Best Glamping near Elma, IA

Recent Glamping Reviews in Elma

104 Reviews of 18 Elma Campgrounds

• 

  Lee D.

  Legend

  

  Oct. 8, 2024

  Clear Lake State Park Campground

  Surprisingly quiet campground on a summer weekend

  We tend to stay at campgrounds during the off or shoulder season for a quieter experience so it was with some apprehension that we reserved this campground for a summer weekend so that we could meet friends for Paddlefest. We were happy to discover that despite being a full campground, it was quiet at almost all hours of the day and night. It was, however, an entirely different story on the lake itself, where boats gathered all day to party!

  There is little separation between the sites but there are trees located throughout, some of which provide shade to the site. The camper pads were a mix of dirt and gravel and mostly level. We were lucky to snag Site 34 (reserved about three months in advance) – it was on the end, making it a much larger site than the interior sites (all end sites in our section were larger) and we had plenty of shade trees, a welcome relief on a very hot weekend. 

  The paved roads leading to the sites are very narrow and would appear to be one-way but are not designated as such, resulting in some confusion. The site numbers are only listed on one side, even though most of the sites appeared to be pull-through. 

  The restrooms and showers were clean and had soap and (dated) air dryers. 

  Overall, we had a very pleasant two-night stay even though we were prepared for a different experience.

• J

  Janet K.

  Guide

  

  Aug. 15, 2024

  Clear Lake State Park Campground

  Nice but crowded campground

  Nice campground with grassy pull thru sites. But very close together. If full, you would have no privacy. Fortunately, it was 1/4 full, so no problem. Bathrooms clean, nice warm showers! Nice beach, lots to do. Would be a fun place if you don’t mind camping next to neighbors!

• 

  Nate H.

  Scout

  

  Aug. 12, 2024

  Oakwoods Trails Campground

  Really Great Campground

  The owners Jan and Brian are super nice. The campground is a ways from their home and quite secluded and quiet. There weren’t any kids when we were there though, I imagine they could change the quiet aspect. The bathrooms and showers are very nice as are the sites. Well worth the $25 we paid!

• J

  Jordan M.

  Scout

  

  Jul. 29, 2024

  Oakwoods Trails Campground

  Late weekend excellence

  Arrived Sunday evening and found the campsite mostly empty, (season pass members had campers here but there was only one other active camper). Staff was very friendly and helpful. TOILETS FLUSH! Showers clean, basketball court, horseshoes, and volleyball all provided. Could see the sites being kind of close and it being a little pricey but more than worth it in my mind. Site 6&7 were perfect for hammocks

• T

  Tracy B.

  Guide

  

  Jul. 22, 2024

  Riverside Co Park

  Great little city/county park!

  Beautiful 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.

• 

  Eugene O.

  Scout

  

  May. 20, 2024

  Eagle Cliff Campground and Lodging

  Good campground, rude and unprofessional management

  If you want to experience very rude and unfair treatment where you will be mistreated and ripped off by the staff and ow era you must come to Eagle Cliff campground. Was double charged for the room without any options and negotiations and knees delivered to us after we already left the campground. Staff is very rude and unwilling to be reasonable, professional and understanding. Campground looks good but rules are ridiculous and staff and owners are very shady and make non sense decisions. Stay away if you want nice peaceful stay and don’t want to be ripped off.

• E

  Eugene O.

  Scout

  

  May. 20, 2024

  Eagle Cliff Campground and Lodging

  Management is beyond horrible. Very unprofessional.

  If you want to experience very rude and unfair treatment where you will be mistreated and ripped off by the staff and ow era you must come to Eagle Cliff campground. Was double charged for the room without any options and negotiations and knees delivered to us after we already left the campground. Staff is very rude and unwilling to be reasonable, professional and understanding. Campground looks good but rules are ridiculous and staff and owners are very shady and make non sense decisions. Stay away if you want nice peaceful stay and don’t want to be ripped off.

• 

  Lisa T.

  Scout

  

  Nov. 10, 2023

  George Wyth State Park Campground

  Good local camping

  Easy in and out late fall camping.  I got a great tent spot next to the river.  This is a fine campground that I much prefer during the off season (it gets too busy during the warm season for my liking).  The connection to hiking trails throughout the park is fantastic.

• 

  Brian M.

  Scout

  

  Sep. 9, 2023

  Waukon City Park

  Great campground

  Free firewood, free wifi, water and electric at each campsite. Found a nice shady site for tent camping.

• S

  Sydney

  Scout

  

  Aug. 29, 2023

  Oakwoods Trails Campground

  Lovely campground with lots of trees!

  This is a great campground with lots of shade and spacious tent pads! The large oak trees throughout the campground made for beautiful scenery and nice spots to string a hammock up. My site was right next to the bathroom building which did have a light on all night, but I had an eye mask so that didn’t bother me. $25/night for a tent site

• 

  Rose L.

  Scout

  

  Aug. 26, 2023

  Bluffton Resort

  LOVE THE BLUFFS & UPPER IOWA RIVER CAMPING!

  Dre, the campground manager, is a stellar guy to talk to. Excellent customer service! Gorgeous bluffs and river to camp right next to! Can’t wait to go back!

• 

  Becky M.

  Guide

  

  Jul. 3, 2023

  Clear Lake State Park Campground

  Great State Park

  This is our second time camping at the Clear Lake State Park. The park is clean, the shower house is nice. It’s hard to control the temperature in the showers, too hot for little kids to stand directly in the water. The playground was fun for the kids, nice beach access! Limited full hook up sites. I wish there were more full hook ups that you could reserve. Paved roads are great for bike riding. Great shaded spots. DNR cruises the park daily which is nice to see.

• T

  Tracy B.

  Guide

  

  Jun. 20, 2023

  Oakwoods Trails Campground

  Nice and quiet little campground

  Nice campground out in the woods. Not many sites but they are very roomy. Water and electric hookup only. They offer a dump station as well. There is only one road through the grounds so when leaving it can get backed up at the dump station. Small playground and bath/shower house in the center of the grounds. Seemed a little costly for the amenities offered. The owners are very interested in everything at the campground from guests to any traffic in or out. Seemed almost overbearing.

• V

  Victoria

  Scout

  

  Jun. 12, 2023

  Clear Lake State Park Campground

  Nice place

  Overall nice place to stay. We stay each year with family so there are about 4 of our campers all there together.distance between sites can be wide or narrow depending on which site you’re on.

  Pros: Clean/well maintained, easy short path through the trees to get to the beach, sturdy picnic tables all around, long “driveway” for campsite

  Cons: pads are gravel and not very level, pads are very narrow, beyond the trees on one side of the campground is a major road so you’ll hear cars passing by, not a lot of restroom/bathhouses

• 

  Becky M.

  Guide

  

  Jun. 10, 2023

  Clear Lake State Park Campground

  Very clean park!

  We spent 4 days here and the park is a busy place! Very clean!!!!! Dump station was easy access! We were right by the shower houses. Check in and out was simple. We made our reservations online. The park had paved roads, great for bike riding, playground was a hit! The sunset was gorgeous in the evenings at the beach! We will be back!

• 

  Patty M.

  Guide

  

  May. 30, 2023

  Eagle Cliff Campground and Lodging

  Beautiful full service campground on the Root River

  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.

• 

  Paul B.

  Ranger

  

  May. 19, 2023

  Eagle Cliff Campground and Lodging

  The grass is greener

  This huge campground had the best lush looking grass I ever saw. There is every kind of camping to be found here, including seasonal camping. Close to Lanesboro. If I needed bathroom or showers, I would have been disappointed at the port a pots and showers far away from my site.

• 

  Tonya B.

  Guide

  

  May. 12, 2023

  Bluffton Resort

  Decent place to camp

  The campground had quite a few geese when we went so lots of honking and goose poop which dont work out if you want peace and quiet and clean shoes. The camping sites also have large tall trees where a camper should be parked which causes you to park way to close to the fire pit. Luckily we were camping in a group and could hang out at another campsite with better placement. On the plus side, the view is beautiful and the bar is nice!

• p

  paul H.

  Scout

  

  Nov. 20, 2022

  Riverside Co Park

  Great full hookup 40 unit campgrount

  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.

• 

  Jayne M.

  Guide

  

  Oct. 5, 2022

  George Wyth State Park Campground

  Pretty wooded spot

  Be sure to go to Diner 63 for lunch or dinner while you’re there. Outstanding food great value

• 

  Vanessa H.

  Scout

  

  Sep. 11, 2022

  Clear Lake State Park Campground

  Great spot

  We love coming to Clear Lake! The campgrounds are always very well kept, bathrooms very clean! Easy access to the lake, and the town has so much to do during the summer months!

• T

  Torey H.

  Guide

  

  Jul. 27, 2022

  Oakwoods Trails Campground

  Quiet Farm Campground

  Clean and well maintained campground about a quarter mile past owner’s farm buildings. Signs for registration are easy to follow, stop at the Office (garage) to check in. Cash or check only, no cards. Campground was very nice with mature trees. Bathroom and shower available. Each site has a fire pit and picnic table. Some sites suitable for hammock camping. If you need a level site for a rooftop tent be sure to ask, my site was easily switched after I did. Overall very nice experience.

• N

  Name

  Scout

  

  Jul. 20, 2022

  Eagle Cliff Campground and Lodging

  Beautiful Camping

  Great camp ground along the root river. Very clean and quiet.

• T

  Tracy B.

  Guide

  

  Jun. 27, 2022

  The Old Barn Resort

  Very friendly and loaded with activities

  Great experience- the sites were a perfect size, not over crowded. Easy to get in and out of. Nice pool and shed area. The restaurant had good food and nice atmosphere. Lots of people there but overall didn’t seems crowded and you couldn’t hear other people. Nice chance to tune down the river. Only complaint - the coin operated shower in the women’s shower house was ice cold and couldn’t be adjusted and the men’s shower house in same building was scolding hot and couldn’t be adjusted.

• 

  Bas V.

  Traveler

  

  Jun. 24, 2022

  Eagle Cliff Campground and Lodging

  Relaxed

  Nice and relaxed campground

  More then enough space for rv’s and tents.

  Showers were fine, operated by quarters. Unfortunately I had none. No machine to change bills and office was still closed early in the morning. I was saved by a really friendly guest

• j

  jeremiah B.

  Guide

  

  Jun. 21, 2022

  The Old Barn Resort

  Super great campground

  Nothing but good things here , if your a bike riding family , there are a lot of trails! If you want to float the river they got it ! If you just want to lay by the pool , you can do it ! If you don’t want to cook they got you covered in their restaurant! If your a golf person, guess what they got their own course ! The bathrooms were nice , coin operated showered , .25 cents gets you 7 minutes , the sites were big and not a problem to get in to ! Fire rings with grates at the sites ! The only draw back and it depends on they type of person was the phone service was not great but…. It didn’t bother me!

• P

  Paul M.

  Scout

  

  Jun. 19, 2022

  Eagle Cliff Campground and Lodging

  Excellent Campground

  This is our second visit in this campground. The grounds are Immaculate. The staff is amazing. The restrooms and showers are sparklingly clean.