Campground

Sugar Bottom Campground

Coralville Lake · Solon · Iowa — managed by US Army Corps of Engineers

Sites open now — checked live on Recreation.gov
Sugar Bottom Campground campground
Photo: Recreation.gov · USACE

Weekend availability at Sugar Bottom Campground

Live from Recreation.gov · checked Sep 19, 2:05 AM PT

Sold out 1 of the next 2 weekends — exactly when cancellation alerts earn their keep.

  • Fri, Sep 18
    Sold out
  • Fri, Sep 25
    Open
    129/230 sites

Friday + Saturday nights, sites bookable both nights. Counts come from a rotating sweep and can lag a cancellation by up to a day — alerts watch your exact dates within minutes.

How booked is Sugar Bottom Campground?

as of September 19

Sites are open right now — we found space out to Sep. That changes fast at a campground. We check Sugar Bottom Campground around the clock, so the moment your dates fill up and a cancellation reopens them, you'll be first to know. Weekdays still have room — for now.

Weekends (Saturday night)

Sep 26Open

Weekdays (Wednesday night)

Sep 23Open

Availability checked directly against the reservation system, out to 3 months ahead.

Campsites & amenities

Site-level details from Recreation.gov's official catalog.

Campsites
244
Electric sites
227
Water hookups
37
Sewer hookups
13
Pull-through
12
Group Standard Area ElectricStandard ElectricWalk-In

About this campground

Overview The Sugar Bottom Campground is located on the shores of Coralville Lake. The Coralville Lake Project is a multipule use project providing primary benefits in flood control and low flow augmentation, and secondary benefits in recreation, fish and wildlife management and forest management. Coralville Lake provides many recreational opportunities, including boating, camping, hiking, mountain biking, lake and river fishing, swimming, water activities, picnicking, and hunting.Recreation Visitors enjoy Coralville Lake for boating, fishing, swimming and water activities. Anglers will find large and smallmouth bass, crappie, walleye and catfish. Hiking and mountain biking are popular activities in Sugar Bottom. Several trails are within Sugar Bottom, including the Cedar Valley Nature Trail, Sugar Bottom Mountain Bike Trail, and a barrier-free asphalt trail.The Sugar Bottom Disc Golf Course is located in the Sugar Bottom Day Use Area and offers 18 partially wooded and open holes. The Sugar Bottom Mountain Bike Trail is located in the Sugar Bottom Day Use Area and offers beginner to expert trails.Facilities The Sugar Bottom Campground offers 232 campsites to include full hook-up campsites, 50 amp electric and water hookup campsites, standard 30 amp electric campsites, and non-electric walk-to tent campsites. Amenities include modern restroom and shower facilities, vault toilets, dump station, drinking water supply, entrance station, beach, and boat ramp. Natural Features Coralville Lake is located in the Iowa River Valley, just north of Iowa City. The Sugar Bottom Campground lies among a heavily wooded forest of mixed hardwood species on the east side of the lake. Wildlife is abundant throughout the project. Whitetail deer, turkeys, pheasants, waterfowl, song birds and other species roam the lands around the lake. Nearby Attractions The Devonian Fossil Gorge is 10 miles away, just below the Coralville Dam. It offers 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. 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 & Slovak Museum & 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.

Getting there

From Interstate 380 (North Liberty, Iowa), take Exit 4 towards North Liberty. Travel east on W. Penn St. for 2.2 miles. At the four way stop sign, turn left onto N. Front St./Mehaffey Bridge Rd. NE. Continue traveling on Mehaffey Bridge Rd. NE for 2.9 miles. Right after crossing the Mehaffey Bridge, take a right hand turn onto the Sugar Bottom Campground Access Rd. Continue on the Sugar Bottom Campground Access Rd. for 1.1 miles. The entrance to the Sugar Bottom Campground is straight ahead. From Highway 1 (Solon, IA), turn west onto 180th St. NE/E 5th St. Travel west on 180th St. NE for 2.3 miles, the road will then become Mehaffey Bridge Rd. NE. Continue traveling on Mehaffey Bridge Rd. NE for 2.4 miles. Right before the Mehaffey Bridge, take a left hand turn onto the Sugar Bottom Campground Access Rd. Continue on the Sugar Bottom Campground Access Rd. for 1.1 miles. The entrance to the Sugar Bottom Campground is straight ahead.

Elevation
691 ft
Contact
(319) 338-3543
Coralville Lake office

Activities

  • HIKING
  • FISHING
  • CAMPING
  • BIKING

Nearby federal campgrounds

Never miss an opening at Sugar Bottom Campground

Popular Iowa campgrounds book out months ahead — but cancellations happen every day. We watch Sugar Bottom Campground around the clock and alert you the moment a sold-out site reopens for your dates, so you don't have to keep refreshing Recreation.gov.

Not ready to subscribe? Get a free weekend heads-up.

We'll email you if Sugar Bottom Campground opens up for a weekend you pick. No account needed.

Details from Recreation.gov's official RIDB catalog. Conditions change — confirm with the managing office or on Recreation.gov before you go. Not affiliated with Recreation.gov or any federal agency.