Available Nov 13–15 · 2 nights6 sites open for every nightA forested campground near fishing, hiking, and mountain biking. RV fit varies by site.
Buck Creek Campground sits along the shore of Rathbun Lake, an 11,000-acre reservoir set in the gently rolling hills of the Chariton River Valley about 9 miles northwest of Centerville, Iowa. The campground's terrain is mostly open grassy areas dotted with trees, where you can spot bald eagles, white-tailed deer, Canada geese and wild turkey moving through the shoreline and woodlots.



Length limits vary by campsite.
Showers on site. Dump station on site.
Check dates on Recreation.gov. Showing 40 of 42 sites.
| Site | Fr 13 | Sa 14 | Price |
|---|---|---|---|
| A23 standard electric | – | – | $22 |
| F02 standard electric | – | – | $22 |
| A11 standard electric | – | – | $22 |
| F07 standard electric | – | – | $22 |
| A17 standard electric | – | – | $22 |
| A15 standard electric | – | – | $22 |
| A21 standard electric | – | – | $22 |
| A07 standard electric | – | – | $22 |
| B01 standard electric | – | – | $22 |
| A03 standard electric | – | – | $22 |
| A19 standard electric | – |
✓ available · R reserved · X not available · C closed · W first come, first served · N not yet released
Hookups (individual campsites): 42 electric individual sites.
20112 HWY J5T
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Official facts link to their source; “Listing” facts come from the Recreation.gov listing. Anything we can't source says so.
Kenneth T ★ 5 · Oct 2025very nice every thing was great
Ward S ★ 5 · Oct 2025Good time camping when the weather cools off and I can open the windows and not run my ac. September is a good month to camp with fishing and small game hunting seasons open. Also nobody rented my spot the night before our arrival date. Was nice to arrive any time of the day we wanted to without worrying if someone was still in our spot we paid for and they didn’t.
Patricia A ★ 2 · Sep 2025We camped at site A13. We were very disappointed in the condition of the site and area surrounding it. The picnic able had been placed over a huge washout. There were huge tire ruts all around the site and mole holes everywhere. I would have complained and moved, but there were no other sites for our time frame. We have camped at this site for years and this was just unacceptable. We could not enjoy the fire pit as the picnic table was in the way. I cannot fathom how you knew this site was reserved and never made any attempts to repair it. Shame on you. Patricia Anderson
| – |
| $22 |
| B05 standard electric | – | – | $22 |
| F06 standard electric | – | – | $22 |
| A06 standard electric | – | – | $22 |
| B02 standard electric | – | – | $22 |
| A18 standard electric | – | – | $22 |
| A22 standard electric | – | – | $22 |
| F08 standard electric | – | – | $22 |
| A16 standard electric | – | – | $22 |
| F05 standard electric | – | – | $22 |
| A13 standard electric | – | – | $22 |
| A10 standard electric | – | – | $22 |
| F09 standard electric | – | – | $22 |
| B08 standard electric | – | – | $22 |
| A09 standard electric | – | – | $22 |
| A24 standard electric | – | – | $22 |
| F03 standard electric | – | – | $22 |
| A02 standard electric | – | – | $22 |
| A14 standard electric | – | – | $22 |
| F04 standard electric | – | – | $22 |
| F01 standard electric | – | – | $22 |
| B07 standard electric | – | – | $22 |
| B04 standard electric | – | – | $22 |
| A08 standard electric | – | – | $22 |
| A12 standard electric | – | – | $22 |
| A04 standard electric | – | – | $22 |
| A01 standard electric | – | – | $22 |
| A05 standard electric | – | – | $25 |
| B03 standard electric | – | – | $25 |
| A20 standard electric | – | – | $25 |
Available Nov 13–15 · 2 nights6 sites open for every night
Available Nov 13–15 · 2 nights7 sites open for every night
Available Nov 13–15 · 2 nights2 sites open for every night42 individual reservable campsites from Recreation.gov, checked Nov 7. Rates are the listed nightly rates.
Tent or RV, with power
42 sites · $25, $22/night
Loops: LOOP A (24), LOOP F (10), LOOP B (8)
0 open Nov 13–Nov 15
Rentals that may deliver here and whose listed length fits sites up to 71 ft. Delivery may be available — confirm fees and dates with the owner before you book.

Travel trailer · 20 ft · sleeps 5 · 66 mi from campground
$109/night listed · RVshare · Delivery may be available
View rental
Travel trailer · 22 ft · sleeps 5 · 80 mi from campground
$124/night listed · RVshare · Delivery may be available
View rental
Fifth wheel · 42 ft · sleeps 4 · 117 mi from campground
$120/night listed · Outdoorsy · Delivery may be available
View rentalstays up to 14 nights (Recreation.gov rules).
For July weekends, book about 178 days ahead. Three in four July Friday and Saturday arrivals were booked later than that, and half were booked 102 days or less before arrival. Past timing is guidance, not a guarantee of what is open now.
| Arrival month | Fri/Sat arrivals: half booked at least | A quarter at least | Other days: half booked at least | A quarter at least |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| May | 103 days ahead | 158 days ahead | 99 days ahead | 175 days ahead |
| June | 94 days ahead | 170 days ahead | 83 days ahead | 174 days ahead |
| July | 102 days ahead | 178 days ahead | 92 days ahead | 177 days ahead |
| August | 34 days ahead | 171 days ahead | 54 days ahead | 179 days ahead |
| September | 28 days ahead | 80 days ahead | 28 days ahead | 144 days ahead |
Months with fewer than 30 reservations of that kind are left blank. Sites where nearly every booking was made the day of arrival (pay on arrival) are left out. Closed seasons, windows not yet released for booking, and currently unavailable nights are separate from this history.
Based on Recreation.gov reservations, FY2015–2025 (8,073 reservations in the years scored). Counts reservations made, not nights actually camped: cancellations aren't in the data, and nights a site was closed count as not booked. FY2020–21 (COVID) are left out of the scores.