3
Pull-thru
USACERathbun Lake · Iowa
Prairie Ridge (Rathbun Lake)
Overview Prairie Ridge Park is located 6 miles, SW of the Jct of Iowa Highway 5 and J18 at Moravia.
Sites5654 reservable
Elev.922ft
Comf.Apr-Oct7 months
Max rig111 ft3 pull-thru
Electric5454×50-amp
From Des Moines1h54real 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 922 ft, Prairie Ridge (Rathbun Lake) has a 7-month comfortable window (Apr-Oct). Winter nights average around 17°F, so the shoulder seasons turn cold fast. 56 sites total: 54 reservable and 2 first-come, first-served. Of the sites, 3 pull-through, 54 with 50-amp, and the longest takes a 111-ft rig. Within about 4 miles: lake or river access.
The campground at a glance
01 · CHARACTER
Reads strongest on reservability and shade. 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 · Dec
Apr-Oct
Comfortable window: nights stay above 35°F, days below 90°F.
76%
Of summer weekend-days are dry.
Apr 14
Last spring frost; first fall frost Oct 26.
69°F
Average July low.
Getting there
03 · ACCESS
01
Des Moines
79 mi
1h54
02
Cedar Rapids
140 mi
3h07
By drive time
Routed road time (OSRM). Nearest major highway 3 mi away.
Picking your site
04 · 56 SITES
Color byShow only
56 mapped sites · dot color = seclusion · click a dot for details. Basemap © OpenStreetMap.
0
Walk-in
54
50-amp
0
Accessible
0
Prime
56
Sites
★ The standout
Site B17
PPL. · shaded.
To neighbor
164 ft
Max rig
56 ft
Type
Standard
What's within four miles
05 · TRAILS · PEAKS · WATER
Trails & Peaks
Trail segments
23
Water & Access
Lake / river access
yes
To nearest major road
3 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.