Top Glamping near Ely, IA

Ely is an ideal place for camping adventures of all kinds. There are tons of hikes and other fun activities to partake in. Experience some of the most stunning views that Iowa camping has to offer. Find the best campgrounds near Ely, IA. Read reviews from campers like you and find your perfect campsite.

Best Glamping Sites Near Ely, IA (15)

    Camper-submitted photo from Palisades-Kepler State Park

    1. Palisades-Kepler State Park

    8 Reviews
    1 Photo
    78 Saves
    • Pets
    • Fires
    • Electric Hookups
    • Phone Service
    • Reservable
    • ADA Access
    Camper-submitted photo from Pinicon Ridge Park
    Camper-submitted photo from Pinicon Ridge Park
    Camper-submitted photo from Pinicon Ridge Park
    Camper-submitted photo from Pinicon Ridge Park
    Camper-submitted photo from Pinicon Ridge Park
    Camper-submitted photo from Pinicon Ridge Park

    2. Pinicon Ridge Park

    9 Reviews
    27 Photos
    31 Saves
    • Pets
    • Fires
    • Electric Hookups
    • Phone Service
    • ADA Access
    • RVs
    Camper-submitted photo from Pleasant Creek State Recreation Area
    Camper-submitted photo from Pleasant Creek State Recreation Area
    Camper-submitted photo from Pleasant Creek State Recreation Area

    3. Pleasant Creek State Recreation Area

    5 Reviews
    3 Photos
    50 Saves
    • Pets
    • Fires
    • Electric Hookups
    • Phone Service
    • Reservable
    • ADA Access

    $11 - $16 / night

    Camper-submitted photo from Morgan Creek County Park

    4. Morgan Creek County Park

    3 Reviews
    1 Photo
    18 Saves

    A wide variety of natural and recreational features can be found at the 352-acre Morgan Creek County Park. The arboretum and butterfly park is plentiful with over 250 species of native and exotic trees and shrubs, which is located on the northside of the park at 7439 Worcester Rd, Palo.

    • Pets
    • Fires
    • Electric Hookups
    • Reservable
    • RVs
    • Tents

    $23 - $40 / night

    Camper-submitted photo from Cedar River Campground
    Camper-submitted photo from Cedar River Campground
    Camper-submitted photo from Cedar River Campground
    Camper-submitted photo from Cedar River Campground
    Camper-submitted photo from Cedar River Campground
    Camper-submitted photo from Cedar River Campground

    5. Cedar River Campground

    8 Reviews
    17 Photos
    32 Saves

    We are a seasonal campground open April 15 thru October 15. We have seasonal, monthly, weekly, and overnight rates. We have planned activities as well as many amenities. River frontage, canoe/ tube rental, mini golf, pool and so much more.

    • Pets
    • Fires
    • Electric Hookups
    • Phone Service
    • Reservable
    • Tents

    $35 - $50 / night

    Camper-submitted photo from Matsell Bridge Natural Area
    Camper-submitted photo from Matsell Bridge Natural Area
    Camper-submitted photo from Central Park
    Camper-submitted photo from Central Park
    Camper-submitted photo from Central Park
    Camper-submitted photo from Central Park
    Camper-submitted photo from Central Park
    Camper-submitted photo from Central Park

    7. Central Park

    5 Reviews
    27 Photos
    12 Saves
    • Pets
    • Fires
    • Electric Hookups
    • Phone Service
    • Reservable
    • ADA Access
    Camper-submitted photo from Sleepy Hollow

    8. Sleepy Hollow

    2 Reviews
    1 Photo
    6 Saves

    Welcome to BEYONDER Getaway at Sleepy Hollow, a family-friendly RV park and campground in Oxford, Iowa. Just off Interstate 80, we're just minutes away from Iowa City.

    We offer pull-through and back-in RV sites, private cabins, primitive tent sites, and golf cart rentals. Some sites are located by our relaxing catch-and-release fishing lake. Other sites are terraced sites, nestled on a beautiful tree-covered hill. And we're close to Eastern Iowa's most popular destinations, including Lake MacBride, Coralville Reservoir, Kalona Amish Community, and the Amana Colonies.

    At BEYONDER Getaway at Sleepy Hollow, we go out of our way to offer our guests a comfortable, relaxing camping experience. Choose from pull-through and back-in RV sites with full hook-ups (30 amps or 50 amps) and back-in water-and-electric-only sites. We also have private cabins, perfect for families or couples. And, for folks that want to rough it, we have a number of primitive tent sites available.

    When you stay at BEYONDER Getaway at Sleepy Hollow, you can have a great time without ever leaving the property. Enjoy our playgrounds, pool, fishing pond, beachfront, and more. For your convenience, we also have shower and laundry facilities and a stocked camp store. We even have soft-serve ice cream!

    Need to bring your family pet? Pets are welcome as long as they are accompanied by a responsible pet owner. (Note that pets are not allowed at our tent sites.)

    • Pets
    • Fires
    • Electric Hookups
    • Phone Service
    • Reservable
    • ADA Access

    $22 - $85 / night

    Camper-submitted photo from Lake Iowa County Park
    Camper-submitted photo from Lake Iowa County Park
    Camper-submitted photo from Lake Iowa County Park
    Camper-submitted photo from Lake Iowa County Park
    Camper-submitted photo from Lake Iowa County Park
    Camper-submitted photo from Lake Iowa County Park

    9. Lake Iowa County Park

    6 Reviews
    14 Photos
    23 Saves

    Lake Iowa Park offers a quiet, safe and beautifully-maintained campground that includes 120 rocked pads with electricity, shower houses and a dump station. There are water hydrants with rural water spread throughout the campground to fill your camper tanks. There are two non-electric areas suitable for tents which are within a short walk to the shower house. Currently there are no reservations for camping, it is all first come first served.

    2 cabins are available for rent. Each cabin has a full kitchen and ADA compliant bathroom and will sleep 8 people.

    • Pets
    • Fires
    • Electric Hookups
    • Phone Service
    • ADA Access
    • RVs
    Camper-submitted photo from Bailey Ford Delaware County Park
    Camper-submitted photo from Bailey Ford Delaware County Park
    Camper-submitted photo from Bailey Ford Delaware County Park

    10. Bailey Ford Delaware County Park

    2 Reviews
    3 Photos
    7 Saves
    • Pets
    • Fires
    • Electric Hookups
    • Phone Service
    • ADA Access
    • RVs
Showing results 1-10 of 15 campgrounds

Recent Glamping Reviews In Ely

57 Reviews of 15 Ely Campgrounds


  • Camper-submitted photo from Lake Iowa County Park
    September 23, 2024

    Lake Iowa County Park

    very nice and clean. Lots of sites but well spaced

    Not too far off the highway.  Very clean and quiet.  The campground is above the lake but a short trail will take you to the lake.  Couldn't see the lake from where we camped, but nice woody area behind our campsite.  Nice little visitor area.  Lots of trails to walk with the dog including a nice trail along the lake.

    Great place to spend one night.  If I had more time, I would have gone paddle boarding or fishing on the lake.

  • Camper-submitted photo from Lake Iowa County Park
    August 9, 2024

    Lake Iowa County Park

    Great spot for a great price

    Very well kept campground! Bathrooms and entire area was really in perfect shape. One of the cleanest showers and bathrooms I have seen. $10 for tent, $16 for electric - how can you go wrong?

    Only issue is that the spots are pretty close together. Around 2:30am there was so much smoke in our van from nearby campfires that I woke up sick and my dog threw up all over the bed. At 3am we decided we needed to move to an electric site because it was too much to have the windows open. I felt really bad for anyone in a tent. I coughed all the next day.

    The campground was not that busy so there is no way I would stay here on a busy holiday weekend due to the spots being too close. If a few people make a fire you better shut down all your windows. No sleeping in the cool, night air here.

    But this is an issue at other places too. Just never experienced anything on this level before. Esp considering no one in our section even had a fire going.

    I wish campgrounds would start banning these fires. But that’s a topic for a later date.

    Other than that it was a great spot.

  • Camper-submitted photo from Keokuk County Belva Deer Park
    May 31, 2024

    Keokuk County Belva Deer Park

    Clean park warm showers

    $12 a night for primitive camping and you get nice warm showers by the main entrance and nice bathrooms by the main entrance. Stand-alone bathrooms throughout the park have the deep composting toilets that smell bad but whatever the ones up front are nice. Would recommend 10/10

  • Camper-submitted photo from Cedar River Campground
    April 27, 2024

    Cedar River Campground

    Cedar river campground

    Camped there for years. Never again. Last 2 years under current owners\ management, I would not spend another dime there. They are nothing but drama. Behind office towards owners home looks like a salvage yard. They have removed families who have camped there for years. Only ones left are scared, no place to move to, or suck up to them for special privileges. Last two years were horrible. Will only return if sold to again new owners who care about campers vs money.

  • Camper-submitted photo from Bailey Ford Delaware County Park
    March 16, 2024

    Bailey Ford Delaware County Park

    Great park and campground

    Bailey's Ford has everything you need for a night or a week. It's clean and beautiful. Trout stream, trails, river access, showers and a playground. I recommend!

  • Camper-submitted photo from Camp Liberty
    March 1, 2024

    Camp Liberty

    Wonderful camp with many amenities

    Camp offers site for all tastes: primitive and modern cabins and lodges, tents for small or large groups and couples. Hard roads, fire pits, tables, water, showers, supplies. Surrounded by nature with forest, prairie, and lake.Trails, and even guided activities.

  • Camper-submitted photo from Delaware County Coffins Grove Park
    July 5, 2023

    Delaware County Coffins Grove Park

    Quiet, peaceful family campground

    Nice, smaller campground! No designated spots, so great for groups to circle up and camp together (we camp here every year for our family reunion). Newer playground that my kids love, sand so that’s an extra play optional. Small creek runs through the park (on the edge of the campground) and a fun place for kids to explore and play in.

  • Camper-submitted photo from Sleepy Hollow
    October 5, 2022

    Sleepy Hollow

    No Pets?

    Was looking forward to camping there until I found out they do not allow pets at tent sites. Apparently they don’t feel responsible pet owners use tents. Not happy will never stay there

  • Camper-submitted photo from Central Park
    September 21, 2022

    Central Park

    Very well maintained County Park with lake

    This park is well maintained with full service and primitive sites. Trails, nature center, shelters, restrooms/showers, and lake access for beach, paddling, fishing, etc. Prairie plantings mixed in the wooded areas.

  • Camper-submitted photo from Palisades-Kepler State Park
    September 20, 2022

    Palisades-Kepler State Park

    First time, one night

    Super chill and plenty of space, especially for tents on site 39. Bathrooms are very nice and modern and clean, maintenance was very nice to let me shower before he could clean it. It was our only night there and we heard a lot of movements by the woods that it creeped us out but we were hearing haunted stories before arriving so the Halloween vibes was definitely there. Loads of shade and quiet nice neighbors.

  • Camper-submitted photo from Pinicon Ridge Park
    September 1, 2022

    Pinicon Ridge Park

    Nice clean and generally spacious

    Stayed in The Plains area. Water and electric hookups, dump station near by. Clean shower house with storm shelter. Mixed sun and shade with generous grassy sites, fire pit and picnic table.

  • Camper-submitted photo from Lake Iowa County Park
    July 10, 2022

    Lake Iowa County Park

    Good, but.

    The good: The area around the lake and near by pond, is not overly developed. There are wild raspberries and mulberries, lots of wildlife. We had a blue jay that visited us regularly at our campsite, along with deer walking through. The bad: very few sites have a view of the lake. To walk to the lake or near by pond you must go down hill, which could be a problem for any one with mobility issues. Once down to the water trail are easy to walk. I would say if you can try and get sites, 67-70. They have beautiful views.

  • Camper-submitted photo from Cedar River Campground
    July 3, 2022

    Cedar River Campground

    Perfect getaway!

    Recently under new ownership, you can tell they’ve been working hard getting the place going again. Yes, you hear traffic, but it didn’t bother us. They had a great fireworks display for the fourth. Spots are tighter than what we prefer, but will be back again.

  • Camper-submitted photo from Pinicon Ridge Park
    July 1, 2022

    Pinicon Ridge Park

    Pinicon Ridge Linn County

    This park is beautiful and there is tons to do. The playground is fantastic and keep the kids entertained all day. The water is great for fishing, swimming and boating. Central City also has everything you need within minutes of your site. There is boat rentals and the new showers are amazing.

  • Camper-submitted photo from Cedar River Campground
    April 3, 2022

    Cedar River Campground

    Private cg along Cedar River

    Seasonal cg along the Cedar River with camp store, ice, wood, propane, showers/restrooms. Has playground, pool, mini golf, Cedar River access too.

  • Camper-submitted photo from Sleepy Hollow
    December 8, 2021

    Sleepy Hollow

    Under new ownership

    This campground has many amenities for the whole family. From tent sites, to Airbnb cabins for 9 people they have a site for everyone. They have laundry, showers, horseshoes, volleyball, basketball, fishing and a swimming beach.

  • Camper-submitted photo from Pinicon Ridge Park
    August 23, 2021

    Pinicon Ridge Park

    Quiet weekend on the flying squirrel loop

    Great place to kick back and relax. The trail through the campground takes you across the river where you can find canoe and paddle boat rentals, and our favorite an off leash do area.  We all took the trail into town and found a BIT Brewery where we enjoy woodfired pizza and brought some beer home in a growler for around the fire that night.

  • Camper-submitted photo from Pinicon Ridge Park
    July 19, 2021

    Pinicon Ridge Park

    Perfect County Campground

    We stayed at this campground for 7 nights with W/E hook ups.  Dump available on entrance/exit.  The site was a level rock pad witch was very spacious with a fire ring and picnic table.  Nearest grocery store was within 5 miles.  The bathrooms and shower were very clean with lots of hot water.  There is hiking in the park and very little road noise.

  • Camper-submitted photo from Cedar River Campground
    July 1, 2021

    Cedar River Campground

    Friendly, green scenery, a bit noisy

    We stopped over for the night, and it was a good respite. They have mini-golf, a nice pool and a creative rugged play area for the kids. Unfortunately, the pool was closed for the evening cleaning, so we didn't get to use it. There was a beautiful wetland just down from the campground. It is right off the highway, so it was loud when we were outside, but we couldn't hear it at all when we were in our Tab 400. The manager, son of the owner, was really nice and helpful. His mom has owned the RV park for 27 years and ready to retire. There are some friendly seasonal and long-term residents who are in a separate section, but you see them driving through on their golf carts and are super fun and gregarious.

  • Camper-submitted photo from Cedar River Campground
    June 26, 2021

    Cedar River Campground

    Lots of highway noise but convenient

    Very standard rv spots feet from the highway. Hosts are very amicable. Perfect for what we needed, a quick stop on our drive across country. Appears to be lots of activities for kids/families during the day.



Guide to Ely

Camping near Ely, Iowa, offers a mix of beautiful landscapes and fun activities for everyone. Whether you're looking for a peaceful getaway or an adventurous family trip, there are plenty of campgrounds to choose from.

What to do:

  • Explore the caves: At Maquoketa Caves State Park Campground, you can hike through unique caves. One visitor said, "The caves make this a unique place to visit but the hiking is rigorous."
  • Hiking trails: Backbone State Park has extensive trails. A camper mentioned, "There are tons of trails, specifically the spot we camped at was right by the trail so we had easy access."
  • Fishing and boating: At Lake Macbride State Park Campground, you can enjoy fishing and boating. One reviewer noted, "The park offers lake fishing, paddling, swimming beach, trails, education center."

What campers like:

  • Clean facilities: Campers appreciate the cleanliness of the restrooms and showers. A visitor at Sugar Bottom Campground said, "This Campground is awesome. Very clean, for me the star attraction here was the solo bathroom & shower both together with lockable door for extreme privacy."
  • Spacious sites: Many campgrounds offer large, well-spaced sites. A reviewer at Scott County Park mentioned, "The sites themselves are HUGE and some of them would accommodate the largest camping rigs you could imagine."
  • Natural beauty: Campers love the scenic views. One visitor at George Wyth State Park Campground said, "This park has hiking(on path or off), fishing in multiple lakes and the cedar river, and a beach!!!"

What you should know:

  • Mosquitoes can be a problem: Some campers have reported issues with mosquitoes, especially at George Wyth State Park Campground. One camper noted, "There were tremendous amounts of mosquitoes at the campground during our visit."
  • Limited amenities at some sites: Not all campgrounds have full amenities. A visitor at Lake Macbride State Park Campground mentioned, "There’s no place to buy firewood nearby so come prepared."
  • Busy during peak seasons: Campgrounds can fill up quickly during weekends and holidays. A camper at Maquoketa Caves State Park Campground said, "We were dismayed when we arrived at 3 pm on a Sunday to find the place packed with day-use visitors."

Tips for camping with families:

  • Bring games and activities: Many campgrounds have playgrounds and open spaces. A family at Scott County Park enjoyed the amenities, saying, "There are playgrounds for your kids to play in."
  • Plan for meals: Some campgrounds don’t have nearby markets. A visitor at Sugar Bottom Campground advised, "Make sure you know which campground you’re going to and bring your own food."
  • Check for family-friendly activities: Look for campgrounds with organized activities. One camper at Backbone State Park mentioned, "There was a naturalist station with several activities that would be good for families."

Tips from RVers:

  • Check site sizes: Some sites may not accommodate larger RVs. A visitor at Lake Macbride State Park Campground noted, "The entry on this app says big rig friendly, but it might be hard to fit a big rig on the electrical only sites."
  • Use leveling blocks: Many sites may not be perfectly level. A reviewer at Sugar Bottom Campground mentioned, "We did have to put blocks under the passenger-side tires."
  • Stay connected: Some campgrounds have limited cell service. A camper at Camelot Campground Quad Cities USA said, "Verizon service was not great in the area but could still stay connected for the most part."

Camping near Ely, Iowa, has something for everyone, whether you're in a tent or an RV. Just remember to plan ahead and enjoy the great outdoors!

Frequently Asked Questions

  • Which is the most popular glamping campsite near Ely, IA?

    According to TheDyrt.com, the most popular glamping campground near Ely, IA is Palisades-Kepler State Park with a 4.3-star rating from 8 reviews.

  • What is the best site to find glamping camping near Ely, IA?

    TheDyrt.com has all 15 glamping camping locations near Ely, IA, with real photos and reviews from campers.