We all love roasting marshmallows over a campfire—and you can often still do that while cabin camping in Elma. Cabin camping is an adventurous and unique way to experience the city. Each cabin rental offers quick access to one or more of Elma's most popular destinations.
$35 / night
Chimney Rock campground has medium service private campground with cabin rentals, canoe, and kayak rentals. Primitive and electric sites and livery service. Located along the gorgeous upper iowa river. Chimney rock campground 5 small (six person) cabins and 2 Large (12 person) cabins. All have heat and air conditioning. All include: stove, refrigerator, microwave, coffee pot, toaster, pots and pans as well as complete table service. You do need to bring your own bedding. There are full sized bunk beds in the lower level and queen beds in the loft. There is also a water storage container and sink for washing dishes. For bathing we have a community bath and shower house. There are porta potties located very near the cabins as well.
Located just three miles east of Lanesboro, Minnesota, Eagle Cliff Campground & Lodging offers something for everyone. Accommodations include riverfront tent sites, electric-only sites, water-electric sites and full hookup sites and a five-room motel on site. Eagle Cliff offers group camping, a picnic area, private canoe launch and wonderfully-clean central restrooms.
$30 - $46 / night
Come explore beautiful Bluff Country, tucked away in the trees on your way to Hidden Bluffs Resort. We are so pleased to offer you a break from it all, where you can relax all day, adventure, or read a book! There’s no wrong way to camp with us!
Take time to see all of Hidden Bluffs beautiful hardwood forests and limestone bluffs. Catch a crawdad in the trout stream, and fish right from the resort! Hike our 4+ miles of picturesque and groomed hiking trails and then come back for a bonfire with friends.
Located southeast of the Twin Cities with easy access to adventure at the Niagara & Mystery Caves & Amish Communities. We are just 30 minutes from the Root River area for ATV, Kayaking & Tubing! We are just minutes from local communities like Forestville, Lanesboro, Harmony, & Spring Grove.
While there is so much to do around us, we also offer a variety of activities at the resort as well! Spend some time splashing in the pool, beat your kids at a game of mini golf, hike our beautiful trails, or spend the afternoon challenging your neighbors to a game of horseshoes.
We are so excited to see you this camping season so don’t wait and book your stay today!
$59 / night
WE ARE AN EASY COME, EASY GO KIND OF STAY, SO NO SET UP OR BREAK DOWN! COME VISIT YOUR PERSONAL PARADISE & GLAMPING EXPERIENCE. Clean, quiet, located next to a cave & waterfall. (As of Saturday, April 6, God decided to turn our waterfall back on). Trout fishing on our patch of Canoe Creek is always available, friendly horse petting (no feeding!), horseshoe, volleyball, hiking up hills. You’ll have a private firepit, grill, loungers, deck, herb garden to cook with. Kayak rentals May 1 -September 30 only. A glamping gem with 60 AMENITIES & great hospitality! - Uncle Jon & Rose
PROPERTY:
RUSTIC ACRES is family owned and operated in the north woods of DECORAH, IOWA of the Driftless & Bluff region next to a waterfall coming out of a cave, (not always running), a windy crick spanning the walkable property, Canoe Creek for trout fishing, cave & mountain side to hike, friendly horses (don’t feed!), private fire pit, grill, loungers, tree hammock and deck. All nestled in a cozy valley. Private RV camper that sleeps up to 7 people with children OR max 5 adults. You may bring your own tents or we can set one up/break it down with queen air mattress, bedding and tarp for $25. Glamping at its best! 1 queen bed, 2 full bunkbeds, 1 twin bed inside the camper and 1 tree hammock next to camper. We also offer another camper called “Hillside Camper” that sleeps 3 adults with 1 queen bed and 1 twin bed managed by cousin Cody. 1 pet per reservation allowed. $25 non-refundable pet fee per reservation. Thank you and we hope to see you out here RELAXING, REFRESHING, RECHARGING!
YOU MAY ACCESS:
The clean and fully stocked camper with full bathroom, heat, AC, private deck, fire pit, grill, waterfall (not always running), spring, cave, volleyball court, horseshoe court, hammock in the trees, creek, horse field and most of the grounds. Do not go close to the large house as other renters are typically occupying it or hiking up too far on the Rustic Acres mountain. Please don't feed the friendly horses while you pet and always stay in front of them. Thank you!
There may be other guests staying in the large house or the other camper called Hillside Camper. You may be visited by feral cats or 2 unleashed & sweet neighbor dogs. Uncle Jon lives on the property in a separate building, so he is physically available when needed. Rose is available by phone/text & sometimes in person when there is an urgency. We are at your service and wish for you to contact us immediately on how we can make your visit the best one possible. Enjoy! - Uncle Jon & Rose
OTHER GUEST INTERACTION:
There may be other guests staying in the large house on the far side of the property or the other camper a few hundred yards away called the "Hillside Camper". You may be visited by feral cats or 2 unleashed & sweet neighbor dogs. Keep your animal in the camper or leashed outside of the camper. Uncle Jon lives on the property in a separate building, so he is physically available when needed. Rose is available by phone/text & sometimes in person when there is an urgency. We are at your service and wish for you to contact us immediately on how we can make your visit the best one possible. Enjoy! - Uncle Jon & Rose
NOTES:
PLEASE follow the instructions above the camper toilet on how to flush and refill it properly for the best smell experience. Read the white welcome binder on the dining table for FAQs and write us a little note about your stay! The kids love reading about your stay! And lastly, have fun and let Uncle Jon or Rose know via call or text to our personal phone numbers if you need anything, compared to just messaging us on this platoform, as we want to respond quickly and remedy your situation. It's our pleasure to serve you! - Uncle Jon & Rose
$100 - $150 / night
$14 - $22 / night
Guide
Very nice campground! The campground is very spacious. However, when checking in at night at staying in the "upper campground", be aware that there is another road the is very steep right next to where you go for the upper campground. Make sure you are going in the correct one as there were not any markings to tell us which way to go. The pool and hot tub is a bit small, but the kids still had fun. There is fishing available from the stream that runs through the campground. You are able to have golf carts on site which is a plus! The trails are beautiful! There is a trail where you can hike up a big hill. That has some amazing views!
Scout
I have been visiting Chimney Rock Camp and Canoe for 20 years. Every time I visit I have a wonderful time enjoying the scenic Upper Iowa River. This part of Iowa is a treasure. Deb and her crew are always helpful and accommodating. They run a great canoe/kayak/tube rental with shuttle service. This is a private campground. I appreciate the laid back vibe. We have been here during the week and have had the place pretty much to ourselves. The weekends are a bit more lively, but with friendly folks. Some of my favorite memories are on the shuttle bus up to the drop in and laughing with fellow campers/ river floaters. We love Chimney Rock and pray this little slice of heaven is available for us to enjoy for years to come. We prefer to stay down by the river sans electricity. We have done this for years in a tent and now in our hybrid camper. There are cabins, electric sites, showers and a dump station.
Guide
Good little campground with tent,cabins and rv sites and reasonable
TravelerExcellent staff. One of the best kept campgrounds I've been to. Between the campground and the nearby towns, there is easily two weeks of activities to do. More depending on the time of year you go. They offer canoeing, kayaking, tubing, sand volleyball court, shower facilities, water and electrical hookups, cabins, picnic shelter, and firewood on site. Go to http://www.chimneyrocks.com for more information
TravelerWe booked a spot for our RV because we wanted to explore the Decorah,IA area and it’s abundant set of activities. The campground is more on the rustic side but they have a nice clean shower house, very well kept grounds and a ton of space to spread out. The lower campground is right next to the river and there are RV, tent and cabin sites available.
Scout
40 site Totally renovated 2 years ago nestled along the little Cedar river above the dam. New Shower house/bathrooms. Natural themed kids play area including a huge tree house. City water and sewer with 50 and 30 amp to each site. Man made swimming pond with a lighted waterfall. Volleyball and walking trails with primitive camping across the road. Cabin with air conditioning and fully furnished further up the river on 200 acres of county land. Fishing above and below the dam. Picnic table and fire ring at every site.
Scout
Wen I lived in Minnesota and my boyfriend was living in iowa, this was our go-to meeting place for our weekend getaways. We only had a few issues over the 6 times we stayed there relating to reservations....but overall, it was a positive experience.
ScoutNice park with a bike path around the lake. A few nature trails, but nothing I would call hiking. Two vault toilets placed on the bike path. One modern bathroom with showers in the campground. A few cabins with air conditioning and one large one. Rest of the sites are on gravel and meant for RVs, but I've seen a few tents dotted in the grass next to them. Two ramps for boats and two spots for kayaks or canoes. Nice paddling and usually pretty easy going. One beach, but I've never seen anyone really swimming. Just mostly small kids splashing around.
RangerThis campground is perfectly situated on the Upper Iowa River. Had some beautiful sites along the river (couldn’t book one four our stay) but our site was nice (grass pad- spaced out fairly well from others) The best part of this camp is they offer tube canoe and kayak rentals with a shuttle to the put in then you float back to the campground. Also has a “pool”/man made pond with a beach all the way around it. Bathrooms and showers were clean (but very busy) and a nice camp store. Owners and camp hosts were awesome.
Scout
This campground has a lot of fun activities from April 15 thru Oct 15. They have permanent sites and rentals. There is tent sites and rental campers also. Sewer, water and electric. Some weekly activities include canoeing, tubing down the Turkey River, swimming, fishing and paddle boats in the Lake, a splash pad for kids and occasionally a dumping tank for free, also miniture golf. There. Is a store and bar on the grounds as wellas a pavilion for use any time where they also have children's movies every Saturday night during season. New bathrooms with shower's and rentals for canoes and tubes for the River. Very family friendly and affordable.
Guide
Great spot in the Root River Valley. They offer lots of extras including tube rental and transport, bike rentals, bingo and live music. Our site was right long the river where we saw turtles, bald eagles and lots of other wildlife. Facilities were clean and well-maintained. Not a lot of trees between sites but still far enough apart for privacy.
ScoutThis campground has it all. Situated right along the Root River next to the bike trail. They offer kayak, canoe and tube rentals and shuttles. They also have bike rentals.
This facility is clean and very well kept. Even the shower rooms are very nice and sanitary.
This is by far my favorite camping spot. I would recommend this place to any and everyone. Family orientated and pet friendly.
Traveler
Bathrooms are close to camp. Camp sites are close to eachother, but there is tons of camping to get away!
Guideexcellent place to escape and explore the Root River. Had almost entire campground to ourselves. Long weekend of camping. biking and kayaking along the scenic Root River. Wonderful camp store and kayak rentals with shuttle.
LegendMystery Cave State Park is surrounded in in a lush green forest with huge oak and maple trees that hang over the road like a huge living canopy. My new word while we stayed there was “Forresty” due to feeling like we had entered a different world. There are so many activities to do both within the park and surrounding areas, but my most favorite thing to do was walk the endless miles of hiking trails. (Word to the wise, some of the trails are hiking/equestrian so watch your step😂) We didn’t do our homework, but if we would have known, we would have brought our fishing rods as the rivers were full of trout!!
We arrived at 2:00pm on Saturday, after a long 5 hour drive from northern Minnesota. It was amazing to watch the landscape change from iron ore mining pits to countless acres of corn and potatoes!! Check in time is 4:00pm, but our spot was empty when we arrived, so the park rangers let us set up early (Friendly and most helpful!!) We grabbed a bundle of wood for $6.00 for a campfire while we were at the park office. (that is pretty normal rates as you can’t bring in your own wood at State Parks in Minnesota) There are 3 different loops, an additional equestrian loop, and 5 cabins. We stayed in loop “C” with has bigger sites for RV’s and offers electricity. Loops “A” and “B” have smaller sites (still big!!) and both of those loops are non-electric. None of the sites are “full” hook up, but there is a dump station & fresh water fill right off the park office. The restrooms and showers are just off of the “C” loop, as was the amphitheater, and there are garbage/recycling bins every 4-5th site. The park was very noisy, but that all changed when most of the folks left Sunday. It was very peaceful the rest of the week.
There are so many things outside the park to do too!! We were not aware, but the Mystery Cave is a short drive from the state park. We took the scenic tour, and our guide Kip was fantastic!!! Hey let everyone ask all the questions they wanted to, and didn’t rush us at all!! The rate is $15.00 for adults, $10.00 for kids 5-12, and kids under 5 go for free. The pictures just don’t do it justice!! The next day we drove to Masonic Park in Spring Valley and we were amazed by the sheer size of the rock face!! There is no charge to picnic or visit there and there is one spot for camping, but you need to get permission from the city before doing so. We also toured Niagra Cave which is a longer drive, but well worth it!! The underground waterfall was super cool!! They charge $16.00 per adult, kids 4-12 are $10.00, and children under 4 are free.
All in all this was a great get away for our family, and I highly recommend staying at the park:)
GuideThis is an amazing campground. The Root River goes right alongside most of the campsites which creates a really peaceful space. The grounds are super clean including the showers and porta-potties that are available for campers. Best of all, the staff are AMAZING and so friendly and helpful. There’s a great bike trail that weaves in and out of cute small towns and the campgrounds also offer canoe, kayak, and tubing rentals to go down the river.
GuideThis was a nice campground next to a small town- nice quiet sites. Sites were kind of close together. Mostly seasonal spots here. The office he’d strange hours limiting the use of some of the amenities ( tubing, kayak and paddle boat rentals) the party floats were not accessible as advertised on the website. Nice showers in the back section it camp- restrooms were clean but limited on tp ( always brought my own). Seasonal residents were very friendly. Nice pond/lake to swim in and large area to go for a walk. There weren’t many staff around if you had questions or issues and the grounds didn’t seem to be monitored. Overall nice camp and we would stay here again.
ScoutChimney Rock Campground was exactly what this Family needed for our first camping trip! We stayed in the upper C campground, every spot is spread far apart for privacy. Yes there was music and people partying I have read people complain in other reviews, but it was done at a decent time and what do you expect? we have all been there and done that and they were done before midnight and silence the rest of the night! We rented canoes and went on a four hour trip but next time we will Deff go on a longer canoe trip and leave earlier. The scenery and the clear water on the river and we went fishing and caught one after the other. We cannot complain about one single thing from our weekend getaway close to home and will be back very very soon.
ScoutThis campground has it all. Easy access for kayaking and tubing on the Upper Iowa River.
GuideWe visit on memorial day weekend with a large group. Camp right along side the Upper Iowa River....80 foot limestone bluffs! Campground shuttles and rents canoes/kayaks.
GuideBeautiful large sites along the river so you can fish as well as has a pond that you can swim in with three beach entry areas. Large bath house with restrooms and showers and a little free library inside. Very long parking pads- big rig friendly and very roomy sites. Nice walking trails on the east and south side of the park. Very creative natural play park for children to play on. Full hook up sites with a very reasonable nightly rate. It appeared that some of the campsites were seasonal but couldn’t confirm that.
TravelerI’m probably a little biased. My parents started coming to this park to ride horses in the 70s. We spent at least 3wks every year here when I was a kid trail riding, hiking, even tubing down the Root River (there’s no commercial tubing available and you have to get up and walk through rocky shallow spots, so it isn’t ideal for this, but tell my 10yr old self that).
I stayed here recently in the “people campground.” I hiked 12mi in one day and had a great time. The campsite itself was great—privacy and no loud neighbors. I always make sure to stay in spots without electric if possible to escape the culture and noise that accompanies RV camping. Site #4 isn’t very level, but it backs up to the river and the access trail out of the campground. Forestville never disappoints me—I even randomly ran into my own uncle while hiking!
GuideStayed here one night in early may and hiked the big spring trail. Site #42 was private with partial shade and a very nice and level gravel tent pad. The site was plenty big with plenty of room for activities. The shower facilities were very clean, same story for the latrines.
TravelerCampsites are flat and grassy. They back up to each other so good for groups camping together. Has horse tie ups and great trails
GuideFor a campground that’s not too far out of the way, you feel so secluded and hidden away in the woods. Its quiet and really easy to get some solitude.
GuideGrear family camp area!
LegendWe tent camped here and loved it. We were able to do a lot of trail exploring and had a great time on the “scenic” cave tour. The trails were well maintained but difficult to understand in some places as signage was lacking.
There is a primitive loop with pit toilets, a tent loop with no electricity but access to showers and flush toilets, and a trailer loop with all accommodations.
There are great cold water trout streams that are shallow enough to wade in and play in if the weather is warmer. Hiking trails of varying skill levels but all in mostly wooded areas. Forestville townsite is closed during the week but you can wander around the outside of the buildings and site. No gates or posted restrictions.
Cabin camping near Elma, Iowa offers a perfect blend of nature and comfort, allowing you to enjoy the great outdoors without sacrificing the amenities of home.
Frequently Asked Questions
Which is the most popular cabin campsite near Elma, IA?
According to TheDyrt.com, the most popular cabin campground near Elma, IA is Forestville Mystery Cave State Park Campground with a 4.3-star rating from 17 reviews.
What is the best site to find cabin camping near Elma, IA?
TheDyrt.com has all 18 cabin camping locations near Elma, IA, with real photos and reviews from campers.
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