The best river, stream, or creek campgrounds near Jefferson, Iowa

In Jefferson, river camping means waking up to the sound of water and a front-row seat for wildlife-watching, fishing, and even snow sports when the season hits. With over 1,000 riverfront campsites to choose from, you’ll find everything from shaded spots for your tent to wide-open banks for casting a line. Average nightly rates hover around $45, with some sites dipping as low as $20. Toilets, campfire rings, and pet-friendly policies are standard at most spots. Locals rave about Shadybrook Camping and RV Adventure (206 reviews) for its easy river access, while Rock N Ranch Events & Campground (114 reviews) and Greenhouse Camping (112 reviews) draw regulars for their laid-back vibe and well-kept grounds. Expect plenty of space to spread out, reliable basics, and a steady current just steps from your site.

98% (559)

Top-rated campgrounds

In Jefferson, river camping means waking up to the sound of water and a front-row seat for wildlife-watching, fishing, and even snow sports when the season hits. With over 1,000 riverfront campsites to choose from, you’ll find everything from shaded spots for your tent to wide-open banks for casting a line. Average nightly rates hover around $45, with some sites dipping as low as $20. Toilets, campfire rings, and pet-friendly policies are standard at most spots. Locals rave about Shadybrook Camping and RV Adventure (206 reviews) for its easy river access, while Rock N Ranch Events & Campground (114 reviews) and Greenhouse Camping (112 reviews) draw regulars for their laid-back vibe and well-kept grounds. Expect plenty of space to spread out, reliable basics, and a steady current just steps from your site.

98% (559)

Top-rated campgrounds

1. Rock N Ranch Events & Campground

98%

(208)

30mi from Jefferson · 14 sites · Lodging · Menlo, IA

Our retirement dream is to share our beautiful property with people who love the outdoors. We started with our rustic tent sites and slowly added cabins. We go from primitive to sites with heat and air conditioning. We are not far from the Interstate but sure seems like we are as you travel the 4.6 miles of gravel road to step back in time.

2. Shadybrook Camping and RV Adventure

96%

(492)

38mi from Jefferson · 61 sites · Tents, RVs, Lodging · Earlham, IA

This property has a year round running creek called Bear Creek. They also mined the stone off the property for the State Capital in Des Moines, Iowa. Abundant wildlife and mature beautiful trees. Hiking trails, playground equipment, dog park, shelterhouse, showerhouse/restrooms, community fire pit, all sites have fire pits and picnic tables, laundry area, rec room, and welcoming staff!

3. Greenhouse Camping

97%

(151)

44mi from Jefferson · 2 sites · RVs · Ankeny, IA

We love this beautiful land that has been in our family since 1917, and think you will too! We are located 1/2 mile off I-35 at the north border of the City of Ankeny. Here you'll find the best of both worlds just fifteen minutes away from your quiet campsite - Boating, skiing, jet-skiing, fishing at Saylorville Lake. Canoe, kayak and paddleboat rental at Big Creek State Park. Swimming & waterplay for all ages at the Ankeny Aquatic Center. Upscale shopping and dining at the District. Or venture out a bit further to concert venues in Ames & Des Moines, local farmers markets, Des Moines' beautiful riverwalk and exciting nightlife, or the Iowa State Fair. It's the best of country and suburban living! End your day with a quiet stroll along the mowed walking path that overlooks one of the most beautiful areas of Four Mile Creek in Iowa, which circles right back to your cozy campfire. Learn more about this land: You'll love this relaxing space to camp and enjoy the Iowa outdoors! Very easy access, we are just 1/2 mile off of Interstate-35. Our farm is bordered by nature on three sides and the city of Ankeny on the south. This is a single campsite, private and quiet. Your campsite has an adjoining mowed private walking trail overlooking Four Mile Creek, and is also within walking distance of Ankeny sidewalks for biking, walking, jogging. It’s the best of both worlds - town and country! We're a 15 minute drive from Big Creek and Ledges State Parks, Jester Park and Saylorville Lake where you can enjoy fishing, skiing, boating, horseback riding, hiking, biking, and the beach life. You'll find unique shopping experiences, delicious dining, a good movie, a thriving live music scene just 15 minutes away in downtown Des Moines, downtown and campus town Ames, and at The District in Ankeny. Upon your arrival you'll find the greenhouse mini-fridge is stocked with 4 complimentary bottles of water and everything you'll need for making S'mores.

4. Tent camping on the Raccoon River

99%

(66)

24mi from Jefferson · 1 site · Tent, RV · Lake City, IA

Learn more about this land:Come relax at Rainbow Raccoon Ranch on the Raccoon River. The river offers floating, kayaking, canoeing, and fishing. The nearby Rainbow Bend park and other local conservation areas offer hiking opportunities. As a working ranch, we have friendly Scottish Highland cattle onsite for great photos and selfies.

5. Rooted Timbers

100%

(20)

30mi from Jefferson · 4 sites · Tents · Stuart, IA

We're Ben, Trinh, Camille, and Sage. We purchased this 12 acres in Fall '20 as a way to share our love of the outdoors with our friends and family. As time went on, we noticed a need in making outdoor activities more accessible and inclusive to those outside our network. Rooted Timbers was created with the intention of making it easier for you to disconnect from business and connect with stillness.

Public campgrounds near Jefferson

Springbrook Campground

17mi from Jefferson · 111 sites · Tents, RVs · in Springbrook State Park

100%

(4)

Ledges Campground

25mi from Jefferson · 94 sites · Tents, RVs · in Ledges State Park

Dolliver Campground

30mi from Jefferson · 24 sites · Tents, RVs · in Dolliver Memorial State Park

Beach Campground

33mi from Jefferson · 252 sites · Tents, RVs · in Brushy Creek State Recreation Area

100%

(1)

Acorn Valley Campground

39mi from Jefferson · 95 sites · Tents, RVs · in Saylorville Lake

Prairie Flower Recreation Area and Campground

100%

(3)

Prairie Flower Recreation Area and Campground

40mi from Jefferson · 159 sites · Tents, RVs · in Saylorville Lake

100%

(5)

Cherry Glen Campground

41mi from Jefferson · 125 sites · Tents, RVs · in Saylorville Lake

Bob Shetler Recreation Area and Campground

42mi from Jefferson · 67 sites · Tents, RVs · in Saylorville Lake

100%

(3)

Walnut Woods Campground

46mi from Jefferson · 22 sites · Tents, RVs · in Walnut Woods State Park

Stories from the community

R

Robin

2 weeks ago

1 night at Rock N Ranch Events & Campground

Beautiful property, lots of trails to explore, pond and complete relaxation. Hunters Havin sleeping cabin was awesome. Great for cooler weather and beautiful surroundings for campfire. We can’t wait to return in the summer with the grandkids.

RV Spots have electric at the site, water to fill your tanks with and we have a dump station on the way out.

Xavier

3 weeks ago

Weekend Trip to Shadybrook Camping and RV Adventure

Great roadside stop. Safe and comfortable. Would reccomend.

J

Jennifer

October 2025

19 ft campervan

With pets

4 nights at Greenhouse Camping

My dogs and I loved our stay on Robin’s land. He is very kind and had everything we needed. Peaceful location and close to everywhere we were going. Will definitely stay again.

Holly

October 2025

1 night at Rock N Ranch Events & Campground

The host was super friendly and flexible, even when we got in around midnight. The space was safe and views were lovely the next morning. I'd recommend staying!

Laura

October 2025

17 ft travel trailer

With pets

1 night at Greenhouse Camping

Perfect location, beautiful sunset (picture included) nice grassy trail for an anytime still by yourself or with your dog. Speaking of dogs, Robin has installed a HUGE and I mean HUGE Dog Park. Water, electric and convenient extras if you want them🫶🏼 I’ll be back!

D

Dan

October 2025

Tent

2 nights at Tent camping on the Raccoon River

Experienced camper or newbie, this is a great spot! Very quiet. River just a few feet away for water-based activities (fishing, kayaking, etc.) and some floofy cows that for the most part were quiet at night. Hosts were available and helpful, but left you to your devices. Town of Lake City is nearby for quick supply run and a Casey's pizza. Public camping spot also just down the road. Highlight of the trip was farm dog Fergus who dropped by to check on us in the morning and keep the critters away.

E

Eric

October 2025

2 nights at Shadybrook Camping and RV Adventure

Absolutely love the cute little cottage and the fun playground areas.

Rayven

October 2025

2 nights at Shadybrook Camping and RV Adventure

We had a great stay! The cabin was cozy and clean, tucked on the outskirts of Des Moines in a quiet little RV park and campground. The host was super friendly and helpful, and we appreciated that it wasn’t crowded at all. There were fun swings to discover around the property, and we enjoyed a perfect evening campfire—firewood was conveniently available on-site. Would definitely stay again!

B

Brandy

October 2025

14 ft travel trailer

Weekend Trip to Tent camping on the Raccoon River

Stephanie was a very kind and welcoming host! The camping spot was very serene and peaceful. We were able to relax and soak up all the beautiful sights. We highly recommend Rainbow Raccoon Ranch!!

J

James

September 2025

Tent

Weekend Trip to Shadybrook Camping and RV Adventure

The facilities were good, the site was nice (trees, nearby creek), and the staff were friendly and helpful. The only potential downside to this campsite is that there was fairly continual traffic noise from an interstate highway that was about a half mile to the north of the site; the noise eventually faded into the background of our awareness and didn't impact our ability to sleep at night

D

Dale

September 2025

Tent

Weekend Trip to Tent camping on the Raccoon River

This spot is the quietest I’ve experienced yet. The sound of the river is very faint and the cows are quite as well 🙂. The host is very hospitable. Their livestock watchdog and a few donkeys to add to the livestock protection make for a wonderful experience.

Patricia

September 2025

Tent

With pets

2 nights at Shadybrook Camping and RV Adventure

Hostess was friendly and helpful. The site was large and shady. The facilities were clean. Directions, actually coordinates, were for a location about a mile away. I had to call to find the campground. Site T3 was very close to I-80 so it became noisy at times. The brook had an area of extremely slow moving water which seemed to attract mosquitoes. Perhaps that was seasonal. I would highly recommend for RVs and camper vans. Only can rate a maybe for tent camping..

Loved the extra space we could let our dog investigate

Amanda

September 2025

30 ft travel trailer

1 night at Greenhouse Camping

Convenient metro location with easy access to food and nature areas. Loved the location and didn’t mind the minor road/interstate noise. Clean. Great basic campsite with some extra touches.

M

Michael

September 2025

Tent

With kids

3 nights at Tent camping on the Raccoon River

I tried out my new RTT and annex and there was plenty of places to set up. Great firewood and fire pit. It was far enough away from the farm to have privacy. I packed in water, toilet, electricity and didn’t need to rely on the site. We had family and small children visit and it was great for that as well.

E

Executive

September 2025

33 ft travel trailer

3 nights at Greenhouse Camping

This so calm and relaxing. Lots of space and quiet. Right now there is a lot of construction going on in the area, but it was still quiet during our three night stay. Robin stopped by the first night to make sure we were settled in and had what we needed. Very friendly. Met the other camper there who was taking their two dogs to the dog run. Nice fenced in area that is quite large. We don't have dogs, but that was a nice area to take them to play. We will definitely try to stay again if we are in the area.

M

Maria

August 2025

16 ft car

Weekend Trip to Greenhouse Camping

Nice little spot. Could use some updated pictures showing the housing development and construction going on across the road. Well-kept yard and very nice dog park. I wasn’t sure where the walking paths were and I didn’t get much information about the property when I checked in with the host. Could use a new bench and fire pit, as well as empty the port-a-pot. It was good for an impromptu night away.

M

Michele

August 2025

18 ft pop-up camper

With pets

Weekend Trip to Greenhouse Camping

Nice place to pull in for the night. The little dog park was a bonus.

Ronda

August 2025

Tent

Weekend Trip to Shadybrook Camping and RV Adventure

I enjoyed the privacy and shade that site #T3 offered. The other tent sites in the loop were in full sun. I set up a tail gate tent and appreciated that there was enough grass at the end of the parking gravel for the tent. The large site could easily fit a couple of more tents. Very relaxing to listen to the accessable babbling creek on the back of the site. Only negative would be if there are other tenters you could be bothered by the close port-a-potty. I definitely heard the white noise of the interstate but it didn't drown out the sounds of the owls at night. Few lights in the campground allow for stargazing. So surprised to find the cleanest shower house ever! The private shower included a sink and toilet. Host was quick to answer any questions I had. I will definitely visit again.

Devon

August 2025

With pets

Weekend Trip to Rock N Ranch Events & Campground

The Ranch is a hidden paradise for a person like myself!! Very peaceful with a Creek,Pond, and Trails!!!! We had a Full moon during the stay and it’s amazing view every night! 10/10!!! 5 Star!!! MUST SEE!!!

S

Sarah

August 2025

16 ft car

With pets

1 night at Greenhouse Camping

We had a great time. The site was beautiful and Robin was incredibly kind and welcoming.