0
Pull-thru
USACECoralville Lake · Iowa
Cottonwood Campground (IA)
Overview COTTONWOOD CAMPGROUND IS CLOSED FOR THE 2025 RECREATION SEASON The Cottonwood Campground is located within the Dam Complex at the Coralville Lake Project.
Sites1511 reservable
Elev.768ft
Comf.Apr-Oct7 months
Max rigtents
Electricnonesites
From Cedar Rapids0h37real road time
The honest read
Synthesized from
RIDB · Open-Meteo
OSM · OSRM
Updated 2026-05-27
RIDB · Open-Meteo
OSM · OSRM
Updated 2026-05-27
At 768 ft, Cottonwood Campground (IA) has a 7-month comfortable window (Apr-Oct). Winter nights average around 14°F, so the shoulder seasons turn cold fast. 15 sites total: 11 reservable and 4 first-come, first-served. Within about 4 miles: 16 named hiking routes, 1 peak, lake or river access.
The campground at a glance
01 · CHARACTER
Reads strongest on shade and reservability. Softest on roomy sites.
Six axes, each scored relative to every other federal campground in the region: quiet (miles to a major road), cool (elevation), roomy (average site spacing), shade, RV-fit (longest rig), and how reservable it is. All six come from data, nothing hand-tuned.
When to go
02 · CLIMATE
avg highavg lowfrost-freedriest · Feb
Apr-Oct
Comfortable window: nights stay above 35°F, days below 90°F.
76%
Of summer weekend-days are dry.
Apr 28
Last spring frost; first fall frost Oct 25.
67°F
Average July low.
Getting there
03 · ACCESS
01
Cedar Rapids
24 mi
0h37
02
Des Moines
116 mi
2h14
By drive time
Routed road time (OSRM). Nearest major highway 2.4 mi away.
Picking your site
04 · 15 SITES
Color byShow only
15 mapped sites · dot color = seclusion · click a dot for details. Basemap © OpenStreetMap.
0
Walk-in
0
50-amp
0
Accessible
0
Prime
15
Sites
★ The standout
Site C07
COTTONWOOD CAMPGROUND (IA) · shaded.
To neighbor
95 ft
Type
Standard
What's within four miles
05 · TRAILS · PEAKS · WATER
Trails & Peaks
Named hiking routes
16
Trail segments
1340
Peaks
1
Viewpoints
4
Water & Access
Lake / river access
yes
To nearest major road
2.4 mi
Method
We synthesize public data layers: RIDB and Recreation.gov facility and site records, Open-Meteo climate normals, OpenStreetMap roads, trails, and water, OSRM drive times, and USGS elevation. We take no bookings, no ads, and no paid placements. Independence is the entire point.