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Map data © OpenStreetMap contributors. Activities powered by Viator. Prices and availability come from each provider and are confirmed when you book with them.

  1. Home
  2. Iowa
  3. Prairie Ridge (Rathbun Lake)

Camping at Prairie Ridge (Rathbun Lake) near Centerville

Public campground · Centerville · 53 campsites · 1 group

A forested campground near fishing, hiking, and mountain biking. RV fit varies by site.

About this campground

Prairie Ridge sits on a high ridge between Buck Creek and Honey Creek about 6 miles southwest of the junction of Iowa Highway 5 and J18 near Moravia, with clear views across portions of Rathbun Lake and the surrounding prairie and timbered draws sunsets here are a consistent feature. The campground contains 54 family-friendly, large campsites arranged in two separate camping areas; each site can accommodate both RVs and tents.

4.0 on Recreation.gov · 62 reviewsBook on Recreation.gov
View all 3 photos

At a glance

  • RV sites up to 75 ft

    Length limits vary by campsite.

  • Electric hookups
  • Pets welcome
  • Flush toilets

    Showers on site. Dump station on site.

OverviewCampsitesAmenities & locationReviewsPlan your stay

0 available sites

0 open of 53 sites
No sites offered for these dates.

We checked every night of your stay on Recreation.gov: no site is open for all 2 nights. Some sites are open on some nights.

Flexible dates

View the next available two-night stay.

Looking for the next open dates…
Fixed dates

Compare nearby campgrounds open for these dates. Your camping setup, rig size, hookups and dates stay applied.

Nearby campgrounds open for these dates
Check Recreation.gov directly ↗
View full availability calendar · night-by-night from Recreation.gov

Check dates on Recreation.gov. Showing 40 of 54 sites.

SiteFr
13
Sa
14
Price
B04
standard electric
––$25
B18
standard electric
––$25
B20
standard electric
––$25
A02
standard electric
––$25
B01
standard electric
––$25
B06
standard electric
––$25
B09
standard electric
––$25
B10
standard electric
––$25
B16
standard electric
––$25
B24
standard electric
No site is open for every night of your stay

You book directly on Recreation.gov. Rates and availability can change until reserved. Campground page on Recreation.gov ↗

No sites offered for these dates
Book on Recreation.gov

Amenities & location

  • Boat Dock
  • Boat Ramp
  • Campfire Rings
  • Day Use Area
  • Drinking Water
  • Dump Station
  • Electric Hookups
  • Entrance Station
  • Fish Cleaning Stations
  • Flush Toilets
  • Grills
  • Lake Access
Check-in
4:00 PM
Checkout
4:00 PM
Pets
Allowed (per listing)
Maximum stay
14 nights

Hookups (individual campsites): 53 electric individual sites · group site listed separately (1 no-hookup).

Location

20112 HWY J5T
Open in Google Maps ↗

Prairie Ridge (Rathbun Lake): questions answered

What is the maximum RV length at Prairie Ridge (Rathbun Lake)?
Longest RV site listed: 75 ft (44 of 55 RV sites list a length) (per the listing)
Does Prairie Ridge (Rathbun Lake) have RV hookups?
53 electric individual sites · group site listed separately (1 no-hookup) (per the listing)
How do I reserve a site at Prairie Ridge (Rathbun Lake)?
Reservable on Recreation.gov (per the listing)
Are pets allowed at Prairie Ridge (Rathbun Lake)?
Allowed (per the listing)
Sources and details

At a glance

Official facts link to their source; “Listing” facts come from the Recreation.gov listing. Anything we can't source says so.

Max rig length
Listing Longest RV site listed: 75 ft (44 of 55 RV sites list a length)
Hookups & power
Listing 53 electric individual sites · group site listed separately (1 no-hookup)
Pull-through / back-in
Listing 3 pull-through, 51 back-in
Road & site access
Listing 46 gravel site driveways
Pets
Listing Allowed
Cell signal
Listing Visitor-reported signal on Recreation.gov (higher is better): Verizon 3 (20 reports), T-Mobile 4 (5 reports), AT&T 2 (3 reports)
Water
Listing Drinking water listed
Shade
Listing 49 of 50 sites that report shade are listed as shaded
Booking
Listing Reservable on Recreation.gov
Price
Listing Lowest listed rate $25/night (live price once you pick dates)
Stay limits
Listing 14 nights max
Getting there
Listing 20112 HWY J5T (map in Location below)
Generators · Quiet hours · Starlink / satellite
Not listed — check with campground

Reviews

Selected reviews

Verbatim from guest reviews on Recreation.gov ↗ (62 reviews, ★ 4.0). Not written or edited by us.

“Great area for family reunions. Not much traffic so it’s easy to let the kids run and have fun. Would LOVE to see a play area for kids in there. ”

Angel S 4 · Sep 2025 · Recreation.gov
Nearby

Campgrounds to compare

Prefer a roof?

Prefer a roof over your head

All glamping →
  • Honey Creek State Park2.8 mi · Moravia
  • Chariton Valley Cabins And RV Sites11.1 mi · Melrose
  • Lake Wapello State Park16.2 mi · Drakesville

Explore nearby

  • Campgrounds near Centerville
  • RV rentals near Centerville
  • Glamping & cabins near Centerville
  • RV rentals in Iowa
  • Glamping in Iowa

Guides for this trip

  • How much does it cost to rent an RV?
  • Camping with dogs
–
–
$25
A05
standard electric
––$25
A09
standard electric
––$25
A14
standard electric
––$25
A17
standard electric
––$25
A19
standard electric
––$25
A20
standard electric
––$25
A24
standard electric
––$25
A03
standard electric
––$25
A06
standard electric
––$25
A15
standard electric
––$25
A25
standard electric
––$25
A22
standard electric
––$25
B02
standard electric
––$25
B25
standard electric
––$25
B07
standard electric
––$25
B21
standard electric
––$25
B22
standard electric
––$25
B23
standard electric
––$25
B05
standard electric
––$25
B12
standard electric
––$25
B28
standard electric
––$25
A10
standard electric
––$25
A12
standard electric
––$25
A04
standard electric
––$25
A21
standard electric
––$25
B13
standard electric
––$25
A07
standard electric
––$25
A18
standard electric
––$25
A01
standard electric
––$25
B26
standard electric
––$25

✓ available · R reserved · X not available · C closed · W first come, first served · N not yet released

Available Nov 13–15 · 2 nights6 sites open for every night

Chariton Valley Cabins And RV Sites

11.1 mi from Prairie Ridge (Rathbun Lake) (straight-line)
Sites $30/night
$60 total for Nov 13–15 · before taxes & fees
Rates & availability from Hipcamp · you book on their site
View Campsites
Available Nov 13–15 · 2 nights7 sites open for every night

Hidden Ridge Campground of NE MO

24.1 mi from Prairie Ridge (Rathbun Lake) (straight-line)
Sites from $25/night
$50 total for Nov 13–15 · before taxes & fees
Rates & availability from Hipcamp · you book on their site
View Campsites
Available Nov 13–15 · 2 nights2 sites open for every night

Trail-Side Rural Retreat

33.1 mi from Prairie Ridge (Rathbun Lake) (straight-line)
Sites $23/night
$46 total for Nov 13–15 · before taxes & fees
Rates & availability from Hipcamp · you book on their site
View Campsites
Ways to stay

Bring a tent or have an RV waiting

  • Tent camping here: 53 sites take tents. See open sites ↑
  • Electric sites: 53 sites have power.

Need an RV for your stay?

Rentals that may deliver here and whose listed length fits sites up to 75 ft. Delivery may be available — confirm fees and dates with the owner before you book.

2022 Jayco Jay Flight SLX
2022 Jayco Jay Flight SLX

Travel trailer · 20 ft · sleeps 5 · 65 mi from campground

$109/night listed · RVshare · Delivery may be available

View rental
2022 Prime Time Avenger
2022 Prime Time Avenger

Travel trailer · 22 ft · sleeps 5 · 78 mi from campground

$124/night listed · RVshare · Delivery may be available

View rental
2018 Forest River Sierra 387 MKOK
2018 Forest River Sierra 387 MKOK

Fifth wheel · 42 ft · sleeps 4 · 117 mi from campground

$120/night listed · Outdoorsy · Delivery may be available

View rental
Best time to go

Seasons, rates and how booked it gets

  • Peak season May 14–Sep 14: RV & Tent $25–$70 per night
  • Peak season May 15–Sep 14: RV & Tent $25–$70 per night

stays up to 14 nights (Recreation.gov rules).

Plan your stay

How far ahead to book Prairie Ridge (Rathbun Lake)

For September weekends, book about 164 days ahead. Three in four September Friday and Saturday arrivals were booked later than that, and half were booked 78 days or less before arrival. Past timing is guidance, not a guarantee of what is open now.

See booking patterns
Arrival monthFri/Sat arrivals: half booked at leastA quarter at leastOther days: half booked at leastA quarter at least
May117 days ahead144 days ahead98 days ahead140 days ahead
June13 days ahead90 days ahead10 days ahead95 days ahead
July22 days ahead138 days ahead31 days ahead123 days ahead
August19 days ahead84 days ahead24 days ahead159 days ahead
September78 days ahead164 days ahead36 days ahead84 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 (6,005 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.

Compare site types

53 individual reservable campsites from Recreation.gov, checked Nov 8 · 1 group site listed separately. Rates are the listed nightly rates.

Standard sites with electric

Tent or RV, with power

53 sites · $25/night

0 open Nov 13–Nov 15

Group standard nonelectric (group)

1 site · $70/night

0 open Nov 13–Nov 15