Best Cabin Camping near Harlan, IA

Has a water park you can rent golf carts and cabins lots todo very family friendly

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.

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.

This place fills up! Great campground with restaurant, beach and boat rentals.

Most packed side by side, back to back. The few good sites are continually reseved.
Campers are loud well beyond midnight. If you like to whoop it up all night, this is the camp ground to go to, no enforcement Small lake is nice, trails are nice. Camp store and beach house (rentals) closed up long ago. 1 dump, long wait. Nearest store 10 miles away, weak cell, down in river valley.

You’ll love this little park if you want to really disconnect and get away from things as there was absolutely 0 cell reception where we were at. That’s definitely not a bad thing since that’s exactly what we were looking for!

The park was very clean and everyone we met was extremely nice! Bring some hiking equipment as well as they have multiple nice trails to go hiking on.

It was clean and looks like they are updating some of their building. The playground needs a massive makeover. Our RV was on the corner so we had a fair amount of extra room unlike some sites. A cute little beach for swimming, one main reason we picked this state park was for the kayak rentals. They were closed so we weren’t able to, which was a big disappointment.

The park is electric only with a dump station and water hydrants through out the park. We have Verizon & AT&T and had no service. This is the first place we have been to without voice service (other doesn’t matter). Just a bit worrisome in case of emergency.

Overall, there are many better state parks that I would rather go to.

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.

Been coming to this lake for years. It's a beautiful setting, right in the middle Loess Hills in sw Iowa. The fishing has always been good here. But this camp area is not much at all. The spaces are really small, and not really one view of the lake. There is a new visitor center right by the entrance of the camping area. There also a really small pond by the entrance as well. This place would probably work for a over night stay, but not a destination. But I still love the areas wildlife, and the lake. Or maybe it's just the nostalgia for me.

Viking Lake is clean and well managed. It has several amenities including a restaurant if you left your cooler at home.

The campsites are nice and so are the facilities. During the week it is really quiet. I think most of the action here happens on the weekend based on the size of the park and the campgrounds, but I am not sure because I stayed during the week.

There are a few hiking trails and a marina where you can rent a boat for a little fun after eating lunch in the restaurant. This is one of the better stops in Southwest Iowa.