Shady Creek
October 2026
About
Overview
Shady Creek Campground is a 22-acre park where campers enjoy getaways on the banks of the Mississippi River. A nature trail, shore fishing and fantastic bird watching are offered at Shady Creek.
Recreation
The Mississippi River draws many anglers annually. The most popular fish species is the channel catfish; bluegill, walleye and northern pike are also found in the river.
Picnicking and playing horseshoes is a popular activity in the park.
Facilities
The park's campsites contain 50-amp electric hookups, campfire rings and picnic tables. Flush toilets and showers are provided. A boat ramp and playground are on-site.
Natural Features
The park has spectacular views of the Mississippi River. Many trees throughout the campground provide great places to lounge in the shade.
The Upper Mississippi River begins at the headwaters of Lake Itasca, Minnesota and flows 1,250 miles to Cairo, Illinois where it joins the Ohio River.
Nearby Attractions
Wildcat Den State Park is just north of Shady Creek, offering hiking trails and the historic Pine Creek Grist Mill built in 1848.
The Mark Twain National Wildlife Refuge is a 40-minute drive downstream. Trails and observation decks are open to the public. Hunting and fishing are allowed in many area of the refuge.
Amenities
Phone: 563-419-0857
Is SHADY CREEK fully booked?
A campground showing no availability is almost never full for good. People cancel — plans change, weather turns, someone books three weekends and keeps one — and the site goes straight back into the booking system, usually without warning and often at odd hours. The reason sold-out campgrounds feel impossible is not that sites never free up; it is that nobody is watching at the moment they do.
CampHawk watches SHADY CREEK in Muscatine, IA for you. We recheck it every 15 seconds, around the clock, and the moment a site opens we send a text, an email and a push notification — and on Recreation.gov we can put the site straight into your cart, so it is held while you get to your phone.
Searching is free and needs no account — the calendar above is live right now. Watching SHADY CREEK for cancellations is the paid part.