Buck Creek (rathbun Lake)

Buck Creek Campground is located on beautiful Rathbun Lake, just 9 miles northwest of Centerville, Iowa. Camping, boating, swimming, fishing and picnicking are popular activities at this lakefront campground. This campground offers 42 sites with electric hookups. Amenities include flush and pit toilets, showers, drinking water, a dump station, boat ramp and playground. A marina and bait shop are located nearby. This location is unstaffed. The 11,000-acre lake provides a variety of fishing opportunities for any angler; crappie, channel catfish, walleye and largemouth bass are most common. Although power boating is also popular, the prevailing winds on Rathbun Lake, also known as Iowa's Ocean, make it one of the best sailing lakes in Iowa. Rathbun Lake is situated in the gently rolling hills of the Chariton River Valley in southeast Iowa, and the campground consists of open grassy areas dotted with trees. Bald eagles, white-tailed deer, Canada geese, wild turkey and other wildlife can be found at Rathbun Lake. The Rathbun Fish Hatchery is located near the main dam and offers self-guided tours Monday through Friday year-round; hundreds of thousands of catfish and walleye are produced here each year. Southern Iowa's only Off Highway Vehicle Park is nearby, located on the south bank of the South Fork Chariton River and encompassing nearly 125 acres of an abandoned rock quarry.