Best Campgrounds near Waterloo, IA

We have stayed at this campground many times as we have traveled the "Avenue of the Saints." Highway 218.  R Campground is just a few miles off of the saints highway on the south eastern side of town.  Interior roads and sites are gravel, many with 50 amp full hook ups.  Our favorite sites begin with "OB" for out back. These all have a view of the river. Not all of them will accommodate our 44" Blue Bird.

We have watched this campground grow from the beginning with yearly improvements and upgrades made. Laundry facilities and restroom/shower house on the grounds.

Don't miss the pedestrian bridge over the river,  the walking/bike path that runs behind the campground and a casual lunch or dinner by the main street dam.

This review is for the Wallaby cabin. This cabin supposedly has a bathroom with a shower, 3 beds and a kitchenette. The bathroom has a shower so small it is difficult not to rinse one's hair while applying shampoo. There is no sink in this room for brushing teeth, washing hands or face, etc. There is no mirror either, or hooks for towels or washcloths or clothes. There is also no heater. The cabin has no closet or any place to hang any clothes. There were several bugs crawling on the ceiling. The wall A/C could not help but spew dust, as it was coated with that on the filter and cover. The trash can had a clean bag, which occupants are required to leave in dumpster at checkout. When removing the bag, the stuck-on mess under it was appalling. The bed in each loft area had obviously been used and not changed, as the covers were in disarray and the bottom sheets not clean. The main bed has a zipped on plastic cover which the loose fitting fitted sheet will not stay on, causing occupants to end up sleeping on plastic. We purchased a blanket to go over it for the next night. We would not have stayed more than one night but, as we had reserved 3, it is not refundable. The tv is to the side of the immovable chairs, so that one must have head turned completely to one side to watch. The cabin has such a slant that a ball will roll by itself to the entrance side. All this for more than$350 for 3 night stay.

This is a lovely park. It is fairly quiet, you can hear some highway noise in the distance. The lake is lovely and clean. The spots are gravel, most sites will require some leveling but are not too bad. 

Each site has a newer electric pedestal with 30 and 50 amp service, and each site has a water spigot, as well as a picnic table and fire ring.

There are a few sites that back up directly to the lake. There is a swimming beach and a dock. There is a city park adjacent to the campground with a playground and picnic shelter.

I had 3 bars on on T-mobile which got me 64 down and 18 up. On Verizon I had 3 bars which got me 65 down and 12 up.

The shower house was pretty bad though. It was older, which doesn't bother me, but it was dirty. There are camp hosts on site but I guess their duties do not include ever cleaning the restroom. There was food trash in there all week, and if you look around you'll find feces, blood, and personal hygiene trash including used condoms.

I would stay in this campground again because I have a self contained unit and do not need to use the on-site shower house.

I enjoyed my 5 night stay at Oelwein City Park Campground. It's located on the south end of town, there is only one business within walking distance. It's a great restaurant (Oelwein Family Restaurant) and it's about a 15 minute walk.

There is one shower house, and several vault toilets throughout the park. The shower house is old and a little run down but was very clean. I had no problems using it.

The city park is adjacent to the campground and has picnic shelters, a playground, and a dog park.

There are electric and water hookups at most sites, and there is a dump station. The park was pretty full on the weekend as you would expect, but very quiet during the week.

I had great Verizon and T-mobile service here.