CAMPANAC.Powered by public lands intelligenceMore Than Just Parks

U.S. Army Corps of Engineers · WI

Grant River

ReservableBookable through October 24; November 1 opens May 1.

Book on recreation.govWe make nothing when you book

Right now: Taking bookingsSites offered on 9 of the next 9 nights read 16:19 UTC
A night: $14–$26Across the site types the agency prices
Sites: 73All of them booked ahead

Photos · CEMVR-OD-MN

90 ftLongest rig

620 ftElevation

47 ftWater · an unnamed stream

7.2 miN of Dubuque, IA

n/aTree cover · water-masked cell

The place

the agency’s own description · what’s there · 11 notices

In the agency’s own words

Spread along the banks of the Upper Mississippi River, the Grant River Campground, located in the "Catfish Capital of Wisconsin," is a modern campground that offers a plethora of outdoor and recreational activities. Keep reading

Recreation

The famous fishing on the Mississippi River draws crowds of anglers each year. The most popular species is the channel catfish, earning the city of Potosi the nickname "Catfish Capital of Wisconsin." Other species include bluegill, walleye, crappie, northern pike and bass. Best to try your luck in the spring before the rice field grows up. There is boat ramp access within the campground, but can be chalenging for larger vessels as water levels drop and aquatic vegetation grows up.

Facilities

Picnic shelter and a playgrounds create an ideal environment for a small party or family get-together. Both tent and RV sites are available, and amenities like showers, drinking water and flush toilets offer a comfortable camping experience.

Natural Features

Surrounding the large campsite is a lush river landscape with towering bluffs and beautiful sunsets, creating a nature experience for visitors without losing the comforts of modern camping. Contact Info For facility specific information, please call (563) 582-0881.

Nearby Attractions

Potosi Brewing Company Restauraunt & Museum (Potosi, WI - 2 miles) Lock and Dam 11 (Dubuque, IA - 19 miles) National Mississippi River Museum & Aquarium (Dubuque, IA - 20 miles) Diamond Jo Casino & The Q Casino (Dubuque, IA - 20 miles) Historic sites, Antiques, Fine Dining (Galena, IL - 28 miles)

Source: Recreation.gov data (RIDB), full extract · Aug 23, 2026

What the agency tells you

Rule

This campground is a Self-Service Campground. Self-Service Campgrounds allow campers to modify their own reservations on their arrival date, at no charge using the Recreation.gov website or Mobile App. So, if you want to add a night, leave early, or move to a different site, you can do it all from your smartphone! Check-out time is 12:00 pm. Check-in time is 2:00 pm. Campsites are by Reservation Only. 1. Campers With a Reservation: - MUST confirm the site reserved, locate site, and start camping. - A Park Ranger or Volunteer will come to your campsite to check you in. Have your ID and ATB pass, if applicable, ready to present. 2. Campers Without a Reservation: - MUST check for campsite availability and make reservation first by: - Using your smartphone camera to scan the QR Code at campsite - or call 1-877-444-6777 or visit www.recreation.gov

Rule

Don't Move Firewood: Protect your forests from tree-killing pests by buying your firewood locally and burning it on-site. Visit Dontmovefirewood.org for further information.

Rule

Pets must be on a six (6) foot leash at all times.

Everything else this campground posts · 8

Rule

No parking on grass. Two (2) vehicles per site.

Rule

Hooking up to water, except to fill your tank, is prohibited. No washing of vehicles/campers

Rule

Maximum of six (6) persons per site.

Rule

Camping equipment is limited to one (1) wheeled unit plus two (2) tents per site, or three (3) tents per site.

Rule

Check out is 12:00 pm. Check in is 2:00 pm

Rule

Quite hours are 10:00 pm to 6:00 am.

Rule

No ATV's, ORV's, gas/electric scooters. All vehicles must be operated in accordance with applicable Federal, State and local laws.

Rule

Visitors are expected to be aware of Campground Rules

Read them on the agency’s own page →

Source: recreation.gov facility notices, quoted verbatim · Sep 9, 2026

Tents and rigs

Sites: 73 · 10 tent-only
Hookups: 62 electric
Longest rig: 90 ft
Paved pads: 52 of 73
Accessible sites: None listed
Pets: Allowed
Campfires: Allowed, barring fire bans
Shade: Every site

Source: Recreation.gov campsite records · Aug 23, 2026

Facilities

Toilets: Flush Toilets; “…like showers, drinking water and flush toilets offer a comfortable camping experience. Natural…”
Showers: Yes, the record doesn’t say what kind; “Both tent and RV sites are available, and amenities like showers, drinking water and flush toilets offer a comfortable camping experience.”
Drinking water: Yes; “…available, and amenities like showers, drinking water and flush toilets offer a comfortable camping…”
Dump station: Yes; recreation.gov lists “Dump Station”
Boat ramp: Yes
Playground: Yes
Camp host: On site; recreation.gov lists “Host”
Stay limit: 14 nights; recreation.gov facility rule maxStay

Source: Stated in the agency description · Aug 23, 2026

Water, toilets and showers: read from the agency description, shown above · Sep 12, 2026

Around the campground

On the water: River; Birding; Evening Programs; Fishing; Picnicking; Water access
Night sky · 70th darkest of 70 in WI: Bortle 4

Source: Recreation.gov activity records · Aug 23, 2026

Night sky: VIIRS Day/Night Band annual cloud-free composite, VNL V2 2024 (Earth Observation Group, Colorado School of Mines), read at the published coordinate · Sep 8, 2026

72 of 146 site-nights open this Friday and Saturdayread 16:19 UTC

Every site here is reservable, and the record lists none held back for anyone who drives up.

OpenBooked

Booking windowThrough October 24Bookable now through October 24, 2026, the end of the reservable season. On November 1, 2026 at 10 AM ET, availability opens through May 1, 2027.recreation.gov Add to calendar (.ics)

Max stay14 nightsthe facility record

A night$14–$26plus $8 to reserve, once per bookingthe agency’s rate schedule

A weekend$36–$60DerivedFriday and Saturday, everything includedours, from the lines above

If plans change$10 to cancel$10 to change a reservationrecreation.gov’s schedule

Runs itU.S. Army Corps of EngineersBooked through recreation.govthe agency’s record

Watch for a cancellation

Full? Watch it.

One email when a night opens, plus More Than Just Parks dispatches. Unsubscribe any time.

We read recreation.gov once an hour, at 40 minutes past, and write the first time a site in your window is free for the nights you asked for.

Scanners that check every few minutes exist, and most of them charge. This one is free, it reads the same calendar, and it won’t always be first.

Free forever, no booking kickbacks.

Tell me when the season opens

Watch for the season to open

One email when the season goes on sale, plus More Than Just Parks dispatches. Unsubscribe any time.

We check once an hour, at 40 minutes past, and write the first time the agency has that season on sale.

Scanners that check every few minutes exist, and most of them charge. This one is free, it reads the same calendar, and it won’t always be first.

Free forever, no booking kickbacks.

Book on recreation.gov

We make nothing when you book. The link goes straight to the government.

Every line of the receipt · 14

What you actually pay

The sign priceU.S. Army Corps of Engineers

A night, per site$14–$26

Tent Only Nonelectric$14

Standard Electric$26

Group area, a night$25

Rates for the season the campground is in now, May 1, 2026 to Oct 24, 2026.

The booking feerecreation.gov

Reservation fee, booked online$8

One fee per reservation, however many nights you book, and it’s non-refundable. $9 if you book by phone, $3 in person.

Pass discounts only apply to the recreation (or use) fee for the facility. Other charges such as electricity or water hookups, reservation or other fees are not eligible for a discount.

What a stay costs

One nightDerived$22–$34

A weekend, Friday and SaturdayDerived$36–$60

Derived by CAMPANAC: the agency’s published rates for this season, $14–$26 a night, plus one $8 recreation.gov reservation fee for the booking. A weekend here means Friday and Saturday night, booked once. Optional charges (an extra vehicle, a second tent, a dump-station fee) are listed separately and aren’t in this total.

If your plans changerecreation.gov

Change fee, moving to dates outside your booking$10

Cancellation fee$10

Cancelling the day before, or the day of$10 + your first night

No-show$20 + your first night

Who keeps the booking fee

The agency’s own policy text says the reservation fee and the cancellation processing fee are “retained by the reservation service contractor”, and that a campground concessionaire will decline to refund them because “they did not receive these fees”. Recreation.gov is run under contract by Booz Allen Hamilton. What share of your booking fee the contractor keeps isn’t published in any federal dataset we can read, so we print no number for it. Our reporting on the contract →

How we know this receipt · 5

Sign price: recreation.gov facility rate schedule, quoted as the agency publishes it · Sep 10, 2026

Booking fee, change fee, cancellation fee, no-show: Rules and Reservation Policies, Recreation.gov, the published fee schedule, curated by hand into lib/reservation-fee-schedule.json (9 rows, each carrying its own verbatim sentence). The publisher states these policies were last updated September 2019. · Sep 9, 2026

The two totals: Derived by CAMPANAC by adding the agency’s own published nightly rate to recreation.gov’s own published reservation fee. Both components are cited above; the addition is ours and is shown only where every component is known. · Sep 9, 2026

Who keeps the booking fee: Recreation.gov facility policy text, Dead Swede Campground (facility 234221) · Not on the national policy page. This is agency policy text recreation.gov publishes on individual campground pages; this site holds it verbatim on 45 active campgrounds (campground_rules.cancellation_description, scripts/load-facility-rules.mjs). · Sep 9, 2026

The contract: Reservation Gods: Who Stole Our Campsites and Sold Them Back to Us, More Than Just Parks, April 2025 · Apr 1, 2025

Source: Recreation.gov data (RIDB), full extract · Aug 23, 2026

recreation.gov availability, read 16:19 UTC · rules read Sep 9, 2026 · rates Sep 10, 2026 · How we know all this

Seen something wrong here? Tell us.

The sites

74 records · which ones have room · the site map

The sites, ranked

from 72 mapped sites

46 ftbetween you and the next site, typically

90%of tent sites sit clear of electric or RV sites

Most room32 93 ft37 85 ft28 75 ft60 69 ft50 67 ft

Least room15 26 ft17 26 ft06 29 ft

Source: Derived by CAMPANAC from recreation.gov per-site coordinates (nearest-neighbor distance) · Oct 12, 2026

All 74 records

74 of 74 records located

Tent only10RV / electric62Type not stated1Day use1

01 02 03 04 05 06 07 08 09 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 28 29 30 31 32 33 34 35 36 37 38 39 40 41 42 43 44 45 46 47 48 49 50 51 52 53 54 55 56 57 58 59 60 61 62 63 64 65 66 67 68 69 70 71 72 73 Shelter

Aerial · Esri World Imagery

Sites: recreation.gov (RIDB), coordinates as published · Aug 23, 2026

Imagery: Esri World Imagery

SleepsTakes aUp to

The price is derived by CAMPANAC, not published per site: the per-night rate this campground publishes for each site’s own site type. 72 of the 74 sites listed carry one, and a site whose type has no published rate sits out of the price rather than being called free.


GRANT RIVER	01	type not stated	55 ft	50/30/20 amp			178 ftMississippi River
GRANT RIVER	02	standard electric	30 ft	50/30/20 amp		66 ft	146 ftMississippi River	$26
GRANT RIVER	03	standard electric	50 ft	50/30/20 amp		51 ft	214 ftMississippi River	$26
GRANT RIVER	04	standard electric	40 ft	50/30/20 amp		50 ft	188 ftMississippi River	$26
GRANT RIVER	05	standard electric	55 ft	50/30/20 amp		48 ft	261 ftMississippi River	$26
GRANT RIVER	06	standard electric	45 ft	50/30/20 amp		29 ft	255 ftMississippi River	$26
GRANT RIVER	07	standard electric	40 ft	50/30/20 amp		45 ft	308 ftMississippi River	$26
GRANT RIVER	08	standard electric	40 ft	50/30/20 amp		50 ft	309 ftMississippi River	$26
GRANT RIVER	09	standard electric	35 ft	50/30/20 amp		45 ft	341 ftMississippi River	$26
GRANT RIVER	10	standard electric	35 ft	50/30/20 amp		37 ft	362 ftMississippi River	$26
GRANT RIVER	11	standard electric	35 ft	50/30/20 amp		61 ft	384 ftMississippi River	$26
GRANT RIVER	12	standard electric	35 ft	50/30/20 amp		60 ft	412 ftMississippi River	$26
GRANT RIVER	13	standard electric	35 ft	50/30/20 amp		50 ft	191 ftMississippi River	$26
GRANT RIVER	14	standard electric	35 ft	50/30/20 amp		53 ft	134 ftMississippi River	$26
GRANT RIVER	15	standard electric	35 ft	50/30/20 amp		25 ft	246 ftMississippi River	$26
GRANT RIVER	16	standard electric	40 ft	50/30/20 amp		40 ft	182 ftMississippi River	$26
GRANT RIVER	17	standard electric	45 ft	50/30/20 amp		25 ft	268 ftMississippi River	$26
GRANT RIVER	18	standard electric	45 ft	50/30/20 amp		40 ft	222 ftMississippi River	$26
GRANT RIVER	19	standard electric	45 ft	50/30/20 amp		41 ft	315 ftMississippi River	$26
GRANT RIVER	20	standard electric	45 ft	50/30/20 amp		55 ft	282 ftMississippi River	$26
GRANT RIVER	21	standard electric	45 ft	50/30/20 amp		37 ft	366 ftMississippi River	$26
GRANT RIVER	22	standard electric	40 ft	50/30/20 amp		41 ft	325 ftMississippi River	$26
GRANT RIVER	23	standard electric	35 ft	50/30/20 amp		60 ft	434 ftMississippi River	$26
GRANT RIVER	24	standard electric	35 ft	50/30/20 amp		43 ft	399 ftMississippi River	$26
GRANT RIVER	25	standard electric	45 ft	50/30/20 amp		43 ft	440 ftMississippi River	$26
GRANT RIVER	26	standard electric	90 ft	50/30/20 amp		53 ft	491 ftMississippi River	$26
GRANT RIVER	27	standard electric	45 ft	50/30/20 amp		40 ft	184 ftMississippi River	$26
GRANT RIVER	28	standard electric	45 ft	50/30/20 amp		75 ft	64 ftMississippi River	$26
GRANT RIVER	29	standard electric	55 ft	50/30/20 amp		40 ft	217 ftMississippi River	$26
GRANT RIVER	30	standard electric	50 ft	50/30/20 amp		67 ft	123 ftMississippi River	$26
GRANT RIVER	31	standard electric	50 ft	50/30/20 amp		66 ft	263 ftMississippi River	$26
GRANT RIVER	32	standard electric	40 ft	50/30/20 amp		93 ft	132 ftMississippi River	$26
GRANT RIVER	33	standard electric	45 ft	50/30/20 amp		46 ft	320 ftMississippi River	$26
GRANT RIVER	34	standard electric	40 ft	50/30/20 amp		46 ft	275 ftMississippi River	$26
GRANT RIVER	35	standard electric	55 ft	50/30/20 amp		46 ft	366 ftMississippi River	$26
GRANT RIVER	36	standard electric	45 ft	50/30/20 amp		48 ft	349 ftMississippi River	$26
GRANT RIVER	37	standard electric	45 ft	50/30/20 amp		85 ft	461 ftMississippi River	$26
GRANT RIVER	38	standard electric	50 ft	50/30/20 amp		63 ft	412 ftMississippi River	$26
GRANT RIVER	39	standard electric	45 ft	50/30/20 amp		54 ft	371 ftMississippi River	$26
GRANT RIVER	40	standard electric	40 ft	50/30/20 amp		65 ft	199 ftMississippi River	$26
GRANT RIVER	41	standard electric	55 ft	50/30/20 amp		46 ft	230 ftMississippi River	$26
GRANT RIVER	42	standard electric	55 ft	50/30/20 amp		31 ft	290 ftMississippi River	$26
GRANT RIVER	43	standard electric	45 ft	50/30/20 amp		31 ft	319 ftMississippi River	$26
GRANT RIVER	44	standard electric	35 ft	50/30/20 amp		49 ft	312 ftMississippi River	$26
GRANT RIVER	45	standard electric	35 ft	50/30/20 amp		44 ft	291 ftMississippi River	$26
GRANT RIVER	46	standard electric	35 ft	50/30/20 amp		49 ft	265 ftMississippi River	$26
GRANT RIVER	47	standard electric	40 ft	50/30/20 amp		44 ft	248 ftMississippi River	$26
GRANT RIVER	48	standard electric	45 ft	50/30/20 amp		50 ft	217 ftMississippi River	$26
GRANT RIVER	49	standard electric	40 ft	50/30/20 amp		59 ft	171 ftMississippi River	$26
GRANT RIVER	50	standard electric	45 ft	50/30/20 amp		67 ft	182 ftMississippi River	$26
GRANT RIVER	51	standard electric	35 ft	50/30/20 amp		53 ft	177 ftMississippi River	$26
GRANT RIVER	52	standard electric	30 ft	50/30/20 amp		46 ft	205 ftMississippi River	$26
GRANT RIVER	53	standard electric	40 ft	50/30/20 amp		46 ft	250 ftMississippi River	$26
GRANT RIVER	54	standard electric	45 ft	50/30/20 amp		60 ft	254 ft	$26
GRANT RIVER	55	standard electric	40 ft	50/30/20 amp		59 ft	303 ft	$26
GRANT RIVER	56	standard electric	45 ft	50/30/20 amp		56 ft	303 ft	$26
GRANT RIVER	57	standard electric	45 ft	50/30/20 amp		59 ft	211 ft	$26
GRANT RIVER	58	standard electric	40 ft	50/30/20 amp		59 ft	214 ft	$26
GRANT RIVER	59	standard electric	35 ft	50/30/20 amp		43 ft	220 ft	$26
GRANT RIVER	60	standard electric	35 ft	50/30/20 amp		69 ft	166 ftMississippi River	$26
GRANT RIVER	61	standard electric	45 ft	50/30/20 amp		43 ft	180 ftMississippi River	$26
GRANT RIVER	62	standard electric	45 ft	50/30/20 amp		43 ft	173 ft	$26
GRANT RIVER	63	standard electric	35 ft	50/30/20 amp		43 ft	178 ft	$26
GRANT RIVER	64	tent only nonelectric				43 ft	115 ft	$14
GRANT RIVER	65	tent only nonelectric				47 ft	78 ft	$14
GRANT RIVER	66	tent only nonelectric				44 ft	85 ftMississippi River	$14
GRANT RIVER	67	tent only nonelectric				39 ft	78 ftMississippi River	$14
GRANT RIVER	68	tent only nonelectric				39 ft	81 ftMississippi River	$14
GRANT RIVER	69	tent only nonelectric				40 ft	66 ft	$14
GRANT RIVER	70	tent only nonelectric				43 ft	31 ft	$14
GRANT RIVER	71	tent only nonelectric				43 ft	29 ft	$14
GRANT RIVER	72	tent only nonelectric				40 ft	65 ft	$14
GRANT RIVER	73	tent only nonelectric				40 ft	77 ft	$14
GRANT RIVER	Shelter	day use		20 amp	yes		215 ftMississippi River	$25

The agency files 1 more record here that isn’t a site for the night. It files it as day use. It’s in the table above, marked for what it is, and it isn’t counted as a site.

Price: Derived by CAMPANAC: each site takes the per-night rate this campground publishes for the site’s own site type (recreation.gov rate schedule). recreation.gov publishes no per-campsite fee, and a site whose type carries no published rate is left blank rather than called free · Sep 11, 2026

OpenStreetMap has no toilet mapped within 1 km of this campground, so no site here carries a toilet distance. That’s a gap in the map, not a finding about the campground.

25 of 74 listed

Source: Recreation.gov data (RIDB), full extract · Aug 23, 2026

Getting there

the map and the coordinate · the agency’s directions · the phone number

Coordinate42.65944, -90.70972

The mapSee it on the map

The driveDirections ↗

The phoneRANGER OFFICE - 563-582-0881 / CAMPGROUND ENTRANCE STATION -

The agency’s pageOfficial page ↗

Where it is

Also near here

Blanding Landing30 mi

Bulger's Hollow Recreation Area57 mi

Thomson CausewayUpper Mississippi River National Wildlife And Fish Refuge · 58 mi

Blackhawk Park61 mi

Sandy Beach Camp74 mi

Sugar Bottom Campground76 mi

Getting there

From WI-133, Turn East on River Lane (two miles south of Potosi) and follow the directional signs approximately two miles to the campground. From US-61/WI-35, Turn S on River Lane and follow directional signs to campground.

Directions: Driving directions as the agency wrote them · Sep 9, 2026

Source: Recreation.gov data (RIDB), full extract · Aug 23, 2026

The weather

the next four days · the thirty-year normal

Next four days, and the thirty-year normal

Forecast

This Afternoon52°Partly Sunny

Tonight31°Mostly Clear then Widespread Frost

Saturday56°Widespread Frost then Sunny

Saturday Night39°Clear

NWS forecast for Potosi, WI

Source: National Weather Service, ARX forecast office · Oct 16, 2026

Typical weather

Typical October night 42°F, day 61°F.

Coldest month of the year: typical January night 10°F, below freezing. Bring a bag rated colder than that, and expect ice in the water bottle.

90°32°0°

Daily high and lowDays with 0.10 in or more

A normal is the 1991-2020 average for the month, not a forecast: about half of all Julys are colder than the July line. The seven-day forecast above answers the other question.

Measured at: DUBUQUE L&D 11, IA (USC00132364), 9 miles away and at about the same elevation

Source: NOAA National Centers for Environmental Information, U.S. Climate Normals 1991-2020, monthly normals · Sep 8, 2026

The land, and who answers for it

who answers for it

Who answers for this land

Grant River is in Wisconsin’s 3rd congressional district. Its representative, Derrick Van Orden (R), votes on the laws that decide what happens to this land. Public-lands grade so far: F. See every public-lands vote →

Seen something wrong here? Tell us.

Source: U.S. Census district boundaries and the MTJP Congressional Public Lands Score

How we know

every fact on this page, and where it came from

Right now: recreation.gov is offering sites on 9 of the next 9 nights, which isn’t something a closed campground does.

Sites on recreation.gov: recreation.gov’s own month availability payload for this facility, asked for October 2026, November 2026 and July 2027. It names 73 of the 73 campsites the agency files here, and every one of them carries an answer either way. A campground nobody has read carries no answer at all, never a no. · Oct 11, 2026

Elevation: USGS 3DEP elevation point query at this campground’s coordinate · Sep 7, 2026

Tree cover: NLCD Tree Canopy Cover 2024 (USDA Forest Service / MRLC), one 30 m cell at this coordinate, taken as the median across the 74 campsites here that carry a reading. The cell reads 0% and sits within 30 m of water, where NLCD’s water mask can zero the canopy, so no figure is printed · Sep 9, 2026

Water: USGS National Hydrography Dataset, nearest perennial lake, reservoir, river or stream to this campground’s coordinate · Sep 8, 2026

Night sky: VIIRS Day/Night Band annual cloud-free composite, VNL V2 2024 (Earth Observation Group, Colorado School of Mines), read at the published coordinate: 0.65 mcd/m² of artificial all-sky glow, ranked against the 70 rated federal campgrounds in Wisconsin · Sep 8, 2026

Sky-glow model: Duriscoe, Anderson, Luginbuhl and Baugh (2018), a simplified model of all-sky artificial sky glow derived from VIIRS Day/Night band data, the National Park Service sky-glow model

Cell signal: the Army Corps’s own campground description, read as text by CAMPANAC. None of this is a measurement. It’s what the land manager published about the place, and phones, carriers and weather all disagree with each other; treat it as a warning, not a promise.

Nearest place of any size: Potosi, WI, 0.9 mi S. Straight line.

Nearest town: U.S. Census Bureau TIGER/Line 2024 places, measured by CAMPANAC to the town boundary; population is the ACS 2020-2024 5-year estimate · Sep 9, 2026