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State Park

Photo: USACEPublic domainRecreation.gov

Tailwater East Campground

Iowa City, IA

Verify with the state park system

State parks set their own rules and reservation systems. Fire bans, road closures, and operating dates change seasonally — check the state park website before traveling.

Directions

50

Total Sites

0.0

0 Reviews

50 Tent22 RV

Official sources & verification

Managed by State Park

Verify before you go

Source of truth

Verify by phone or mail

We display cached information from agency feeds. Hours, fees, permits, closures, fire restrictions, and conditions change without notice. Outdoors is not the permitting authority. Confirm current conditions for this campground using the links above before you go — you are responsible for compliance. Last verified by us: Oct 11, 2026. Spot an error in our data?

Live availability

via Recreation.gov
See every open campground nearbySame dates & filters, across the whole area

Availability is a recent snapshot, not a live hold — you always complete the booking on recreation.gov.

About

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.

Reviews

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How busy it gets

Recreation.gov
Well reviewed4.3

135 camper reviews on Recreation.gov

Books out

96% booked

275 of 286 released site-nights were already reserved · Oct 2026 · busiest Oct 2026 at 96%

Share of nights Recreation.gov had released for online booking that were already reserved when we checked. Walk-up sites, closures, and nights outside the booking window are excluded.

Amenities

Electric Hookups
Sewer Hookups
Picnic Tables
Fire Rings

Cell reception

Camper reports · checked Sep 29, 2026

Good Coverage

Average 2.6 of 4 bars · 90 reports across 3 carriers

Uninterrupted voice connection; consistent but possibly weak/slow data service; rare and/or very small drop-outs at site/facility. Signal may not show as full-strength across site/facility. Slower social media photo/video upload speeds.

  • Verizon

    Good Coverage

    2.7/4

    43 reports

  • AT&T

    Good Coverage

    2.6/4

    20 reports

  • T-Mobile

    Good Coverage

    2.5/4

    27 reports

Reported by campers on Recreation.gov, not measured by us. Reception varies by handset, weather, and where you stand in the campground. Recreation.gov

Check-in & Check-out

Check-in 2:00 PM

Check-out 12:00 PM

Campground Rules

  • Campfires generally permitted — verify current fire restrictions before lighting

Reservations

This campground accepts reservations. Book early for popular dates.

Make a Reservation

Individual Sites (50)

E06
#E06

E06

Loop TAILWATER EAST CAMPGROUND

Check official pricing Max 6 guests54 ft
CampsiteStandardPets OKCampfires
Reserve
E07
#E07

E07

Loop TAILWATER EAST CAMPGROUND

Check official pricing Max 6 guests50 ft
CampsiteStandardWaterfrontPets OKCampfires
Reserve
E08
#E08

E08

Loop TAILWATER EAST CAMPGROUND

Check official pricing Max 6 guests54 ft
CampsiteStandardPets OKCampfires
Reserve
E09
#E09

E09

Loop TAILWATER EAST CAMPGROUND

Check official pricing Max 6 guests44 ft
CampsiteStandardPets OKCampfires
Reserve
E10
#E10

E10

Loop TAILWATER EAST CAMPGROUND

Check official pricing Max 6 guests50 ft
CampsiteStandardWaterfrontPets OKCampfires
Reserve
E12
#E12

E12

Loop TAILWATER EAST CAMPGROUND

Check official pricing Max 6 guests50 ft
CampsiteStandardWaterfrontPets OKCampfires
Reserve

Within ~30 miles

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