Best Cabin Camping near Dunlap, IA

This park surrounds the whole lake and you can explore everything thing by trail or water. Lots of fishing and swimming, we went looking for wildflowers along the lake trails. Even though there are tons of campsites it does not feel at all crowded. Very nice and clean.

Yay: Hard to choose a campsite, all had great views and little perks. Check out the cabins too.

Nay: None, perfect experience!

Surprise: trails are perfect for XC skiing in winter. We saw bald eagles and deer very close to the tent.

When I think of “nature center” I think of a stuffy little cabin with taxidermy. This site is far far more than that, with hiking trails, educational programs, a museum, event halls, and of course camping. Local friends told us about it, otherwise we would have never found it. Make sure to look at their events calendar, they have exceptional programs for all ages (and especially kids). I learned about this park from Pheasants Forever, a nonprofit.

Yay: well tended and updated campground. You can camp all year (but I think they turn the water off?)

Nay: no reservations (but supposedly they don’t fill up completely?)

Surprise: make sure you talk to the rangers!

Hitchcock Nature Center is north of Crescent, IA and just let outside Omaha, NE. A short drive from the city and you are in the Loess Hills that were explored by Lewis and Clark on their trek west. The is a $3 day use pass or a $20 yearly pass available.

This place has a lot to offer anyone. They have Nature education events, archery range, a handicapped accessible boardwalk trail, hiking trails, camping, etc. There are miles of trail available with backcountry camping available for $10 per night. RV camping is also available for $15 per night with electric, showers/bathrooms, picnic tables, fire rings, etc. They also offer a couple cabins for rent.

The hiking is fantastic and offers something for every skill level. There are absolutely gorgeous views of the Missouri River valley below. All trails are marked and the a multiple different trailheads, many which start around the visitors center/tower Overlook. During the winter they even over snowshoeing events. It is really a nice place to get outdoors anytime of the year.

These Iowa state parks are extremely clean and well taken care of. The lake is huge with multiple trails that the kids loved. Playground was directly behind us which is a plus for us.

Reserved electric unit 090 for the weekend, which had a scenic corn field for a backdrop - this is Iowa! Paved roads, level gravel sites, wide & mowed trails, clean pit toilets and a layout that isn’t too cramped. The pond has multiple shoreline fishing spots with picnic tables and a cleaning station. Basic playground in front of the beach which is a short drive or a ~1 mile trail walk away.

This state park camp site close to Carroll, Iowa was nice, but we were the only tent campers there, it seemed more like a permanent RV home site. The bathrooms while nice had no working showers, they had showers but no way to turn on the water. There was a cute frisbee golf on property, a beautiful lake, and a nice paved walking path.

I really like Prairie Rose State Park. It is about ten miles north of Interstate 80 near Harlan, Iowa. The lake is gorgeous and has many different view points. There is plenty of space and a lot of different activities. A lot of folks fish and picnic. There are also a lot of geese.

The camp sites have great views of the lake and the park was pretty empty when I visited. This park truly is a rose in the prairie.

I grew up swimming and camping at Nelson Park but moved away roughly 30 years ago. I wanted a weekend away from the craziness so chose to go "home" for my first solo trip in quite awhile. The grounds and facilities at the park were in excellent shape even though many of the buildings were still the same ones that I had known from childhood. Could not have asked for better weather after storms rolled through in the morning pulling the heat and humidity from the air later in the day. I will definitely be returning again.

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

Our family of four tent camped one night at an electric lake front site. Sites are close together, but we had no neighbors so we had our privacy. The outhouse style bathroom was clean, but flies were abundant. The grounds were well maintained and DNR staff was very helpful. They even helped us with a small bike repair. The kids enjoyed biking and swimming. The whole family enjoyed prairie wildlife such as a blue heron, geese, bald eagles, frogs etc. The hiking trails were well cut out and offered views of the lake, woods, and natural prairie. Showers, no wake boating, and fishing were also available. We would have been happy to stay a few more days!

small camping area, great rv area. awesome swimming pond, awesome fishing lake

Great campground if all you want to do is fish.

An oasis of solitude. The park is somewhat small but laid out nicely. I paid extra for an electric site to be close to the lake. It is 9 or so miles north of the highway so it was actually quiet. There were zero bugs to deal with. Amazing!!!  And no raccoons. I stayed one night, a Thursday, so I don’t know if it gets bad on a weekend. There were lots of locals there using it like a big backyard. The lake isn’t big but big enough to be useful.

Very Nice sites. Many shaded. Only one shower room for campground, a drive from most sites. Pit toilets for rest of sites. Nice lake.