93 campgrounds · Check availability for any dates.
George Wyth State Park Campground near Waterloo provides electric sites with 50-amp and 30-amp hookups for RVs. The campground has spaces that accommodate big rigs with level gravel pads and grass areas. Waterloo-Lost Island Waterpark KOA offers year-round RV camping with full hookups including water, sewer, and 50-amp electric service. The KOA features pull-through sites on gravel surfaces with grassy areas and picnic tables. Deerwood Park in Evansdale supplies electric hookups, water connections, and sewer hookups with a sanitary dump station on site. "Sites are well planned out, giving each camper plenty of space. Several buddy set ups, allowing two campers to set up with main doors facing each other," noted one visitor.
Seasonal availability varies across the region's RV parks. George Wyth State Park operates from April through December, while the Lost Island Waterpark KOA remains open year-round. Most parks in the area require reservations, especially during summer months when water activities are popular. Based on reviews from The Dyrt, cell service is generally reliable, with one RVer reporting "4 bar LTE with Verizon. Our hotspot was usable and performed very well." Pet policies are accommodating at most locations, with the Lost Island KOA featuring a fenced dog park specifically for RV travelers. Highway noise may affect some sites at George Wyth due to its proximity to major roadways, though this location offers convenient access to Cedar Falls and Waterloo amenities.
"The staff was really nice, showers were clean and they had laundry too! It backs up to a corn field, right off the Interstate but the noise was barely there. Huge grass pull through lots everywhere."
"Well run campground with full hookups available for$35/ night. Bathrooms are clean and lots of warm water for showers. Great place for a night or two. Near the highway but road noise is minimal."
from $35 - $50 / night
Check Availability"Sewer, water and electric."
"This was a nice campground next to a small town- nice quiet sites. Sites were kind of close together. Mostly seasonal spots here."
"Nice place good amenities. Has plenty of fishing access archery gun range. Boat access. Decent shower/ bathroom facilities."
"Right on the bike trail.. Hot showers.. Good place to camp..."
"Sites are gravel for the RV, reasonably level, and very well maintained. Most sites are pull through. Hookups are in very good condition. Each site had a grassy area with a picnic table."
"Decent sites with full hook ups. Little shade with small trees next to about each site."
"This campground appears to be new or newly re done, great showers and bathrooms, right on a bike trail seems to connect to everything. Quiet large sites with full hook ups, more sites being developed"
"Nice park with a bike path around the lake. A few nature trails, but nothing I would call hiking. Two vault toilets placed on the bike path. One modern bathroom with showers in the 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."
"It’s self pay, and only $20per day, for water, electricity, picnic tables, and fire ring. They’re good sized spaces. There’s clean bathrooms"
"Surprisingly with it's location in relation to Hwy 20, it's actually pretty quiet. There is a paved trail that'll take you over to the lake so it's not a bad walk."
from $15 / night
Check Availability"** Iowa state parks are a bargain! This one is $11 for a non-electric site, $16 for an electric site. (Rates go down to $6 and $11 from 10/1-4/30.)"
"If you're looking for a wooded campground that offers you both quiet sites to relax but also offers a variety of activities for all ages, this is the place for you to setup your tent, or RV."
from $16 - $24 / night
Check Availability"Oelwein City Park campground on the shore of little Lake Oelwein is a great place to stay on ‘your way’ or for a week. $17 or $15 (senior)/night. 30/50 amp service with city water and dump station."
ScoutStayed in The Plains area. Water and electric hookups, dump station near by. Clean shower house with storm shelter. Mixed sun and shade with generous grassy sites, fire pit and picnic table.
GuideWe were traveling northbound on 218 on a Tuesday and searched for a convenient stop for one night. It was very hot so filtered the results, showing spots with electric hook-up in order to run the AC a bit. The North Cedar County Park was easy to find, located just a couple miles off the exit and past the town of Plainfield.
The park is heavily shaded in most areas. They have done a good job of keeping the tree canopy high, so we had no worries of hitting limbs in our 34' class A that has a height of 12 feet.
The sites are all grass, with no clear definition of individual sites. We just picked a spot that looked fairly level and dry. Soft soil could be a concern for heavier rigs after rains. Our stabilizers did sink into the dirt a bit, but we were able to level.
They have wooden picnic tables scattered, as well as designated firepit areas. 30 and 15 Amp service was available on the power post. There is a bathroom/shower house, picnic shelter, playground and horseshoe courts.
The campground is right on a wide, fast moving river and offers 2 boat launches. It didnt appear that any of the sites had a water view, but it was a short, pleasant stroll to the rivers edge.
We paid $20 for our one night. It is all first come, first served. They say on their website that they have 40 sites. On a Tuesday in June, there were 3 of us there for the night (the other two looked more long-term). A posted sign said that camping is free on Wednesday nights, so that's cool!
Overall, it was a quiet and pretty place to stop and we would definately visit again.
LegendI 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.
LegendWhy Should You Camp Here?
Iowa state parks are a bargain! This one is $11 for a non-electric site, $16 for an electric site. (Rates go down to $6 and $11 from 10/1-4/30.) There is no separate park entry fee (unlike some states).
You can rent kayaks, canoes or pedal boats near the campground at Wyth Lake. And there are 3 other nearby lakes.
There's a small beach at Wyth Lake.
The Cedar River is on the edge of the campground.
You're so close to Cedar Falls and Waterloo which means there are craft breweries!
We were only there for a night but I saw this on reserveamerica.com: "The Lake-to-State Park Bike Route is a 50 mile route connecting Pine Lake and George Wyth State Park. The route primarily utilizes county highways and established bike routes and paths once inside Cedar Falls/Waterloo."
We didn't do everything we could do there, because we were just passing through. Check this out: https://iowastateparks.reserveamerica.com/camping/george-wyth-state-park/r/campgroundDetails.do?contractCode=IA&parkId=610125
Amenities
The usual fire ring and picnic table
Dump station and potable water
Flush toilets and running water in bathrooms along with push button showers. Ok, push button showers are not ideal. Just keep pushing that button and hopefully you'll be okay with the temperature that you can't control!
ScoutIf you're looking for a wooded campground that offers you both quiet sites to relax but also offers a variety of activities for all ages, this is the place for you to setup your tent, or RV. For little ones, there is a large sand playground area with slides and swings. There is a sand beach to swim, where they also rent kayaks & canoes. The campground is located along the Cedar river, for those who want to boat and fish on a river, as well as multiple lakes to fish and a lake to ski. There are numerous soft bike trails throughout the park. And a hard trail that is part of 150 miles of bike trails in the Waterloo & Cedar Falls area.
The campground's shower house is handicap accessible. All sites have 50 amp service and the water provided is from the city of Waterloo. There is an onsite dump station.
GuideWe stayed at started at the Lost Island water park KOA for just one night while passing through the area. We were in our class C while slowly making our way across the country. We had no problems getting a spot here. Sites are gravel for the RV, reasonably level, and very well maintained. Most sites are pull through. Hookups are in very good condition. Each site had a grassy area with a picnic table. Staff was very friendly and helpful. There was a playground, beach and fenced dog area. Cost was very good for the amenities provided.
The campground had a store, gas station and propane available.
We had 4 bar LTE with Verizon. Our hotspot was usable and performed very well. We enjoyed our brief stay at this campground. We will stay again when traveling this way.
LegendThis 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.
ScoutThis campground has a lot of fun activities from April 15 thru Oct 15. They have permanent sites and rentals. There is tent sites and rental campers also. Sewer, water and electric. Some weekly activities include canoeing, tubing down the Turkey River, swimming, fishing and paddle boats in the Lake, a splash pad for kids and occasionally a dumping tank for free, also miniture golf. There. Is a store and bar on the grounds as wellas a pavilion for use any time where they also have children's movies every Saturday night during season. New bathrooms with shower's and rentals for canoes and tubes for the River. Very family friendly and affordable.
GuideThis campground offers electric only sites for RVs. Water can be a bit tricky to get in the park and there was not host onsite to assist. The RV sites were mostly level on a gravel pad with a grass yard. There is some shade with fire pits on site and picnic tables. It was very quiet as this is in the heart of corn fields. There was a bit of a disturbance which the ranger promptly addressed. There are showers and toilets onsite as well.
Waterloo, Iowa sits at 842 feet elevation and marks the intersection of several river tributaries of the Cedar River. The area experiences distinct seasons with humid summers and cold winters, making April through October the primary camping season. Most campgrounds near Waterloo remain heavily wooded with tall oak and maple trees providing shade for summer campers.
Hiking trails and biking paths: At George Wyth State Park Campground, visitors can explore numerous trails. "If you're a biker there is a wonderful bike path. It will take you all the way through Cedar Falls and Waterloo you could bike all day long," notes one camper. The park connects to a 50-mile Lake-to-State Park Bike Route.
Fishing opportunities: Many campgrounds offer river or lake fishing access. At Klocks Island Park, campers enjoy "very shady camping right along the river" with water and electric hookups at most sites. The surrounding river creates ample fishing spots.
Swimming options: Several campgrounds provide swimming beaches during summer months. "Nice park with some easy hiking trails and great bike paths. There is also a beach that is open seasonally and docks dotted throughout for fishing boats or kayaks," reports one visitor about George Wyth State Park.
Quiet wooded settings: Despite proximity to urban areas, many campgrounds maintain natural environments. "Quiet, clean little gem of a spot," reports one camper about Pine Lake State Park Campground. Another adds, "Lovely views, great walking paths, quiet and picturesque lake."
Clean facilities: Campgrounds near Waterloo typically maintain well-kept bathrooms and showers. At Pine Lake, "bathrooms and shower rooms are new and super clean. Campground is well kept."
Recreational amenities: Many campgrounds offer additional activities beyond camping. Skip-A-Way Resort receives praise for its "nice pond/lake to swim in and large area to go for a walk" and various rentals. "You can rent kayaks, bikes. They have mini golf but you have to pay 8 dollars for that," notes one reviewer.
Highway noise considerations: Several campgrounds sit near major highways. At Beyonder Getaway at Lazy Acres, a camper notes it's "near the highway so it has truck noise" though another mentions "it backs up to a corn field, right off the Interstate but the noise was barely there."
Seasonal flooding risk: Weather patterns affect campground availability. At George Wyth State Park, "because it is so close to river anytime it rains heavily there is flooding in several areas of the park. And almost every year (usually late summer, early fall) it rains enough to flood a good portion of the park."
Reservation requirements: Most rv campgrounds Waterloo, Iowa require advance booking during summer months. Weekends fill quickly at popular locations, especially those with water amenities like Waterloo - Lost Island Waterpark KOA.
Activities for different ages: Several campgrounds cater specifically to families. Beyonder Getaway offers "loads of stuff for kids (putt putt, paddle boats, horseshoes, basketball, Gaga, trampoline, playground)" according to reviews.
Accessibility options: Some campgrounds provide specialized sites. "My daughter is in a wheelchair so we requested the accessible site. It's right next to the showers with an adapted pic-nic table and raised fire pit!" shares a visitor at Beyonder Getaway.
Safety considerations: Waterloo area campgrounds vary in supervision levels. One Skip-A-Way Resort visitor noted, "There weren't many staff around if you had questions or issues and the grounds didn't seem to be monitored," suggesting families should maintain their own oversight of children.
Hookup availability: RV campgrounds near Waterloo, Iowa provide various connection options. Lost Island KOA features full-hookup sites with strong cellular connectivity. One camper reports, "We had 4 bar LTE with Verizon. Our hotspot was usable and performed very well."
Site spacing: RV sites vary in size and privacy across the region. Lost Island KOA offers "quiet well kept campground. Showers were nice, sites were decent in size, with some shade."
Weather considerations: RV campers should prepare for rapid weather changes. Sites at Beyonder Getaway feature "huge grass pull through lots everywhere. The biggest I have been in and actual real, full grass," which provides stability during rain but can lead to bug issues during grass cutting.
Frequently Asked Questions
Can I rent an RV or camper in Waterloo for my camping trip?
Yes, RV rentals are available in the Waterloo area. While there aren't dedicated rental facilities mentioned in the campground reviews, Skip-A-Way Resort offers rental campers from April 15 through October 15. This resort provides a complete camping experience with activities like canoeing, tubing down the Turkey River, swimming, and fishing. For more rental options, check local RV dealerships in Waterloo or nearby Cedar Falls, which often provide rental services. Additionally, online peer-to-peer RV rental platforms serve the Waterloo area, allowing you to rent directly from local RV owners.
Where are the best RV parks and campgrounds in Waterloo, Iowa?
Waterloo offers several excellent RV options. George Wyth State Park Campground provides wooded sites with both electric and non-electric options at affordable rates ($16 for electric sites). The park features activities for all ages, including a playground, swimming beach, and kayak rentals. For those wanting more amenities, Waterloo - Lost Island Waterpark KOA offers well-maintained gravel sites that are reasonably level with full hookups. Most sites have good shade, and the campground is conveniently located near attractions. Other nearby options include Cedar View Park and Pinicon Ridge Park, both offering electric hookups and clean facilities.
What types of travel trailers are available for camping in Waterloo?
The Waterloo area accommodates various travel trailer types at its diverse campgrounds. Pinicon Ridge Park features generous grassy sites with water and electric hookups suitable for travel trailers of different sizes, plus a nearby dump station. Oelwein City Park can accommodate travel trailers with its accessible sites and basic amenities. For larger travel trailers, several parks in the area have big-rig friendly sites, including Rodgers County Park with mostly level gravel pads and electric hookups. The region's campgrounds generally support everything from small teardrop trailers to larger fifth-wheels, with varying hookup options from electric-only to full-service sites.
Keep Exploring
