The best campgrounds near Iowa City, Iowa with swimming

Looking to go camping near Iowa City, Iowa? Hipcamp has over 79 options available specifically for swimming enthusiasts in that area. Whether you're looking for a lakeside retreat or a riverfront oasis, you'll find the perfect spot to cool off and relax. With an average price per night of $35 and options as low as $20, there's something for every budget. Check out some of the top campsites like Windy Goat Acres (208 reviews), Draco Hill Farm (192 reviews), and Linden Campground (190 reviews). Enjoy popular amenities like campfires, cooking equipment, and trash disposal, and explore activities such as hiking, biking, and of course, swimming!

99% (649)

Top-rated campgrounds

Looking to go camping near Iowa City, Iowa? Hipcamp has over 79 options available specifically for swimming enthusiasts in that area. Whether you're looking for a lakeside retreat or a riverfront oasis, you'll find the perfect spot to cool off and relax. With an average price per night of $35 and options as low as $20, there's something for every budget. Check out some of the top campsites like Windy Goat Acres (208 reviews), Draco Hill Farm (192 reviews), and Linden Campground (190 reviews). Enjoy popular amenities like campfires, cooking equipment, and trash disposal, and explore activities such as hiking, biking, and of course, swimming!

99% (649)

Top-rated campgrounds

1. Folk School Farm Stay

99%

(282)

14mi from Iowa City · 10 sites · Tents, RVs, Lodging · Oxford, IA

Come enjoy the natural beauty of a working farm! In our transition to agroforestry, wetland restoration and perennial ag, you'll find some great spaces to walk your dog, let your children run and learn about land conservation. The farm is also home to a flower cutting garden, a food forest garden, and a folk school. Guests are welcome to cut flowers for a donation, and enjoy the sheep, chickens and resident cat. The setting is also great for taking in sunrises, sunsets and star gazing. Come explore the landscape, book a farm tour or enjoy some studio space at Land Alliance Folk School.

2. Draco Hill Nature Farm

98%

(705)

15mi from Iowa City · 4 sites · Tents, RVs · West Branch, IA

We're closing out another wonderful season with a Chestnut Festival Sunday, Oct. 19th at 2 pm. THANK YOU to all our guests who appreciated Draco Hill Nature Farm, enjoyed the trails and the river, were considerate to one another and who left their sites as clean as they found them. Hipcampers Rock! We'll see you in 2026. A convenient 7 miles north of Interstate 80 but feels like an oasis away from it all. Enjoy nature in a private, wooded river valley setting. And check out our extras! Fatwood for starting fires easily Up to 3 extra bundles of firewood A 7-person tent Freeze-dried apples A Coleman stove, matches and tank of fuel NO generators please. Campers like to go to sleep under the stars to the sound of frogs, cicadas, coyotes, deer and the rustling wind through the tallgrass prairie. Wake to an amazing sunrise over the river. Enjoy a hike through our 4 miles of trails on 75 acres of rolling woodlands and prairie, picking berries, finding mushrooms, scaring up a turkey or pheasant in the brush or listening to the birds. (Pull out your Merlin app to see who's singing!) Play in the river or upland pond, cut cattails and prairie grasses for souvenirs and enjoy being unplugged for a while. Your hosts are here if you need us, but we leave you to enjoy this beautiful place at your own pace. Draco Hill Nature Farm hosts free events during the year. See Dracohill.org/events for details. Make it part of your camping experience or sign up for your own private sustainable agriculture tour under "Extras." This is a "socks and shoes, jeans and boots" kind of camping. You're visiting wild places and a working perennial farm, so please dress appropriately for your optimal enjoyment. If you go off trails and other mowed places, you increase your chances of contact with poison ivy, wild parsnhip and ticks. Please research these ahead of time and be prepared. We live here and encounter them frequently without more than a slight inconvenience.

3. Walking Stick Adventures Tipi Camp

99%

(85)

29mi from Iowa City · 2 sites · Lodging · Williamsburg, IA

We offer one private site on four acres, including a small pond, beach, treehouse, trails and peace and quiet. In addition to the tipi, there are kayaks, canoe, fire ring, wood supply, cooking equipment, dutch ovens, hammock, and tables and chairs. Campers will need to bring sleeping bags and food. Dogs are welcome. There is a rustic restroom (outhouse), with an outdoor shower. Water and electricity are available at the restroom and campsite. In addition, Navigation Play-Williamsburg, provides outdoor play opportunities at the farm on a seasonal basis. If interested, find her on her facebook page. Our dream was to restore an old farmstead to prairie and woods, grow our own food, make some wine and create a wonderland for grandchildren. The tipi and pond campsite is our way of sharing our place. We love meeting new people, especially those that are looking for a new camping experience.

4. Captain's Cove Muscatine

100%

(1)

32mi from Iowa City · 1 site · Lodging · Muscatine, IA

Originally built with four ponds to accommodate a Catfish Farm and Shitake Mushroom Farm - this property has been in the family for four generations. We are pleased to share this amazing property with your family to continue the tradition of enjoying life's moments. We consider this place a small piece of heaven in Iowa and hope you will too. The activities available range from fishing, swimming or kayaking, in our private ponds, bonfires, outdoor grilling, sunrise or sunset watching, hiking around the property, and so much more. The property is just minutes away from Wild Cat Den State Park, bike paths and the Muscatine River Front.

Public campgrounds near Iowa City

100%

(1)

Dam Complex Campground

4.7mi from Iowa City · 173 sites · Tents, RVs · in Coralville Lake

75%

(4)

Sugar Bottom Campground

7.1mi from Iowa City · 249 sites · Tents, RVs · in Coralville Lake

100%

(2)

Lake Macbride Campground

10mi from Iowa City · 103 sites · Tents, RVs · in Lake Macbride State Park

Sandy Beach Campground

11mi from Iowa City · 58 sites · Tents, RVs · in Coralville Lake

Pleasant Creek Campground

36mi from Iowa City · 74 sites · Tents, RVs · in Pleasant Creek State Recreation Area

100%

(1)

Wildcat Den Campground

36mi from Iowa City · 28 sites · Tents, RVs · in Wildcat Den State Park

Lake Darling Campground

37mi from Iowa City · 85 sites · Tents, RVs · in Lake Darling State Park

Stories from the community

T

Tim

October 2025

15 ft travel trailer

Weekend Trip to Draco Hill Nature Farm

What a great little hideaway! Close to my home, super quiet and peaceful right next to the river. Everything is well marked and well kept. Nice trails to explore and super nice host. I will definitely be coming back to this one at least once a year.

C

Christopher

October 2025

16 ft travel trailer

With kids

Weekend Trip to Draco Hill Nature Farm

Great solitude and privacy along the river! We met for a small reunion with old friends and this was a perfect halfway point for all of us. Would return again!

C

Colleen

October 2025

16 ft travel trailer

2 nights at Draco Hill Nature Farm

This is our second trip to Draco Hills and we love it! Absolutely beautiful scenery, sounds and sights of the local wildlife, and peace and quiet. The perfect little grounding getaway just minutes off of I-80.

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Travis

October 2025

Tent

Weekend Trip to Draco Hill Nature Farm

Had a great time tent camping at this location. I have camped here multiple times and will continue. Host is great and very quick to return messages when you have questions. 5/5

Eric

September 2025

14 ft travel trailer

With kids

Weekend Trip to Draco Hill Nature Farm

Had a great time at this location. It would be a great place to reserve with friends due to the fact that the sun and shade rentals are close together. The view of the river is AMAZING and is a perfect spot to relax.

The view from site 2. Space is tighter getting in here.

Georgie

September 2025

Tent

Weekend Trip to Draco Hill Nature Farm

Wow! What a weekend!! I would LOVE to not give a good rating, only so I could keep this lovely place all to myself, but that would be very selfish of me. I can honestly say that this has been my favorite camping weekend of the year - and I camp a lot! It is very primitive, and very secluded. SO quiet and peaceful! It was everything we wanted! Being fairly new to Hipcamp, I sometimes have a few questions, and Suzan was always so quick to respond. This special place is definitely a do-over for me!

R

Randall

September 2025

Tent

1 night at Draco Hill Nature Farm

Lots of trails to walk around and large campsites.

K

Katherine

September 2025

20 ft pop-up camper

1 night at Folk School Farm Stay

Anna was very friendly and very flexible! She offered multiple spots for us to stay on the property. The bathrooms and kitchen were clean and fit our needs!

Michelle

September 2025

With kids

Weekend Trip to Walking Stick Adventures Tipi Camp

Maria was a great host and we had a great time. They have everything you could need there and it’s great for kids too. Our kids loved the canoe and sand toys. They even brought us some homemade wine that was fantastic!

T

Taylor

September 2025

Tent

Weekend Trip to Draco Hill Nature Farm

We thoroughly enjoyed our experience at Draco! This was our second time here and it is definitely a favorite. The property is beautiful and abundant with cleared trails to hike, forage, and explore as you please. Susan is a wonderful host that takes pride in sharing her space and making her guests feel comfortable. Highly recommend for anyone looking for a peaceful & private camping experience! Thank you, Susan. See you soon!

N

Nehemiah

September 2025

With pets

Weekend Trip to Walking Stick Adventures Tipi Camp

It’s perfect. Clear view for the sunset & sunrise. The teepee was unexpectedly comfortable, being able light up the fire pit in the inside was a 10. It was 45 degrees last night and we slept like new born babies. Trails cut out to enjoy the colors and the life that the their prairie brings to the land. Great hospitality, I even got the chance to enjoy the taste of delicious fruit and drinks produced from the land.. if this place don’t Bless your camping needs, you’re not a camper. If I keep giving details it might seem too good to be true, I advise you to check it out. Overall it was a pleaser to meet them and enjoy this wonderful idea for us to enjoy nature and the peace that comes with it.. We will be back for sure.

Keith

September 2025

12 ft travel trailer

1 night at Draco Hill Nature Farm

Great little place to stay. Would definitely recommend.

C

Corey

September 2025

14 ft travel trailer

With pets

4 nights at Draco Hill Nature Farm

One of the best camping locations in Iowa! It was so nice to get out of the usual campground scene—this felt much more like the dispersed camping we love out west, but close to home. The site was beautiful, sunny, and felt secluded, even though the next spot was close enough to hear/see a little. Our dogs absolutely loved it. Our host was amazing—when our pup went wandered off, she jumped right in to help us search (she was found happily lollygagging on one of the trails 😅). Truly above and beyond hospitality. A couple quick notes for future campers: boat traffic was a little high (likely because it was Labor Day), but not disturbing, and we had less cell service than we anticipated, but it was honestly nice to unplug. We’d absolutely stay here again, and highly recommend the site and host!

Hannah

August 2025

Tent

Weekend Trip to Draco Hill Nature Farm

we love it here.. spacious campsites with privacy, plus the addition of the outhouses is awesome. love the river views and the wildflowers/prairie. thanks for having us!

J

Jane

August 2025

Tent

Weekend Trip to Draco Hill Nature Farm

We had an amazing time! Love how quiet it was. The trails are all kept nice and mowed. Lots of poison ivy around, so just be careful of your surroundings. Suzanne is a great host. We didn’t have any firewood at our location, which it said we’d have and within 5 minutes of messaging her, she was right there with it. Nice grassing, flat area for tents. We’ll definitely be back!

J

Jack

August 2025

Weekend Trip to Walking Stick Adventures Tipi Camp

We had a great time. The hosts were friendly and shared some homemade wine and vegetables from their garden. The property was very well kept and all the amenities made it a very convenient and relaxing camp. Loved staying in the tipi and being able to take a hot outdoor shower. Can’t wait to come back.

C

Chad

August 2025

16 ft car

Weekend Trip to Folk School Farm Stay

The work restorative work Anna is doing to her land is inspiring, particularly the wetlands around the pond--gorgeous! Recommend the farm tour option.

J

James

August 2025

Tent

Weekend Trip to Draco Hill Nature Farm

This place was amazing and wish I could have relaxed here longer. It was a perfect spot as I travel across the country training service K9s to crash for the night. Suzan was so friendly and her pups were so sweet. 100% recommend! This will definitely be back!

J

Joshua

August 2025

Tent

With pets

Weekend Trip to Draco Hill Nature Farm

We had a blast at this place. It was well kept, private and welcoming. Easier to find and access than expected! Kids did well. The “trees and terrace” camp site was awesome. A little grassy terrace to watch the river beneath the secluded campsite. We will be back!

j

jared

August 2025

Tent

Weekend Trip to Draco Hill Nature Farm

I have camped here multiple times. Great campsite with great views. Peaceful location. Will definitely be back!