0
Pull-thru
USACESaylorville Lake · Iowa
Cottonwood Recreation Area
Overview Cottonwood Recreation Area is a day-use facility located in the tailwater area below Saylorville Dam.
Sites9all reservable
Elev.804ft
Comf.Apr-Oct7 months
Max rigtents
Electricnonesites
From Des Moines0h22real 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 804 ft, Cottonwood Recreation Area has a 7-month comfortable window (Apr-Oct). Winter nights average around 14°F, so the shoulder seasons turn cold fast. All 9 sites are reservable in advance, so plan ahead. Popular weekends book out. Within about 4 miles: 10 named hiking routes, 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.
75%
Of summer weekend-days are dry.
Apr 23
Last spring frost; first fall frost Oct 25.
68°F
Average July low.
Getting there
03 · ACCESS
01
Des Moines
10 mi
0h22
02
Cedar Rapids
130 mi
2h31
By drive time
Routed road time (OSRM). Nearest major highway 1.2 mi away.
Picking your site
04 · 9 SITES
Color byShow only
9 mapped sites · dot color = seclusion · click a dot for details. Basemap © OpenStreetMap.
0
Walk-in
0
50-amp
0
Accessible
0
Prime
9
Sites
What's within four miles
05 · TRAILS · PEAKS · WATER
Trails & Peaks
Named hiking routes
10
Trail segments
3265
Viewpoints
1
Water & Access
Lake / river access
yes
To nearest major road
1.2 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.