Best Glamping near Derby, IA

Pammel Park is awesome. It is actually a State Park that is managed by the local County Conservation Board. Pammel Park has amazing trails with varied terrain and nice forests.

The campgrounds are clean with options for tenters and RVs. There are even Yurt Cabins that can be rented. Pammel Park has a great water trail for Kayakers with several launch points.

The only caution I would have is pay attention while you are hiking, there are rattlesnakes in the park. Overall I highly recommend Pammel Park. It is about a 30 minute drive from Des Moines and about 5 minutes from Winterset.

I would consider Pammel Park a secret gem even for native Iowans. Checkout Pammel Park and spend some time in the historical town of Winterset.

This is the best State Park campground in SW Iowa, it has everything anyone needs...love it here and the views are beautiful!

This is a great little park just east of New Virginia, Iowa. I went to the park with my son and Boy Scout Troop for a night hike, that is why there are no pictures. This is a great little park. The hiking trails are pretty easy going through the forest and then opening up next to old Native American burial mounds. This is really a great place to pitch a tent. It is clean and well maintained.

Rathbun Lake is a destination for boaters and campers in the State of Iowa. The Army Corps of Engineers operates and maintains several facilities around the lake. Island View campground has some really nice views of the lake.

Island View campground is clean. The sites are pretty open, there are trees but there is also a lot of open space. The park has a nice play set for kids and there are baseball fields nearby.

This is a great place to go if you like to boat. There are three different boat ramps in the park.

Don't let the name fool you, for a city park and campground, Winterset City Park rocks. You probably didn't know that Winterset, Iowa is the birthplace of John Wayne. You may have seen the Clint Eastwood movie the "Bridges of Madison County," but you probably didn't know that the bridges are real and the movie was filmed in Winterset.

The campground is clean and there is a large space for campers/RV's and a separate spot for tents towards the back of the campground toward the park. The park itself is gorgeous and your just a few blocks away from the John Wayne Museum. If you are in Winterset the second week of October, stay for the Bridge Festival, it's a blast!

The campground is a solid 3.5, clean and well maintained. When you include all of the sites it pushes it up to a 4 star campground.

This is an update from my previous post now with pics and a little snow. This campground is a little off of the beaten path but it is quiet and has great hiking trails. It is also known locally for its effigy mounds where native american artifact were buried.

This is a great place if you like peace and quiet and local hiking trails.

Definitely a great camping place. Historical site. And a great place to rent out!

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.

The park is closed for camping indefinitely

We entered the park looking for a walk-up spot and landed on Site 67 which was not reserved. The site was spacious with a big tree with good shade and cover if needed. Also, it had a great fire pit with grill grate that could be moved. It was the perfect overnight location and cheap accommodations during the National Balloon Classic. We spent the night before at the Balloon Glow, came back and had a nice camp fire, then an early morning rise for a balloon flight made for close proximity. There were nearby bathroom facilities that were available. The truth is that the one closest was not lit well and a little messier, perhaps less maintained. The other facility was well lit and not too far a walk. During day light you could see the lake in the distance from this site, and the clearing around the site gave great visibility of stars with very low light pollution. The only downside was this site was near the main entry and exit road on the lower loop, which meant traffic in and out could prove to be a downside. Not for us on our stay at night because of late arrival and early departure, but it is good to know. All in all it was a good stay, the only challenging part was knowing which sites were available and the camp hosts weren't too helpful in knowing or seeking which were still open. But we were lucky to find one!

Great campground with lots of things to do. There is fishing, boating, hiking, mountain biking, and many more things.

There wasn't anyone at the check station so anyone could come in. The beach, and park were very far away from the camping area. A suggestion of a bagger for their lawn mower for all the cut grass. The lake by the boat landing was nice and so were the trails. The bathrooms were clean

We have stayed here a couple of times now and has always been a treat. Sites are spacious and at $16.00 per night a real bargain. Showers were always clean and it’s a short drive or hike to the beach. Des Moines is a half hour away for a hot spot for entertainment. Fo example, you might want to take in a granddaughter’s dance recital! What a treat! Often filled with folks from nearby by that know all the tricks and even had a guy deliver a load of local firewood that made campfires for the week a breeze!

This is one of my favorite places to go! They have a beautiful lake and a beach. The water has minimal seaweed and great temperature! They have rentals for paddle boards, kayaks, canoes, etc, for a decent price! The hiking trails are really nice. If your up for it there is a hike that loops are the entire lake making it about 6-7 miles long. It's a pretty easy hike, but definitely long. Dogs are welcome on a leash (but not on the beach). The campsites are no as secluded as I would like but the overall state park is awesome!

Stayed there a few different weekends during the summer. It is easily accessible from Indianola and the best parts of the park are the well-kept trails and stargazing! Unfortunately, we felt like we were literally on top of surrounding campers. The campsites are all extremely packed in together, so you can really feel a part of other people's conversations and activities. However, if you're able to catch Lake Ahquabi on a good weekend when it isn't crowded, then it is amazing!

Lots of great fishing and canoe/paddle board rentals available too! We take our canoe there often and there is an awesome access point from the campgrounds with tons of shade, so if you have a one-seater (like us) the partner can wait in the shade.