Openings · last 7 days
44
Booking reality
Campsite Sniper detected 44 site openings here in the last 7 days
01 · Detected Opening History · the openings record · file CS-272084
When Tailwater West Campground reopens
Tailwater West Campground's openings record: every site-date Campsite Sniper detected turning available, logged and time-stamped. Refreshed hourly.
Openings · last 30 days
65
Openings · last 90 days
65
Weekday pattern
Detected openings by day of week · 90dNo strong weekday pattern is evident in the openings Campsite Sniper has detected: 65 openings spread across the week.
Hour-of-day pattern
First detected by hour · local time · last 90 daysThe largest concentrations of detected openings were first detected during the 09:00 and 14:00 local-time hours. Those hours contained 27 of 65 detected openings (41.5%). Hours show when Campsite Sniper first detected each opening, in Central Time, not when the change was made upstream.
Lead-time profile
Days before stay date · percentilesHalf of the openings Campsite Sniper detected appeared at least 23 days before the stay date; the middle 50% land 6–30 days out. Set an alert if you want Campsite Sniper to monitor future openings.
Highest-churn sites
Most openings · 90d| Site | Openings | Share of all openings |
|---|---|---|
| T05 | 16 | 24.6% |
| T16 | 13 | 20.0% |
| T04 | 4 | 6.2% |
| T18 | 4 | 6.2% |
| T22 | 4 | 6.2% |
Site T05 had the most detected openings in the last 90 days: 16. One free watch covers every site here.
02 · Availability Outlook · Sep 18 – Oct 17, 2026 · of 22 monitored sites
Of the 660 tracked site-nights (Sep 18 – Oct 17, 2026): 155 open for online reservation · 505 reserved.
Where the open windows are
76.5% of tracked site-nights are not currently open for online reservation. 155 of 660 remain open; here is where they are.
Load status
Sep 18 – Oct 17, 2026Not open online76.5%
Open site-nights155 / 660
Reserved (of online inventory)505 / 660
Weekday openings109
Weekend openings46
Of the open site-nights on mapped sites, 109 fall on weekdays and 46 on weekends (Fri–Sun).
Open dates by month
Sep 2026 – Oct 2026October holds the most room. 94 of 374 site-nights are still open there.
Holiday windows
Sites open per night · of 22 sites| Window | Night | Sites open | Status |
|---|---|---|---|
| Labor Day | SAT Sep 5 | 0 | None open |
| SUN Sep 6 | 0 | None open | |
| MON Sep 7 | 0 | None open |
Labor Day: no online availability on any tracked night.
Best-availability sites
Most open site-nights · tracked window| Site | Open site-nights |
|---|---|
| T22 | 28 |
| T21 | 26 |
| T05 | 15 |
| T14 | 11 |
| T17 | 11 |
The 5 sites with the most open site-nights in the current snapshot. Pair a bookable date with a free alert to cover everything else.
Next windows
As of Sep 18, 2026 snapshotNext open dateFri · Sep 18
Next open weekendFri · Sep 18
The next bookable night is Sep 18; the first open weekend starts Sep 18. Campsite Sniper can watch later dates for you.
Stays and site detail
155 open site-nights across 20 sites at Tailwater West Campground, from the same hourly snapshot as everything above.
Multi-night stays. 31 2-night, 19 3-night, 4 7-night openings where a single site is free for every night, per Campsite Sniper's current snapshot — soonest Sep 18 at site T22.
RV length. Longest recorded site here is 69 ft. 20 sites take 25 ft, 20 sites take 35 ft, 20 sites take 40 ft. 2 sites of 22 have no recorded maximum and are not counted.
All 20 sites with current availability
| Site | Max RV | Hookups | Open site-nights | Longest run | Dates |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| T22 | Not recorded | None | 28 | 21 nights | Sep 18, Sep 19, Sep 20, Sep 21, Sep 22, Sep 23, Sep 24, Sep 27, Sep 28, Sep 29, Sep 30, Oct 1 +16 more |
| T21 | Not recorded | None | 26 | 21 nights | Sep 20, Sep 21, Sep 22, Sep 23, Sep 24, Sep 27, Sep 28, Sep 29, Sep 30, Oct 1, Oct 2, Oct 3 +14 more |
| T05 | 40 ft | Yes | 15 | 7 nights | Sep 20, Sep 21, Sep 22, Sep 23, Sep 30, Oct 1, Oct 7, Oct 8, Oct 11, Oct 12, Oct 13, Oct 14 +3 more |
| T14 | 62 ft | Yes | 11 | 5 nights | Sep 20, Sep 21, Oct 5, Oct 6, Oct 7, Oct 8, Oct 11, Oct 12, Oct 13, Oct 14, Oct 15 |
| T17 | 51 ft | Yes | 11 | 5 nights | Sep 27, Sep 28, Sep 29, Sep 30, Oct 1, Oct 7, Oct 13, Oct 14, Oct 15, Oct 16, Oct 17 |
| T04 | 62 ft | Yes | 10 | 4 nights | Sep 22, Sep 23, Sep 30, Oct 1, Oct 4, Oct 5, Oct 6, Oct 7, Oct 11, Oct 14 |
| T02 | 63 ft | Yes | 9 | 3 nights | Sep 27, Sep 28, Sep 30, Oct 5, Oct 6, Oct 7, Oct 11, Oct 13, Oct 14 |
| T15 | 62 ft | Yes | 9 | 4 nights | Sep 21, Sep 28, Sep 29, Sep 30, Oct 1, Oct 5, Oct 6, Oct 7, Oct 8 |
| T11 | 66 ft | Yes | 6 | 4 nights | Sep 27, Sep 28, Oct 4, Oct 5, Oct 6, Oct 7 |
| T10 | 69 ft | Yes | 5 | 3 nights | Sep 29, Oct 12, Oct 13, Oct 14, Oct 17 |
| T12 | 69 ft | Yes | 4 | 3 nights | Sep 28, Sep 29, Sep 30, Oct 17 |
| T06 | 69 ft | Yes | 3 | 2 nights | Sep 27, Sep 29, Sep 30 |
| T07 | 46 ft | Yes | 3 | 2 nights | Oct 8, Oct 11, Oct 12 |
| T09 | 65 ft | Yes | 3 | 3 nights | Sep 27, Sep 28, Sep 29 |
| T19 | 60 ft | Yes | 3 | 3 nights | Sep 28, Sep 29, Sep 30 |
| T01 | 58 ft | Yes | 2 | 2 nights | Sep 20, Sep 21 |
| T08 | 58 ft | Yes | 2 | 2 nights | Oct 14, Oct 15 |
| T13 | 50 ft | Yes | 2 | 1 night | Sep 27, Oct 17 |
| T20 | 50 ft | Yes | 2 | 1 night | Sep 20, Oct 7 |
| T03 | 40 ft | Yes | 1 | 1 night | Sep 21 |
About Tailwater West Campground
Overview
The Tailwater West Campground is located within the Dam Complex at the Coralville Lake Project. The Coralville Lake Project is a multiple 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 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.
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.
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.
22 monitored sitesRVs up to 69 ft20 with hookups21 shadedPets OKFire pitsMax party 6
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 Campground will be located on the right side of the road. From Interstate 380 (North Liberty, IA) take Exit 4 towards North Liberty. Travel east on W. Penn St. for 2 miles and turn right onto N. Dubuque St. Travel south on 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 West Campground will be located on the right side of the road.
2850 Prairie Du Chien Rd Ne, Iowa City, IA 52240-7820MAY 1 - OCTOBER 31 CAMPGROUND ENTRANCE STATION: (319) 338-3685 NOVEMBER 1 - APRIL 30 CORALVILLE LAKE PROJECT OFFICE (319) 338-3543 X.6300
BikingBoatingCampingDisc GolfFishingHikingWater Activities
View on Recreation.gov ↗ Get directions ↗
03 · Field Photos · roll CS-272084 · facility + sites
Photo gallery
Roll CS-272084 · Tailwater West Campground · Iowa City IA12 frames · facility + sites
FAQ
How do I get a reservation at Tailwater West Campground?
Reservations for Tailwater West Campground are made through Recreation.gov. 76.5% of tracked site-nights are not currently open for online reservation; 155 of 660 remain open. Campsite Sniper has also detected 65 site openings here in the last 90 days, so further dates may appear. Pick a site on the map to see its calendar, or set a free Campsite Sniper alert. You complete the reservation yourself on Recreation.gov.
Does Campsite Sniper book this campground 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 16:19 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.
How often do new openings appear at Tailwater West Campground?
Campsite Sniper detected 44 site-date openings at Tailwater West Campground in the last 7 days, 65 over 30 days and 65 over the last 90.
Can I get a multi-night stay at Tailwater West Campground?
19 three-night openings are showing, counting only runs where the SAME site is free for all three nights. The soonest starts Sep 18 at site T22. Confirm and book on Recreation.gov.
Which sites at Tailwater West Campground fit a 35-foot RV?
20 of the 22 sites that support RV analysis have a recorded maximum of 35 ft or more; the longest recorded is 69 ft. 20 of those 22 sites have a recorded maximum length and 2 do not; they are not counted as fitting.
Which month has the most availability at Tailwater West Campground?
October 2026, with 94 open site-nights in the current snapshot of 374.
How far ahead of a stay do openings appear at Tailwater West Campground?
Half of the openings Campsite Sniper detected appeared at least 23 days before the stay date; the middle 50% landed 6-30 days out. Campsite Sniper can monitor future changes for dates you select.
When is the next open date at Tailwater West Campground?
As of the Sep 18, 2026 snapshot: the next open date is Fri, Sep 18 and the next open weekend starts Fri, Sep 18. Detected openings can add earlier dates at any time; a free Campsite Sniper alert catches those the moment they appear.
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