Best Glamping near Carter Lake, IA

Recent Glamping Reviews in Carter Lake

158 Reviews of 17 Carter Lake Campgrounds

• 

  stephen W.

  Guide

  

  Oct. 11, 2024

  Hitchcock County Nature Center

  Stay for the trails

  I pulled in late at night easy to navigate stayed the next day and did some trails apparently the land formations are 1 of only 2 in the world how about that Iowa.

• 

  Pat V.

  Ranger

  

  Oct. 4, 2024

  Lake Wanahoo State Recreation Area

  Quiet and relaxed weekend

  It’s been a few years since we stayed at Lake Wanahoo, but we decided to stay there over our anniversary weekend. The place is still great, and this time of year it was very quiet and peaceful.

  I was able to fish at the lake, we used the trails for walking and biking. Being close to town allowed us to have a great anniversary dinner at a steakhouse!

  We are definitely going to be using it more!

• S

  Steve

  Guide

  

  Sep. 25, 2024

  Pottawattamie County Fairgrounds

  Cheap and easy to get to from the highway

  This is a no-frills stop off on a road trip kind of place. The bathrooms were pretty gross and there are lights on all night so hopefully you have a blackout tent or good shades on your RV. It's nothing to write home about but it was quiet and I slept well. I would stay again

• 

  Edger G.

  Scout

  

  Sep. 25, 2024

  Nelson Park Crawford County Park

  Descent place for camping

  It’s a good place for camping not perfect. Has a descent size lake good for kayaking and fishing.

• B

  B S.

  Traveler

  

  Sep. 19, 2024

  Hitchcock County Nature Center

  Meh, for tent camping

  Stopped overnight in late August. Did not want to drag our gear up/down a hill to the tent campsites in the lower loop. Paid more to stay in the upper RV loop where we listened to a neighbor's generator all night. Pretty buggy. Showers/toilets okay. Note there are at least 2 railroads running nearby in the wee hours of the morning. Also, this is on the flight path for jets leaving (I assume) the Omaha airport. Not a restful night--won't be back.

• K

  Karen J.

  Scout

  

  Sep. 16, 2024

  Platte River State Park Campground

  Just one night

  If you don’t mind lugging your stuff to your tent spot, it’s primitive, no frills camping at its finest! We chose the closest spot to the vault toilets. There are only 4. It’s a bit off the beaten path but we got to enjoy the beautiful horses. Bonus!

• 

  Fred S.

  Legend

  

  Sep. 6, 2024

  Waubonsie State Park Campground

  Really good hiking trails

  Stayed one night on Sept 4. Camped at site 35 in the non-equestrian campground; non-electric fee $15. Parked van on the grass at this site. Like nearly all of the sites in this campground, this site was close to the campground road. Overall, I felt that the campsites were all bunched together - offering no privacy and spacing between sites. The shower house was closed during our visit. Water was also turned off at the wayer pumps in the campground. There was one single vault toilet available for all of the campers; it was reasonably clean. Wayne, the campground host, was nice & helpful. There is a self-serve firewood station in the campground; cost is either $5 or $10, depending on the amount of wood you purchase. The campsites have a picnic table & metal fire ring. I wasn't too pleased with this campground, but I was very happy with the nearby hiking trails within the park. It's a pretty state park with hills & lush forest. The day use areas looked great. I recommend those traveling along I-29 to stop at this park - not necessarily for the camping, but for the hiking. Had some T-Mobile 4G service.

• 

  Danni A.

  Traveler

  

  Aug. 11, 2024

  Waubonsie State Park Campground

  Quiet and Peaceful

  This park was a great place to head to and unplug for a weekend. We camped in the area without hookups, so we pretty much had that area to ourselves. The area with hookups was somewhat crowded. The bathrooms and shower were clean. Water is easily accessible. The park is small, and we didn't find much to do other than a few hikes. 

  There are signs in the bathrooms warning of the raccoons. These signs are not exaggerating. We had a raccoon at our campsite trying to steal our food while we were there, like the raccoon was less than 10 feet from humans during mid-day.

• M

  Mills C.

  Scout

  

  Jul. 11, 2024

  Pony Creek Co Park

  NOT affiliated with DYRT

  Do not pay Dyrt to use this campground.  They are not affiliated.

• S

  Sabrina E.

  Guide

  

  Jul. 5, 2024

  Hitchcock County Nature Center

  Amazing!!

  We camp all the time at different locations, and I 100% recommend this campground! The hosts are so polite and helpful and they keep the place immaculate. Even the pit toilets were spotless and didn’t smell. The hosts went around several times a day collecting trash and even mopping the pit bathrooms. Camping here also gives you access to the playground and nature trails into some beautiful countryside. The only downside is bring several bottles of bugspray, the mosquitos are terrible!

• 

  AUDREY S.

  Scout

  

  Jun. 18, 2024

  Weeping Water

  Stopped for RV dump only

  Did not stop to Camp!!, only dumped my tanks and filled up water. Wish I would’ve stayed. Looks like a very well done out-of-the-way and quaint park. $20 for dumping, or camping and dumping, seven dollars for tent campers.

• D

  Dana T.

  Guide

  

  May. 7, 2024

  Lake Cunningham Campground

  Nice for Glamping

  Nice site for a tent camper passing through, beginner adventurers, glampers, or a family staycation.  The entire park is well maintained, has a large lake stocked with fish, tent sites are close together, but tolerable.  Occupancy depends on the time of year.  I was there in September and it was not crowded at all.  Tent sites are primitive.  New roads leading into the park.

• C

  Char S.

  Scout

  

  Apr. 10, 2024

  Hitchcock County Nature Center

  One of the best places ever.

  Only spent one night but would have stayed longer if we would have had time. Nice clean bathhouse and restrooms. Lots of hiking trails and even hiking sticks. We really enjoyed this short stay!

• 

  Cire C.

  Scout

  

  Mar. 2, 2024

  Pottawattamie County Fairgrounds

  Overnight or Long Term

  We have been coming to this campground every year. They have recently open during the winter which is great because not many campground are open during this time. Steve is such a great guy who is always looking out for you.

• 

  jeremy L.

  Scout

  

  Oct. 10, 2023

  Cottonwood - Two Rivers SRA

  Two Rivers

  State park with many amenities! River and small lake fishing as well. No wifi, good T-Mobile cell service

• L

  Louis A.

  Scout

  

  Oct. 8, 2023

  Platte River State Park Campground

  Worthless weekend at Platte River State Park

  Camping in the teepee was hands down our worst camping experience ever. The teepee was hot, dirty and falling apart. We stayed in the“big chief” teepee and it was on a horrible slope with tons of ruts on nothing but bare uneven dirt. There was no privacy as the other two teepees beyond this one were set up so other campers were constantly walking by your camp. Even the door placement to the teepees were bad. There was a more well placed teepee they save for first come first serve camping, not reserved camping. That makes no sense. The worst teepee should be reserved for unreserved campers. There are also bike trails directly around the teepees so in daylight, meaning early and late, you will hear groups of bikers riding around a technical course and lots of whooping and cheering as well as hard landings. To make things worse, they didn’t tell us about an ROTC event they were hosting in the park where groups of ROTC young people were constantly walking by our camp from early morning to afternoon, looking for markers for a kind of seek out practice for them. This was highly disturbing. Zero calm and privacy. The teepee was shabby and the indoor outdoor carpet was dirty and old, and you got the feeling you were sleeping and living over everyone else’s ick. Also, right over the teepee there were loads of huge dead oak branches. With the high winds, we were pretty scared a branch might fall on us. It’s just a matter of time before someone gets hurt, or worse. There were many loud people in cabins with dogs, even dogs barking and crazy dogs running loose the whole time we were there. There was also a lot of trash and littered personal items scattered around in the woods and on the campground area. In the end, it is a very poorly planned campground for comfort, beauty, safety and privacy. We would have been better off to stay home. Like many things now, Platte River State Park feels overrun with activity and under preserved. The exact opposite of why one wants to get away from the city and camp in nature. Waste of time and money.

• 

  Kevin P.

  Scout

  

  Sep. 7, 2023

  Pony Creek Co Park

  Camp by tent

  a great place

• L

  Ladona S.

  Scout

  

  Sep. 6, 2023

  Pottawattamie County Fairgrounds

  Super easy I80 stop

  We made a one night stop as we traversed I80. Clean with shaded park like area. Electric, water and sewer available. Bathroom and shower were clean. But old style, so small and well worn.

• c

  cole G.

  Scout

  

  Sep. 2, 2023

  Haworth City Park

  Pretty but have ports potties

  Pretty nice campground but bathrooms are shut down and they have ports potties. BUT they were very clean and maintained

• C

  Connor S.

  Traveler

  

  Aug. 13, 2023

  Lake Cunningham Campground

  Clean and comfortable!

  Love the new East lots. Full access with concrete pad. Tons of room between spots. Mini store on the property to buy ice, firewood, and food from. Fishing, paddle board rentals, and a park are a few things to do. Awesome place!

• B

  Beth

  Traveler

  

  Aug. 11, 2023

  Lake Cunningham Campground

  Peaceful

  Thus has been very enjoyable, the lake and grounds are beautiful.

• 

  Jeremy B.

  Guide

  

  Jul. 20, 2023

  Hitchcock County Nature Center

  Clean, quiet, and tranquil

  Friendly reminder to bring CASH FIRST COME FIRST SERVE

  Pros

  • great Starlink line of sight
  • super clean bathrooms and hot showers
  • very quiet
  • many nature trails out your door
  • friendly cows :)

  Literally no cons.

• E

  E C.

  Traveler

  

  Jul. 13, 2023

  Pine Grove RV Park

  New ownership as of 7/1

  We stayed here the first day ownership changed and met the new owners. They are a lovely family who are committed to turning things around. The facilities are well kept and clean. We got a spot right next to the bathroom. Looking forward to staying here again!

• 

  Amber M.

  Scout

  

  Jul. 8, 2023

  Hitchcock County Nature Center

  Secluded and well-kept

  This is my favorite place to tent camp! Nice bathhouse, and even the pit toilet is clean and unoffensive. Tent sites are spacious and most are separated by lots of trees so there's plenty of shade, privacy, and wildlife. Firewood is available and hiking trails are nearby. Unfortunately, I have to find a new favorite spot because I can no longer lug my gear up and down the hill between my car and my tent.

• 

  Kristi D.

  Legend

  

  Jul. 5, 2023

  Waubonsie State Park Campground

  Had the campground too ourselves!

  It appears not many people camp in Iowa in February. We had the campground to ourselves. We missed the crazy cold and snow by a day but it was 20 degree with the wind when I hiked the prairie. Lovely little state park, clean and the trail system was pretty neat. Wasn't perfectly flat and had some overlooks. Very much enjoyed!

• 

  Shana D.

  Legend

  

  Jul. 3, 2023

  Platte River State Park Campground

  The playground!

  We stayed here one night as we were just passing through. The park is really nice and the playgrounds are the nicest I have ever seen! I even had to take my turn on the swings and down the slide. . The new campground is nice with full hook ups, however this is not your normal state park style camping. This is full on RV parking lot with campers stacked on top of each other. I’m never a fan of sitting at my picnic table to eat 8 foot away from someone dumping their sewer tanks. That’s the only con I see here. Luckily we had one of the end sites.

• C

  Casey M.

  Traveler

  

  Jun. 15, 2023

  Hitchcock County Nature Center

  Literally can’t beat the price

  We camped in a tent and it was $10 so great and the bathrooms were super clean