Cottonwood Campground, Iowa City, IA

Cottonwood Campground in Johnson county is located just 15 min north of Iowa City, IA with an elevation of 722 feet. There are a total of 11 campsites which are all tent-only sites. The campground is normally open from the end of May to the end of August. All sites are currently reservable. Reservations can be booked up to 6 months in advance. There is a fee of $14.00 per night. Some amenities include shower, flush toilets. Activities include hiking trails.

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Campsite Reviews (20)

4.2 out of 5

5 star		45%
4 star		40%
3 star		10%
2 star		0%
1 star		5%

@DawnA7384905 · Camped on Aug 26, 2023 at Campsite #C7

We love this campground. Mature trees, lots of shade, and super clean restrooms, plus a sink you can wash dishes in.

@BethanyND918D1 · Camped on Jul 15, 2023 at Campsite #C2

My husband, our 7 year old daughter and I came camping last weekend to Cottonwood and we normally love camping here! But we left for 3 hours to go fishing and came back to our brand new 300 dollar tent being shredded and broke into by the raccoons. We have never had such a big problem before with the raccoons. We always keep all our food ect in vehicles and totes! They still damaged our tent that we just took out of the box while there. Very disappointed and very sad that our tent was destroyed. The raccoon population has tripled since being there last time!

@ElisabethB73DD · Camped on May 29, 2023 at Campsite #C6

The campground was very quiet especially during the week. I love that there are warm showers and a sink available for washing dishes. A note about the showers: you don't need to turn them on high to be warm, that stings. Just turn them on gently and wait a minute and the water will warm up. The bathrooms are very clean. I love that this park still offers primitive camping. Camping away from all the people in the RV's that are using their Satellite TV's and staying up late on their cell phones is so peaceful. It is easy to find a place to pitch your tent.

@ToddB2939544 · Camped on Sep 3, 2022 at Campsite #C14

Nice, quiet campsites. Will stay again.

@GiannaS1311155 · Camped on Aug 17, 2022 at Campsite #C14

good place to stay but you will be close to others so expect noise and lights.

@ElissaC9004566 · Camped on Jul 29, 2022 at Campsite #C9

Cottonwood is a beautiful and serene campground. The bathrooms are kept very clean. I have camp here for well over 20 years and it's my favorite tent campground around. Just make sure you stow your food properly (wedge coolers under picnic tables at night, put all dry foods in totes in the center of your tent or in your vehicle at night). The racoons are very good at scavenging.

@JohnG7676070 · Camped on Jul 27, 2022 at Campsite #C6

Great connection with nature. Try to catch a slow mo video when trees let go of the cottonwood seeds it’s awesome!!

@AlisonA9446259 · Camped on Jul 2, 2022 at Campsite #C4

Beautiful spot. Clean restrooms with warm showers. Unfortunately, not all camper respected quiet hours.

@DanK631 · Camped on Sep 3, 2021 at Campsite #C8

Great location, but the quiet hours are not enforced. They let people drink and play loud music until midnight.

@DanK6653884 · Camped on Sep 3, 2021 at Campsite #C8

Great location, but the quiet hours are not enforced. They let people drink and play loud music until midnight.

@ShariD734 · Camped on Aug 31, 2021 at Campsite #C10

The bathrooms are maintained and clean. The showers are hot and in good condition. The is light near the restroom area and the remainder of the camping is very dark.

@ShariD5147128 · Camped on Aug 31, 2021 at Campsite #C10

The bathrooms are maintained and clean. The showers are hot and in good condition. The is light near the restroom area and the remainder of the camping is very dark.

@JessicaM205 · Camped on Aug 28, 2021 at Campsite #C11

Best campsite in Iowa. Beautiful tree cover, mostly flat sites. The bathrooms were clean, with good flush toilets, warm water, and air dryers. There were showers but we didn't use them. I like that the walk in, non electric sites means tents only! All sites had picnic tables and fire rings. We had a fabulous time.

@JessicaM144623 · Camped on Aug 28, 2021 at Campsite #C11

@TannerV2388580 · Camped on Aug 14, 2021 at Campsite #C11

The campground was well kept and had nice bathrooms. I will be camping here again for sure.

@TannerV537 · Camped on Aug 14, 2021 at Campsite #C11

The campground was well kept and had nice bathrooms. I will be camping here again for sure.

@Toddw573 · Camped on Aug 13, 2021 at Campsite #C14

Great campground. Clean facilities, and friendly staff.

@ToddW6212254 · Camped on Aug 13, 2021 at Campsite #C14

Great campground. Clean facilities, and friendly staff.

@AshleyC221 · Camped on Jul 16, 2021 at Campsite #C1

Loved how convenient the bathrooms were and the beach is fairly close!

@BarbaraM704 · Camped on Sep 2, 2020 at Campsite #C15

Camped at site 15, nice large wooded site. Nicely shaded. We had for the most part a very enjoyable time. Didn't realize when we booked it that it was 1/8 of a mile uphill from the parking. Also there are houses within view through the woods from the campsite and there were what sounded like teenagers at the houses that were a times very loud.

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