Best Cabin Camping near Garwin, IA
Looking for a place to cabin camp near Garwin? Finding a cozy cabin in Iowa has never been easier. You're sure to find the perfect cabin rental for your Iowa camping adventure.
Looking for a place to cabin camp near Garwin? Finding a cozy cabin in Iowa has never been easier. You're sure to find the perfect cabin rental for your Iowa camping adventure.
Pine Lake State Park is a hidden gem with wooded trails, deep ravines, and scenic lake views in the midst of Iowa’s rolling farmland. Historic structures built by the Civilian Conservation Corps (CCC) and Works Progress Administration (WPA) can be found throughout the park, including the Pine Lodge, beach house and stone cabins, which have been carefully restored. Pine Lake is filled with beautiful picnic areas to enjoy a quiet setting by the river or an overlook of the park’s lake. The park originally was home to Iowa’s southernmost stand of native pine trees which were wiped out by a severe hailstorm in August 2009; today hundreds of caged tree seedlings are scattered throughout the park as part of a reforestation effort.
Stay overnight in one of four cozy cabins at Pine Lake, with stone fireplaces and outdoor fire rings. One cabin is ADA accessible, and all cabins include a full kitchen and bath, along with heating and air conditioning for year-round stays. The park’s campground offers electric sites with modern showers and restrooms and a trailer dump station. Some campsites are available on a first-come, first-serve basis, and advanced campsite and cabin reservations can be made through the online reservation system for Pine Lake State Park.
$18 / night
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.
It was beautiful, full of wildlife, easy to find,not too far from highway but far away enough to not hear
This review is for the Wallaby cabin. This cabin supposedly has a bathroom with a shower, 3 beds and a kitchenette. The bathroom has a shower so small it is difficult not to rinse one's hair while applying shampoo. There is no sink in this room for brushing teeth, washing hands or face, etc. There is no mirror either, or hooks for towels or washcloths or clothes. There is also no heater. The cabin has no closet or any place to hang any clothes. There were several bugs crawling on the ceiling. The wall A/C could not help but spew dust, as it was coated with that on the filter and cover. The trash can had a clean bag, which occupants are required to leave in dumpster at checkout. When removing the bag, the stuck-on mess under it was appalling. The bed in each loft area had obviously been used and not changed, as the covers were in disarray and the bottom sheets not clean. The main bed has a zipped on plastic cover which the loose fitting fitted sheet will not stay on, causing occupants to end up sleeping on plastic. We purchased a blanket to go over it for the next night. We would not have stayed more than one night but, as we had reserved 3, it is not refundable. The tv is to the side of the immovable chairs, so that one must have head turned completely to one side to watch. The cabin has such a slant that a ball will roll by itself to the entrance side. All this for more than$350 for 3 night stay.
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.
Loved this campground! We just stayed for one night, but wish it had been two. Small and quiet. A few trails to hike and a horse camp that I didn’t have time to explore. Nice lending library as well. Bathroom/shower combos are nice (1 is ADA). Not far off the interstate. Some sites are off with level & weird (ie stairs/door open on an incline and away from the table), and our picnic table was sloped. So pick your site carefully. 19E was ok - table not level and high stairs required from TT but good for Starlink connection and close water spigot (elec only at these sites)
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.
Beautiful relaxing spot. We were in a spot on a hill top.
We stayed here towards the end of May. They hadn’t cut the grass but was in the process of cutting it. This caused swarms of bugs. We are from Ky backwoods and are use to bugs but this was awful. The bathhouse was clean. The campground is right off the main highway so easy getting off and right back on.
Literally a single stone’s throw from I80, one of the busiest thoroughfares you’ll find yourself on here in the great ‘Hawkeye State,’ this is one campground that very much deserves your attention, despite being a KOA. In fact, this campground outpost is so close to the highway that you’ll be hard pressed not to see or hear it during your entire stay. While this KOA does sit down a bit from the hustle & bustle that comes with a major interstate highway, a good number of the available RV sites sit on a sloping hill that is the same elevation as the highway itself, so if you do have the choice, opt for the lower sites (more on that later).
Sitting just 30 minutes east of Des Moines, Newton KOA offers up about 100 sites for RVs and 5th wheelers offering up all the standard hook-ups (water, sewage and 30 / 50 amp- but be careful because some sites only offer 30 or 50, while some do offer both, so be sure to ask when making your reservation). For mi tent pitching bredren, there’s about a dozen or so sites to choose from and all are fairly intermingled with the RV sites, although each site does sit on a plush patch of grass, so this KOA does a nice job on that front of integration. Oh, and if you don’t have an RV, 5th wheeler or a tent, on worries, this KOA will rent you one of its three cabins.
As this is a KOA you can expect a ton of amenities and this place does not disappoint with: catch & release fishing pond w/ fish cleaning station (that is oddly placed about as far away from the fishing pond as you can get), disc golf course, K9 camp for the puppies, cable TV, WiFi, in-ground pool (available 5/25 until 9/3) with ADA pool lift, horseshoes, meeting rooms, firewood for sale, LP gas refueling station, pool table, shuffleboard, social lounge, two kids playground, laundr-O-mat, basketball court, restroom & shower facilities, mini-market with basic groceries, ping pong, jump pad, game room, gaga pit, designated dumpster and dump station and of course the scattered fire pits and picnic tables. Just to go above and beyond, this KOA serves up free breakfast of flapjacks on Saturdays. Yahoo!
Insider’s tips? Here’s a few: (1) Whether you are pitching a tent or pulling up in your RV, the best sites IMHO are those in the lower valley, but located right in front of the main office, where there are 6 RV slots numbered #45 – 50 and 6 tent sites numbered T1 – T6; (2) Should you get hungry and might want to try some local fare, check out Taco John’s and La Cabaña Mexican Restaurant, which I guess stand for ‘local’ around here, although there is Newton Family Restaurant. If you are looking for something really different and amazing, I would suggest heading on over to Dan’s Sandwich Shop, which feels like real Americana from a bygone era, complete with a diner-esque vibe and matching elbow counter to warm up to over a nice piece of apple pie, scoop of ice cream washed down with a hot mug of coffee; (3) While this KOA has a mini-market, you will find a bigger selection with better prices just down the road at the local Walmart, where just due west of this, you’ll find a Hy-Vee Grocery store with a wine & spirits shop positioned there as well. Further down the road, you have excellent fresh cut meat from Fareway Grocery, but check out the local hotspot, Newton Market as well; and (4) While what you will discover from an outdoor standpoint at Newton KOA is interesting, if you want something more substantial, head to Newton Arboretum & Botanical Gardens for 6 acres of family-friendly landscape to explore with more displays and demonstrations that you can shake a stick at! Seriously, there’s a butterfly garden, peony border and nearly 200 individual species of trees here to check out.
Happy Camping!
Came in late, even though there were several empty spaces turns out they were reserved. Very nice camp host told us we could have a non-electric site, none of them were reserved. Bathroom/showers were clean.
Spent 2 nights tent camping here. We stayed at site 4, glad I read reviews on here. I personally would not want to be in a site beyond number 7 as it gets too close to the dump station and subsequent “sewage lagoon”
Shower house was clean, pretty quiet, and only 5 miles off the highway
This is a quiet and nice park. Lots of pull through lots. I am missing a swimming pool but they do have a beach by a pond if that interests you. Bathrooms are cleaned daily but at times are quite nasty. Not their fault people are just nasty.
Our stay here was fine. Check-in was easy and courteous. We were escorted to our site. All of the staff that we interacted with was great. It seems like this park has an original section and then expansion sections tired up a hillside. The original section is the only section with any mature shade trees. Our site, and it looked like the others in the tiered hillside section, were in full sun all day. We selected an upgraded patio site. It was spacious and the patio area was made from pavers. It was equiped the same as the other sites though, just a fire pit and a picnic table (that was in rough shape). Our experience at other KOAs is that the patio sites have some better patio furniture. The fire pit wasn't functional for cooking. The cooking grate was rusted and set about 1" off the bottom of the fire pit leaving no room for charcoal. Pool looked nice but we didn't use it. The bathrooms and showers were clean but the showers could use a place to set your dry clothes.
We stayed at started at the Lost Island water park KOA for just one night while passing through the area. We were in our class C while slowly making our way across the country. We had no problems getting a spot here. Sites are gravel for the RV, reasonably level, and very well maintained. Most sites are pull through. Hookups are in very good condition. Each site had a grassy area with a picnic table. Staff was very friendly and helpful. There was a playground, beach and fenced dog area. Cost was very good for the amenities provided.
The campground had a store, gas station and propane available.
We had 4 bar LTE with Verizon. Our hotspot was usable and performed very well. We enjoyed our brief stay at this campground. We will stay again when traveling this way.
Wilder Park is a beautiful city park. Very much a gem, quiet and peaceful . 50 + sites with about half of them full hook up. Costs for a full hook up in 2022 was under $25 a night. The park has two fishing areas, a dog park,pickle ball, volleyball mini golf, basketball and two playgrounds. A beautiful walking and bike path connects the parks to the neighboring cities. A free dump is also available. We highly recommend this park. 1
Great place to spend a weekend. Very comfortable and cozy
Very quiet and relaxing! Several options for different outdoor activities
We rolled up to this campground past 10pm on a Thursday night just looking for a safe spot to sleep and hopefully a shower before getting back on the road. This place was great. The drive into the grounds was a little confusing, but I imagine that in the daylight we would have had an easier time. There was no camp office that we could find, but we were pleasantly surprised when we found an open spot that we could make a same day reservation and payment online ($29 for an electric site after fees). There are QR codes at each site that you can scan to quickly and easily do this on the spot. You can reserve online ahead of time as well. The bathhouse was very clean and had two showers that had hot water. We could not hear the highway from our spot despite it being close by, and the other campers around were very quiet. My only somewhat negative note about this place is I am not sure at all where tent campers are intended to go. We were in a van and this was perfect for us, but for non-vehicle campers this may not be as ideal.
This campground has no shippers but is secluded and quiet and only 5 dollars. There’s a barn with electricity running water and real toilets.
Great clean campground with lots to do. Mini golf, basketball, paddleboat on a small pond, horseshoes, and plenty of swings and playscapes for kids. Beautiful spot with lovely people.
Site 70 is not level, the driveway was just long enough for us and the view was great! The sites are spacious enough; cell signal was the same. The dumpsters we full when we got there on Sunday the same on Tuesday. Recycling was not offered! The bathrooms are very nice-a room with 3 stalls and 4 individual showers. The trail is superb, we rode our bikes both days we were there. It’s an easy (ebike) ride to Eldora.
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.
Quiet well kept campground. Showers were nice, sites were decent in size, with some shade. Kids had fun at the swimming pond.
Staff is *Outstanding!! Sites Level (#62); Great Kamp K9!! Laundry, "Immaculate"!; Clean, clean, oh and CLEAN! Gotta get @ least, one nite here!🤓
Lovely views, great walking paths, quiet and picturesque lake. Bathrooms and shower rooms are new and super clean. Campground is well kept. We will definitely be back.
Well run campground with full hookups available for$35/ night. Bathrooms are clean and lots of warm water for showers. Great place for a night or two. Near the highway but road noise is minimal.
I have created a space in my minivan so I'm a vamping and I have reserved the same spot for one weekend a month for the next 8 months and I am so excited to have a place to come and relax while decompressing from My crazy Life.
Good little campground with tent,cabins and rv sites and reasonable
Frequently Asked Questions
Which is the most popular cabin campsite near Garwin, IA?
According to TheDyrt.com, the most popular cabin campground near Garwin, IA is Pine Lake State Park Campground with a 4.7-star rating from 10 reviews.
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