Home/Coralville Lake/Tailwater West Campground

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Tailwater West Campground

Coralville Lake

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Upcoming Availability

14 of 14 days currently show available sites.

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Campground guide

What to know before booking

The Tailwater West Campground is located within the Dam Complex at the Coralville Lake Project. The Tailwater West Campground is located on the west bank of the Iowa River below the Coralville Lake Dam. Coralville Lake is located in the Iowa River Valley, just north of Iowa City.

max Stay

14 nights

Official campground details, summarized

Concise planning notes based on the public Recreation.gov campground information.

Facilities

The Tailwater West Campground is located on the west bank of the Iowa River below the Coralville Lake Dam. The campground offers 22 campsites to include full hook-up campsites, standard electric campsites, and non-electric walk-to tent campsites. Amenities include a modern restroom with shower facility, and fish cleaning station. The Tailwater Day Use Area offers a playground, hiking trail and ADA accessible fishing piers. The campground fee booth is located in the West Overlook Campground and the dump station and drinking water is located just outside of the West Overlook Campground.

Natural Features

Coralville Lake is located in the Iowa River Valley, just north of Iowa City. The Tailwater West Campground lies among a heavily wooded forest of mixed hardwood species on the west side of the dam. Wildlife is abundant throughout the project. Whitetail deer, turkeys, pheasants, waterfowl, song birds and other species roam the lands around the lake.

Recreation

Visitors enjoy Coralville Lake for camping, boating, fishing, swimming and water activities. Anglers will find large and smallmouth bass, crappie, walleye and catfish. Several trails are within the Dam Complex, including Squire Point, Woodpecker Trail, Tailwater Riverwalk and barrier-free Veterans Trail. The Devonian Fossil Gorge is just below the dam, offering a unique opportunity to explore a 375-million-year old sea floor and discover fossil remains of sea life that once inhabited this tropical marine environment. Twenty discovery points can be found throughout the site along with a cell phone audio tour. The Turkey Creek Disc Golf Course is located in the Dam Complex and offers nine partially wooden and open holes.

Nearby Attractions

Iowa City/Coralville offers the Veterans Affairs Medical Center, University of Iowa campus, hospital and clinics, numerous restaurants and shops as well as Coral Ridge Mall. Cedar Rapids has wonderful cultural, historic and ethnic attractions such as The National Czech and Slovak Museum and Library and is the home of the Kernels Professional Baseball Club. West Branch boasts the Herbert Hoover National Historic Site and Presidential Library/Museum. At Amana Colonies visit seven quaint villages with outstanding restaurants, wineries, historic sites and specialty shops. Kalona is known as the "Quilt Capital of Iowa" and is home to an Old Order Amish and Mennonite Community.

Campsite map

vehicle

people

shade

Site T09

Tailwater West

STANDARD ELECTRIC

65 ft

vehicle

people

Yes

shade

Important notices

Three camping units are permitted per campsite: one RV and two tent, or three tents.

Up to six occupants are permitted per site.

Quiet Hours are from 10:00 p.m. - 6:00 a.m.

Visitors shall register for their campsite at the West Overlook Campground Fee Booth prior to setting up on the campsite.

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Common questions

Is Tailwater West Campground available right now?

Kestrel's most recent scan found openings on 14 of the next 14 days, starting Sun, Jul 26. Availability changes constantly — check the calendar above, then confirm on Recreation.gov.

How do I book Tailwater West Campground?

Reservations are handled by Recreation.gov, not by Kestrel. Use the official reservation link on this page to book. Kestrel only watches availability and tells you when a site frees up.

How quickly will I hear about a cancellation?

Kestrel rescans every two minutes, and every 30 seconds during the provider's daily release window. Alerts go out by email as soon as a matching site appears.