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Camping

Established Camping

Tailwater East Campground

Tailwater East Campground is located near Iowa City, close to Coralville Lake. The terrain consists of flat, open spaces with nearby wooded areas. Campers can explore Coralville Lake and the Devonian Fossil Gorge, both offering unique natural attractions.

Description

US Army Corps of Engineers

Overview

The Tailwater East Campground is located within the Dam Complex at the Coralville Lake Project. The Coralville Lake Project is a multiple use project providing primary benefits in flood control and low flow augmentation, and secondary benefits in recreation, fish and wildlife management and forest management. Coralville Lake provides many recreational opportunities, including boating, camping, hiking, mountain biking, lake and river fishing, swimming, water skiing, picnicking and hunting.

Recreation

Visitors enjoy Coralville Lake for camping, boating, fishing, swimming and water activities. Anglers will find large and smallmouth bass, crappie, walleye and catfish. Several trails are within the Dam Complex, including Squire Point, Woodpecker Trail, Tailwater Riverwalk and barrier-free Veterans Trail. The Devonian Fossil Gorge is just below the dam, offering a unique opportunity to explore a 375-million-year old sea floor and discover fossil remains of sea life that once inhabited this tropical marine environment. Twenty discovery points can be found throughout the site along with a cell phone audio tour. The Turkey Creek Disc Golf Course is located in the Dam Complex and offers nine partially wooden and open holes.

Facilities

The Tailwater East Campground is located on the east bank of the Iowa River below the Coralville Lake Dam. The campground offers 28 campsites to include full hook-up campsites, standard electric campsites, and non-electric walk-to tent campsites. Amenities include a modern restroom and shower facility, fish cleaning station, and a boat ramp for accessing the Iowa River. The campground fee booth is located in the West Overlook Campground.

Natural Features

Coralville Lake is located in the Iowa River Valley, just north of Iowa City. The Tailwater East Campground lies among a heavily wooded forest of mixed hardwood species on the east side of the dam. Wildlife is abundant throughout the project. Whitetail deer, turkeys, pheasants, waterfowl, song birds and other species roam the lands around the lake.

Nearby Attractions

Iowa City/Coralville offers the Veterans Affairs Medical Center, University of Iowa campus, hospital and clinics, numerous restaurants and shops as well as Coral Ridge Mall. Cedar Rapids has wonderful cultural, historic and ethnic attractions such as The National Czech & Slovak Museum & Library and is the home of the Kernels Professional Baseball Club. West Branch boasts the Herbert Hoover National Historic Site and Presidential Library/Museum. At Amana Colonies visit seven quaint villages with outstanding restaurants, wineries, historic sites and specialty shops. Kalona is known as the "Quilt Capital of Iowa" and is home to an Old Order Amish and Mennonite Community.

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Location

Tailwater East Campground is located in Iowa

Detail location of campground

Directions

From Interstate 80 (Iowa City, Iowa), take Exit 244 towards Dubuque St./North Liberty. Travel north on Dubuque St. for 3 miles and turn right onto West Overlook Rd. NE. Travel on West Overlook Rd. NE for 1.1 miles. At the second stop sign, turn right onto Prairie Du Chien Rd. NE. Travel est on Prairie Du Chien Rd. NE for 0.7 miles, across the Coralville Lake Dam. The entrance to the Tailwater East Campground will be located on the right side of the road. From Interstate 380 (North Liberty, Iowa), take Exit 4 towards North Liberty. Travel east on W. Penn St. for 2 miles and turn right onto N. Dubuque St. Travel south on N. Dubuque St. for 1.9 miles, at the traffic circle, continue straight onto Dubuque St. NE. Continue traveling south on Dubuque St. NE for 1.9 miles. Turn left onto West Overlook Rd. NE and travel east for 1.1 miles. At the second stop sign, turn right onto Prairie Du Chien Rd. NE. Travel east on Prairie Du Chien Rd. NE for 0.7 miles, across the Coralville Lake Dam. The entrance to the Tailwater East Campground will be located on the right side of the road.

Coordinates

41.72438021 N
91.526063 W

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  • WiFi
    Unknown
  • Verizon
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  • AT&T
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  • T-Mobile
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Site Types

  • Tent Sites
  • RV Sites
  • Standard (Tent/RV)

Features

For Campers

  • Picnic Table
  • Reservable
  • Electric Hookups
  • Pets
  • Fires

For Vehicles

  • Sewer Hookups
  • Water Hookups
  • Big Rig Friendly

Reviews

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4.0

out of 5

3 Reviews

Reviewed Sep. 16, 2023

The east campground is small and quiet.

Small but lots of fishing! Hot showers, very clean bathrooms, fish cleaning stations, some concrete pads, some gravel Site #1 is right next to the boat ramp with a very bright security light, FYI. Great Veterans Memorial walk in

Site1
Month of VisitAugust
  • Review photo of Tailwater East Campground by juliana , September 16, 2023
  • Review photo of Tailwater East Campground by juliana , September 16, 2023
Reviewed Sep. 5, 2021

Nice campground along Iowa River

CG has sites along Iowa River for good fishing and paddling. Shower house, boat ramp, fish cleaning station, recycling, dump station, primitive and electric sites, trails, wood availability at West Overlook across dam in complex. Nature center nearby.

SiteE01
Month of VisitSeptember
Reviewed Jun. 22, 2021

Great until the morning

Generally nice with spots on the river and even flush toilets and showers. Note this and Tailwater West seem to mostly by RV spots with one or two tent walk in sites. The walk in sites are WAY better (read actually separated) at East.

Nice and peaceful until 7:30am when the loudest grass mowing started with drive bys right by my tent. Had to seek refuge in my car just to get away from the noise! I could see the same thing happening at the Tailwater West site. Absurd.

Month of VisitJune
  • Review photo of Tailwater East Campground by Kayla M., June 22, 2021

Frequently Asked Questions

  • How much does it cost to camp at Tailwater East Campground?

    Camping at Tailwater East Campground can cost between $14.00 and $24.00 depending on the site.

  • Does Tailwater East Campground have RV hookups?

    According to TheDyrt.com, Tailwater East Campground has water hookups and sewer hookups.

  • What is the elevation of Tailwater East Campground?

    Tailwater East Campground is located at 747 feet.

  • What is the max vehicle length at Tailwater East Campground?

    Tailwater East Campground allows vehicles up to 68 feet.

  • Are fires allowed at Tailwater East Campground?

    Yes, according to campers on TheDyrt.com, fires are allowed at Tailwater East Campground, although make sure to check current fire restrictions in the area.

  • Does Tailwater East Campground have wifi?

    No, according to campers on TheDyrt.com, Tailwater East Campground does not have wifi.

  • Is there cell phone reception at Tailwater East Campground?

    According to campers on TheDyrt.com, Verizon signal is unknown, AT&T is unknown, and T-Mobile is available.

  • How hard is it to get a campsite at Tailwater East Campground?

    Some campers book as far as 6 months in advance, so on high-demand weekends it can be very difficult to get a campsite at Tailwater East Campground. If you want to get a last-minute campsite at Tailwater East Campground, try setting up a text message Alert atTheDyrt.com/alerts

  • Why is it so hard to get a campsite at Tailwater East Campground?

    There are 28 campsites at Tailwater East Campground and over 80 million Americans who camp! Try snagging a cancellation by setting up a text message Alert atTheDyrt.com/alerts