Looking for a place to go glamping near Chariton? Glamping is not only a fun alternative to traditional tent camping, but also allows you to pack more or less gear as you see fit. The Dyrt's camping photos, reviews, and tips are an easy way to find the right Iowa glamping spot for you.
Island View Park is located on beautiful Rathbun Lake, just nine miles northwest of Centerville, Iowa and 8 miles southwest of Moravia.
The 11,000-acre lake provides a variety of fishing opportunities for any angler: Crappie, channel catfish, walleye and largemouth bass are most common. 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. 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.
This location is unstaffed. To speak with our main office for general information, please call: (641) 647-2464.
The Rathbun Fish Hatchery is nearby, offering 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 just 20 minutes from the campground. It is located on the south bank of the South Fork Chariton River and encompasses nearly 125 acres in an abandoned rock quarry.
$50 / night
$5 / night
Just steps away from all the action of Lakeside Casino, all 47 sites of the RV Park are fully equipped with water, sewage and electrical hookups, as well as Wi-Fi. With breathtaking views you can’t beat, and the best amenities any RV park has to offer, Lakeside’s RV Park is the perfect place to stay during any getaway!
MINUTES FROM THE FUN, MILES FROM THE EVERYDAY
$35 - $45 / night
$15 - $22 / night
Wallashuck Campground is located on Lake Red Rock, Iowas largest lake. It is just 10 minutes from Pella, known for its Dutch heritage, and 15 minutes from Knoxville, the Sprint car capital of the world. Visitors enjoy boating, fishing, hiking, biking and viewing wildlife. For more information regarding the Army Corps of Engineers and the Lake Red Rock Project, click here:Lake Red Rock Website
Lake Red Rock offers excellent boating, water skiing and swimming opportunities. Miles of water trails for kayakers and canoeists are designated along the shoreline. Anglers will find crappie, largemouth and striped bass,walleye, channel and flathead catfish, northern pike and bluegill. Several miles of trails for hiking and biking are in the area. The 15 mile paved Volksweg Trail stretches west from Pella to the Des Moines River and to the Cordova Recreation Area.
Lake Red Rock is situated on the Des Moines River. Hardwood forests cover the lake shore at Wallashuck, offering shade and scenic views. Wildlife is abundant around the lake. A wide variety of waterfowl, including the American White Pelican, migrates through the area in spring and fall. Bald eagles can be observed from November through March. White-tailed deer , turkeys and other small animals are commonly viewed around the lake.
Des Moines, Iowa's capital, is an hour away, with numerous shopping and dining opportunities, museums and the Blank Park Zoo.
A $10.00 service fee will apply if you change or cancel your reservation. The $10.00 service fee will be deducted from the refund amound. Cancel or change reservations through recreation.gov or by calling 1-877-444-6777. Late cancellations are subject to additional fees.
$24 / night
$15 - $20 / night
Ranger
Nice city park campground close to lots of covered bridges and other things to see. The sites are pretty well spaced with lots of grass and some trees in between. It was a good value for full hookup sites. The bathroom was decent, and phone service was adequate. We just spent one night here on our way home from Colorado, but will be returning in the fall to explore more and see some colors.
ScoutThe park is closed for camping indefinitely
Ranger
RV park is relatively quiet and easy to get into. The concrete in our site was in poor condition, it had crumbled leaving a dip in the pad. The cable didn’t work, but electric and water had no issues. Easy on and off to the interstate. There is only one garbage dumpster near the entrance and we didn’t see a camp host on site or anybody to check in with. We stayed just one night on our way through the area and were comfortable.
Scout20 bucks a day you submit your fill out sheet at the service area and drop it off in a drop box.
Traveler
Came in late, even though there were several empty spaces turns out they were reserved. Very nice camp host told us we could have a non-electric site, none of them were reserved. Bathroom/showers were clean.
ScoutSpent 2 nights tent camping here. We stayed at site 4, glad I read reviews on here. I personally would not want to be in a site beyond number 7 as it gets too close to the dump station and subsequent “sewage lagoon”
Shower house was clean, pretty quiet, and only 5 miles off the highway
Scout
We were able to camp in a tent near RVs without feeling crowded. The restrooms, showers, and playground were all close by…great for camping with kids. There were some nicer than ours and some with less privacy or further away than we’d prefer.
A nice mix of convenience and privacy. Perfect location to showers and playground for kids. Ample space for our needs, but not overly private
Traveler
Timberline is among my favorite campgrounds, always has great people, nice shade trees, fun pool, and quality facilities.
ScoutWonderful setting and quiet place to stay. Beautiful views with quick access to Bridges of Madison County. Great hook ups and utilities!
ScoutMarta and crew were so friendly and helpful! Clean bathrooms, beautiful property. Close to hwy but far enough away. We called ahead to arrive after hours and had to get back on the road in the morning. Wish we could’ve stayed longer!
Guide
This is a beautiful park with lots to do and miles of woods to explore. AT&T cell service was excellent throughout. And camping fees are extremely reasonable. I didn't stay the night but will be back.
TravelerFull hookups and easy to park, small spots but not too small. Shower and bath houses are clean.
GuideWe called ahead to see if they had sites available that night. Arrived just before the office closed at 7pm. They were ready for us and escorted us to our pull-through full-hookups site near the front of the campground. This is a huge property but laid out in different sections that each have their own flavor. The pull-throughs near the front are level, gravel pads with grass all around. Other areas are forested and some are hilly. Full-hookups worked fine. We stayed in site 121, which faces an open grassy area backed by a little forest that echoed with beautiful wildlife sounds in the evening. There are no campground lights except at the restrooms, so it’s great for stargazing! The restrooms were good.
GuideWe rolled up to this campground past 10pm on a Thursday night just looking for a safe spot to sleep and hopefully a shower before getting back on the road. This place was great. The drive into the grounds was a little confusing, but I imagine that in the daylight we would have had an easier time. There was no camp office that we could find, but we were pleasantly surprised when we found an open spot that we could make a same day reservation and payment online ($29 for an electric site after fees). There are QR codes at each site that you can scan to quickly and easily do this on the spot. You can reserve online ahead of time as well. The bathhouse was very clean and had two showers that had hot water. We could not hear the highway from our spot despite it being close by, and the other campers around were very quiet. My only somewhat negative note about this place is I am not sure at all where tent campers are intended to go. We were in a van and this was perfect for us, but for non-vehicle campers this may not be as ideal.
Ranger
This was our very first night with our rental RV, so we were pretty clueless. :) We enjoyed the ease of our pull-thru site, although ours and most of the others were fairly open. The park itself has a nice lake, and the bathroom/showers were decent. A good overnight on the way to the Ozarks from MN
GuideFull hookups. Nice Park next door. Covered Bridges nearby.
TravelerGreat, safe, and quiet campground. Beautiful site on a pond, clean bath houses, cool weekend amenities, and since we came in October, pretty empty after Labor Day during the week.
Owners very easy to work with, propane refill was easy, and payment schedule was convenient.
Overall, would 100% come back to this campground in the future and would love to see it in the summer!
GuideI have created a space in my minivan so I'm a vamping and I have reserved the same spot for one weekend a month for the next 8 months and I am so excited to have a place to come and relax while decompressing from My crazy Life.
TravelerI stayed 3 nights traveling to my next work assignment. The park was clean with level sites. The front desk person was friendly and helped me with my reservation. It was a close walk to Pilot for supplies.
ScoutThe web link from Dyrt is out of date, and thus park is closed for 2022
ScoutVery quiet. Accommodating.
GuideNice campsites. Full service.
ScoutIf you’re traveling through Des Moines, Iowa area; this is the place you will want to camp at! Outstanding facilities, beautiful and tranquil location, friendly and helpful staff, and a place you will always remember as a sweet spot.
Guide
Pulled in late so didn’t get a good look, but from what I e seen this is a pretty nice campground. Looks to be about 10 sites, nicely spread apart. Big, clean fire pits with grills and a picnic table. Plenty of space to feel comfortable.
GuideI just loved this campground. It has shade trees, grass, free showers and lots of room. It is part of a city park on the outskirts of Winterset. There is a dog park and one of the Bridges of Madison County is located within walking distance of the campground. This was well worth the 20 mile drive off I80. If I had known how m=nice this area was, I would have planned better and stayed here for more than one night.
GuideWallashuck in Pella, iowa is one of my favorite places to camp. It’s mostly quiet and peaceful. Plus town is close and has plenty to entertain or fill up supplies
Guide
large. clean campsites with ample shade. spectacular lake views especially for sunset. very quiet during the week.
Frequently Asked Questions
Which is the most popular glamping campsite near Chariton, IA?
According to TheDyrt.com, the most popular glamping campground near Chariton, IA is Lake Ahquabi State Park Campground with a 4.1-star rating from 13 reviews.
What is the best site to find glamping camping near Chariton, IA?
TheDyrt.com has all 12 glamping camping locations near Chariton, IA, with real photos and reviews from campers.
