Campgrounds and RV parks near Clarence, IA

Cave exploration is the signature draw. Maquoketa Caves State Park contains more caves than any other state park in Iowa, covers 370 acres among hardwood trees and high bluffs, and holds approximately thirteen caves. Dancehall Cave is approximately 800 feet long with three entrances and allows a person to walk upright most of the way through it. A White-Nose Syndrome decontamination protocol is required at the trailhead, and a headlamp is needed because the deepest caves are unlit. River activity dominates the rest of the region. Hunting is allowed in season on a 140-acre area adjacent to Wapsipinicon State Park, bordered by the Wapsipinicon River, and the area offers opportunities for hiking, snowmobiling, cross country skiing, fishing and hunting. A trip to Wapsipinicon also includes bowl-shaped Horse Thief Cave and Ice Cave, named for the cool air as you enter it.

The Iowa state park camping season is short and matters for trip planning. At Wapsipinicon State Park the campground is closed January 1 through March 31, off-peak in April, peak May 1 through October 15, and off-peak from mid-October through the end of the year. Maquoketa Caves State Park is 100 percent reservable and accepts reservations March 1st through November 30th, and the campground is closed each year from December 1 through February 28. Summer is peak season across the region, with weekends filling first. The best time to visit Maquoketa Caves is summer, when the interpretive center and caves are open, rangers operate special educational programs including a white-nose syndrome awareness program required of all visitors entering the caves, and the caves close during winter for bat hibernation while other parts of the park stay open. Spring can bring high water on the Cedar and Wapsipinicon rivers, which occasionally affects low-lying campground loops and river access. Fall brings cooler nights and thinning crowds through October before most public campgrounds shut down.

State-park campgrounds in this region offer a mix of electric and non-electric sites with modern facilities. The Maquoketa Caves campground offers both electric and non-electric sites as well as a modern restroom and shower facility, and features spacious, level sites that offer good privacy between neighbors, with the entire campground shaded, providing relief during hot summer months. At Wapsipinicon, the modern campground has non-electric and electric campsites, showers and restrooms. Firewood rules are strict. Iowa is under state and federal quarantines for emerald ash borer, and transporting firewood into or out of quarantined areas is prohibited. Buy firewood locally at or near the campground.