Campsite Sniper
Iowa · Recreation.gov

Tailwater West Day Use Area

41.7218° N / 91.5297° W · Data Sep 18 2026, checked hourly
Next open date Sep 20Next open weekend Sep 251 day-use unit

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Reservable day-use dates, colored by availability. Tap a unit for its calendar.
Tailwater West Day Use Area

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Opening record
No detected openings in the last 90 days

No detected openings were recorded in the last 90 days. Campsite Sniper monitors Tailwater West Day Use Area continuously and will alert you if that changes.

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01 · Availability Outlook · Sep 18 – Sep 30, 2026 · of 1 monitored site

Of the 13 tracked reservation dates (Sep 18 – Sep 30, 2026): 10 open for online reservation · 1 reserved · 2 on sites not offered for online reservation (first-come, first-served or administrative).

Where the open windows are

23.1% of tracked reservation dates are not currently open for online reservation. 10 of 13 remain open; here is where they are.

Load status

Sep 18 – Sep 30, 2026
Not open online23.1%
Open reservation dates10 / 13
Reserved (of online inventory)1 / 11
Weekday openings6
Weekend openings4

Of the open reservation dates on mapped day-use units, 6 fall on weekdays and 4 on weekends (Fri–Sun).

Open dates by month

Sep 2026 – Sep 2026
048121610SEPSOLID = OPEN RESERVATION DATES · DASHED OUTLINE = TOTAL BOOKABLE

September holds the most room. 10 of 13 reservation dates are still open there.

Holiday windows — day use

Units open per date · of 1 day-use unit
WindowDateUnits openStatus
Labor DaySAT Sep 50None open
SUN Sep 60None open
MON Sep 70None open

Labor Day: no online availability on any tracked date.

Availability by day-use unit

Most open reservation dates · tracked window
UnitOpen reservation dates
09  10

This day-use unit currently has 10 reservation dates available.

Next windows

As of Sep 18, 2026 snapshot
Next open dateSun · Sep 20
Next open weekendFri · Sep 25

The next bookable date is Sep 20; the first open weekend starts Sep 25. Campsite Sniper can watch later dates for you.

Reservation dates

10 available reservation dates across 1 day-use unit at Tailwater West Day Use Area, from the same hourly snapshot as everything above.
All 1 day-use unit with current availability
UnitOpen reservation datesConsecutive datesDates
09109 datesSep 20, Sep 21, Sep 22, Sep 23, Sep 24, Sep 25, Sep 26, Sep 27, Sep 28, Sep 30

About Tailwater West Day Use Area

Overview

Tailwater West Day Use Area is a day-use facility located along the tailwaters of the Coralville Lake Dam. Coralville Lake is a multiple use project providing benefits in flood control and low flow augmentation, as well as 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 skiing, 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. 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. Turkey Creek Disc Golf Course is located in the Dam Complex and offers nine partially wooden and open holes.

Facilities

The day-use location offers a large group picnic area with drinking water and electric. Amenities include flush toilets, playground, accessible fishing pier and accessible hiking trail.

Natural Features

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

1 monitored unitDay use1 shadedPets OKMax party 50

Getting there

From Interstate 80 (Iowa City, Iowa), take Exit 244 towards Dubuque St./North Liberty. Travel north on Dubuque St. for 3 miles and turn right onto West Overlook Rd. NE. Travel on West Overlook Rd. NE for 1.1 miles. At the second stop sign, turn right onto Prairie Du Chien Rd. NE. Travel east on Prairie Du Chien Rd. NE for 0.2 miles. The entrance to the Tailwater West Day Use Area will be located on the right side of the road. From Interstate 380 (North Liberty, Iowa), take Exit 4 towards North Liberty. Travel east on W. Penn St. for 2 miles and turn right onto N. Dubuque St. for 1.9 miles, at the traffic circle, continue straight onto Dubuque St. NE. Continue traveling south on Dubuque St. NE for 1.9 miles. Turn left onto West Overlook Rd. NE and travel east for 1.1 miles. At the second stop sign, turn right onto Prairie Du Chien Rd. NE. Travel east on Prairie Du Chien Rd. NE for 0.2 miles. The entrance to the Tailwater Day Use Area will be located on the right side of the road.

2850 Prairie Du Chien Rd. Ne, Iowa City, IA 52240-7820CORALVILLE LAKE PROJECT OFFICE (319) 338-3543 X.6300
FishingHikingPicnickingWater AccessWildlife Viewing

View on Recreation.gov ↗   Get directions ↗

FAQ

How do I get a reservation at Tailwater West Day Use Area?

Reservations for Tailwater West Day Use Area are made through Recreation.gov. The current snapshot shows substantial availability: 10 of 13 tracked reservation dates are open (76.9%), though availability can change. Pick the unit on the map to see its reservation calendar, or set a free Campsite Sniper alert. You complete the reservation yourself on Recreation.gov.

Does Campsite Sniper book this facility for me?

No. Campsite Sniper sends alerts and direct Recreation.gov links. It never books, pays for, holds, hoards, or resells reservations.

How current is this availability data?

Campsite Sniper re-checks public Recreation.gov availability for this facility every hour and republishes whenever anything changes. This facility's data last changed at Sep 18, 2026 15:19 UTC; an older timestamp means nothing has changed since that time, not that checking stopped. Always confirm final availability on Recreation.gov when you book.

Which month has the most availability at Tailwater West Day Use Area?

September 2026, with 10 open reservation dates in the current snapshot of 13.

When is the next open date at Tailwater West Day Use Area?

As of the Sep 18, 2026 snapshot: the next open date is Sun, Sep 20 and the next open weekend starts Fri, Sep 25. Detected openings can add earlier dates at any time; a free Campsite Sniper alert catches those the moment they appear.

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