but it was very clean when we were there. The showers also looked clean, but I did not use them so cannot comment on how well they worked.
Activities/Amenities: Fishing! We saw a few boats on the water when we were there and there were two docks, one of them handicapped accessible. Swimming is not allowed but there is a nice day-use area not far down the road with a nice beach and picnic area. There are also horseshoe pits and a small but very nice playground. No hiking trails that I could discern. There was also a small little free library.
When we were there, we appreciated the quiet, out-of-the-way setting. It is close to the town of Leon but we circumvented it on the way in and out so I don’t know what services might be available.
Guide
Terrific small town RV park in Iowa. Long, level pull thru's and back ins, playground, dog walk, DELICIOUS on site restaurant. Clubhouse with immaculate laundry and individual showers, everything is new and cashless. Outstanding staff, friendly and helpful, shoutout to electrician (and footbal fan) Eric who made o ur day.
GuideThe perfect drive up private campsite you will find in Iowa. Very quiet with a beautiful view of three ponds and a sunset you will not want to miss. There are four campsites and a soon-to-be glamp site. Spacious, tranquil, and private. Halfway between Pella and Knoxville and on the lake red rocks peninsula, this is a must stay campsite.
GuideHumble campground. There are lots of electric sites available for RVs and the sites are all very flat. There is ample grass area. The bathrooms and showers are well kept. The grounds have play sets and swings for kids. There are some great paved paths to walk or bike. It's a good place to fish or bird watch.
Guide
I stayed one night for an activity at the state park the following day. The shower houses had individual, private, large, and very clean facilities. It was not crowded at all. Campground #2 was the smaller of the two campgrounds. The spots seemed more fitting for RV’s vs tent but there were a couple of tents. I slept in my van so it wasn’t an issue for me. I may reconsider visiting this park for tent camping.
Guide
This campground sits right next to a busy highway and the tent spots are right out front and have very little shade. The tent spots are very close to a busy highway. The tent spots are also VERY close together which is frustrating.
The lake is right next to the tent spots and you can walk to the beach which is nice.
The water faucet was pretty far from the tent spots near the front. Bathrooms are new. There's a playground for the kids which is nice.
The RV camping is all within nice shaded areas. I wish the tent spots were back there.
Ranger
This was our very first night with our rental RV, so we were pretty clueless. :) We enjoyed the ease of our pull-thru site, although ours and most of the others were fairly open. The park itself has a nice lake, and the bathroom/showers were decent. A good overnight on the way to the Ozarks from MN
RangerI tent camped at “Mine Pond Campground” in Stephen’s State Forest in July 2022. I arrived about 8:15pm and had about 45 minutes of daylight to pitch camp. The campground feels deep in a vibrant Iowa forest surrounded by lush greenery. That said, mosquitoes swarmed me instantly. And “Mine Pond” is a small muddy pond without the most remote possibility of swimming. The pond kind of seems too small to fish but maybe. A storm blew in around dark and it rained much of the night. The frogs sang loudly deep into the night (see my video for the audio), which I enjoyed. A pair of barred owls hooted and laughed in the dark trees. I departed early while it was still dark. I don’t think I’ll return to this place.
GuideVery quite and beautiful place has restrooms no electric but gorgeous for just a overnight stay
Guide
There is a boat ramp, hiking trails, showers, and the ohv park is only 30 min away on the other side of the lake
Frequently Asked Questions
Which is the most popular RV campsite near Rathbun Lake?
According to TheDyrt.com, the most popular RV campground near Rathbun Lake is Lakeside Casino RV Park with a 4-star rating from 4 reviews.
What is the best site to find RV camping near Rathbun Lake?
TheDyrt.com has all 62 RV camping locations near Rathbun Lake, with real photos and reviews from campers.
