Best Glamping near Harlan, IA

Recent Glamping Reviews near Harlan, IA

102 Reviews of 15 Harlan Campgrounds

• 

  stephen W.

  Guide

  

  Oct. 11, 2024

  Hitchcock County Nature Center

  Stay for the trails

  I pulled in late at night easy to navigate stayed the next day and did some trails apparently the land formations are 1 of only 2 in the world how about that Iowa.

• 

  Matt S.

  Legend

  

  Aug. 31, 2018

  Casey City Park

  Small City Park

  This campground is right off the interstate in the small town of Casey Iowa. This is a small town. There is a little diner and a few businesses, but if you camp here make sure you have not forgotten anything important at home.

  The campground is clean and perfect for someone with a camper or an RV.

• 

  Deborah C.

  Ranger

  

  Sep. 22, 2018

  Swan Lake State Park Campground

  Not very tent friendly

  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.

• 

  Matt S.

  Legend

  

  Oct. 1, 2016

  Pony Creek Co Park

  Pony Creek is too small

  Pony Creek is an old campground operated in Southwest Iowa. It only has about 6 sites. There is a pond in front of the park for fishing and a small playground. It also has some sort of conference center that looks like it was built recently. Honestly it looks a little out of place.

  I would bring my family here for a picnic but it is not where I would camp.

• 

  Tony B.

  Legend

  

  Sep. 12, 2020

  Pony Creek Co Park

  Like the lake, but not much camping

  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.

• 

  Melissa K.

  Legend

  

  Jun. 14, 2018

  Casey City Park

  Small little park off the highway

  This is a small little park off the highway, we had been traveling for two days and needed to stop for the night. We followed the signs that said camping and went through a quant, however pretty vacant, little town. We got to the end of the town and found a city park that allowed camping.

  Pros -- it was $10 a night, that's decent! Most places are more along this drive. It also had a magnificent playground. My kids had been cooped up for two days and needed to run off some pent up energy and this was perfect. A few neighborhood kids joined them (it was smack dab in a neighborhood) and they had a blast, all while I rested from my chair at my campsite. Lots of green grass (an improvement from the desert climate we come from) and trees for shade. It had flush toilets and free showers! There was a picnic table, electricity and a grill at every site. It was a pretty restful night.

  Cons -- The bathrooms were not the cleanest. The women's bathroom stalls did not function correctly, either the door wouldn't lock or it wouldn't close. There were lots of bugs, in the restroom, in the site, all over. I didn't sit at the picnic table due to the bugs all over it so I sat in my camp chair where I found relief. I'm not one that thinks there should be no bugs in nature but there just was an abundance of them everywhere. You could hear some highway traffic and a little train traffic. The town was all but closed up. There was a gas station and a bar open. The gas station attendant wasn't super friendly.

  It was a great place to lay our heads for the night, play some games, run the playground but it probably wouldn't be on my list of first places to stop. Beauty of Iowa is almost every exit shows camping!u 7

• L

  Ladona S.

  Scout

  

  Sep. 6, 2023

  Pottawattamie County Fairgrounds

  Super easy I80 stop

  We made a one night stop as we traversed I80. Clean with shaded park like area. Electric, water and sewer available. Bathroom and shower were clean. But old style, so small and well worn.

• K

  Kimberly B.

  Scout

  

  Jun. 6, 2021

  Pottawattamie County Fairgrounds

  Nice, quiet spot.

  Hidden gem. Just a few mins off I-80 but no noise or signs of heavytraffic. Cute, quaint little town. All pull through spots and all sites are level. Not all spots have picnic tables or fire rings but there were very few campers so we had our pick of spots. Playset for younger kids. Golf course and pool in town. Nice shade trees. Bath house had flushing Toilets. Showers weren't very clean but we didn't need to use them. Perfect for a quick stop and very affordable at $20 for full hookups.

• 

  Cire C.

  Scout

  

  Mar. 2, 2024

  Pottawattamie County Fairgrounds

  Overnight or Long Term

  We have been coming to this campground every year. They have recently open during the winter which is great because not many campground are open during this time. Steve is such a great guy who is always looking out for you.

• P

  Paul M.

  Scout

  

  Jul. 24, 2021

  Pottawattamie County Fairgrounds

  Nice, quite area

  This is a nice, quiet spot. Lots of trees. The sites are easy to access, and it was not full despite being a Friday in July. It is a good price for full hook up, restrooms and showers. Plus, collected fees go to local 4-H and FFA groups.

• 

  Doug W.

  Ranger

  

  May. 2, 2021

  Pottawattamie County Fairgrounds

  A hidden gem.

  Just 2 miles south of I80 but a world apart. This is a great stop if traveling I80. It is a bargain at $20 for full hookups. They have tent sites also.

  The park is clean and clearly under utilized as there were only 3 of us in a park with more than 40 sites.

  It is very quiet, right in small town America. I saw two tractors driving through town and only a few more cars.

  Best of all we had a full 5 bars of ripping Verizon service. What's not to like?

• S

  Steve

  Guide

  

  Sep. 25, 2024

  Pottawattamie County Fairgrounds

  Cheap and easy to get to from the highway

  This is a no-frills stop off on a road trip kind of place. The bathrooms were pretty gross and there are lights on all night so hopefully you have a blackout tent or good shades on your RV. It's nothing to write home about but it was quiet and I slept well. I would stay again

• 

  Kyle L.

  Traveler

  

  Jun. 14, 2021

  Nelson Park Crawford County Park

  Great time at Nelson Park

  I grew up swimming and camping at Nelson Park but moved away roughly 30 years ago. I wanted a weekend away from the craziness so chose to go "home" for my first solo trip in quite awhile. The grounds and facilities at the park were in excellent shape even though many of the buildings were still the same ones that I had known from childhood. Could not have asked for better weather after storms rolled through in the morning pulling the heat and humidity from the air later in the day. I will definitely be returning again.

• 

  Edger G.

  Scout

  

  Sep. 25, 2024

  Nelson Park Crawford County Park

  Descent place for camping

  It’s a good place for camping not perfect. Has a descent size lake good for kayaking and fishing.

• 

  Kelly R.

  Scout

  

  Aug. 20, 2022

  Missouri Valley City Park

  Perfect place to stay overnight or even make it a few nights.

  We were looking for an overnight place to stay and came across this gem. It is right next to a busy railroad, but we cranked up our fans and barely noticed the trains and their horns. It surrounds a city park and there is plenty of room to spread out in their well manicured park. With 30/50 electric and water this place is well worth the $15 they charge. It's all on an honor system so make sure to bring some cash. That way this place can be here to stay for everyone to enjoy.

• H

  Howard R.

  Scout

  

  Oct. 29, 2022

  Missouri Valley City Park

  Great place to stop

  Stayed twice this summer. Handy off hwy 30. Fairgrounds with lots of spots. Be aware that it would not be available during fair week. Has dumping station. Self pay.

• 

  Don L.

  Guide

  

  Jan. 10, 2022

  Missouri Valley City Park

  Excellent campground

  I arrived around 3 pm. Noticed the amenities. Which are many. We are visiting in winter. But this is a place to come with your kids or grandkids. So much fun stuff to do. Water park. Playground. Open area. Lots of space. Picnic tables. Stores. Check the web site…

• 

  Tony B.

  Legend

  

  Sep. 12, 2020

  Hitchcock County Nature Center

  Great little hiking park

  Been coming to this place on and off for years. They have several hiking trails of different skills inside the preserve. There is a couple look out points of the Loess Hills as well as a educational visitors center. There is a rv camping site, as well as cabins that can be rented. There also 2 types of tenting as well. There is the walk up sites near the cabins, and also a few hike in camp sites.

• 

  Isabel M.

  Guide

  

  Apr. 28, 2023

  Hitchcock County Nature Center

  Nice

  We tent camped in the modern loop. Bathroom was clean, lit, and stocked - even had hand sanitizer! RV loops had flush toilets and showers, but we didn’t stay long enough to make the trek worth it. The walk down to the tent sites was annoying at worst, but plenty doable. Campsites were level enough, and there were a few sites with pads. Lots of ticks to look out for. There’s an airfield nearby so plane noise was regular but not frequent. Wifi didn’t quite reach the tent campsites; nor did Verizon service, but T-Mobile was good. All around a fine campground.

• 

  Amber M.

  Scout

  

  Jul. 8, 2023

  Hitchcock County Nature Center

  Secluded and well-kept

  This is my favorite place to tent camp! Nice bathhouse, and even the pit toilet is clean and unoffensive. Tent sites are spacious and most are separated by lots of trees so there's plenty of shade, privacy, and wildlife. Firewood is available and hiking trails are nearby. Unfortunately, I have to find a new favorite spot because I can no longer lug my gear up and down the hill between my car and my tent.

• 

  Jeremy B.

  Guide

  

  Jul. 20, 2023

  Hitchcock County Nature Center

  Clean, quiet, and tranquil

  Friendly reminder to bring CASH FIRST COME FIRST SERVE

  Pros

  • great Starlink line of sight
  • super clean bathrooms and hot showers
  • very quiet
  • many nature trails out your door
  • friendly cows :)

  Literally no cons.

• s

  sophia

  Scout

  

  Jul. 4, 2021

  Hitchcock County Nature Center

  Successful 1st Trip

  It was a great first trip into the area! Learned about the Loess formations, Saw a lot of wildlife and took a hike to the pond. Excited to check out more challenging hike spots in the future

• T

  Tom and Chris W.

  Traveler

  

  Jul. 9, 2021

  Hitchcock County Nature Center

  We love this campground!

  We’ve stayed at Hitchcock several times since March of 2021. Our longest stay was for a week and our shortest was for one night. It’s FCFS and they accept cash or check upon check in. You can also pay by credit/debit card if the camp store is open. Ice and fire wood are available for sale. Tons of hiking trails and trees. You can hear cows mooing and I was surprised (during our stay in June) just how much air traffics there was, having increased a great deal since earlier months due to loosening of pandemic restrictions and air travel. Landing patterns for planes headed to Omaha’s Eppley Airfield often include the airspace over Hitchcock. That being said, it was never annoying to us. The ranger is very welcoming, friendly and willing to chat if you’re so inclined. They had a water issue when we were there last, but the ranger was excellent at communicating any and all interference caused by the repairs. We did not feel inconvenienced whatsoever. They do a great job of staying on top of any issues so that interruption is minimal.

• 

  Pat V.

  Ranger

  

  Dec. 25, 2018

  Hitchcock County Nature Center

  Hiking and Archery!

  As a family we go to Hitchcock a few times a year for the hiking and the archery range they have on-site. Both are excellent and a nice escape from the city! This spring/summer I am planning to take our boys for a nice hike in camp!

• 

  Tony M.

  Traveler

  

  May. 29, 2019

  Hitchcock County Nature Center

  Outstanding hiking close to the city.

  Hitchcock Nature Center features 10 miles of trails in varying difficulties for all skill levels. Great training site with some fantastic campsites and excellent views. Nature Center offers a unique lodge and educational space with a "fire tower" regularly used for bird studies. Backcountry campsites are the main attraction but there are also RV sites and an archery range. The park even offers a small section of ADA boardwalk. It's a great place!

• 

  Karen W.

  Traveler

  

  Jun. 20, 2019

  Hitchcock County Nature Center

  Favorite

  This is one of our favorite places to camp. It's beautiful and there's plenty of hiking. The campgrounds are a little way away from the road and more secluded so they're very quiet. You do have to pack your stuff down a bit of a steep hill. with the nature Center there is plenty for the kids to do. There's even a 1 mile hike on a boardwalk that's very easy. There's all levels of hikes. They have a hawkwatch tower. Lots of information about Hawks and nature conservation. We love doing their extra classes.

• 

  Kwin K.

  Guide

  

  Jul. 3, 2018

  Hitchcock County Nature Center

  Great Place for Hiking

  if you want to get some hiking in that’s not just all flat walking this is a great place in this area. The views show you the vast farmland here and are great for sunrise and sunset! Leashed dog friendly. There are some camping spots you can hike to and some cabins as well. I have mostly used this as a day spot.