Looking to get away and reconnect with nature? Glamping near Knoxville is the perfect choice. Find all the best glamping sites for your Knoxville, Iowa camping adventure with The Dyrt. You're sure to find glamping for your Iowa camping adventure.
Camp in one of several campsites near the park’s lake, featuring both electric and non-electric sites, a modern restroom and shower building. Several campsites sit on the water’s edge and provide beautiful views of Rock Creek Lake. One-fourth of the campsites are available on a first-come, first-serve basis, and advanced campsite reservations through the online reservation system for Rock Creek State Park
$6 - $12 / night
Wallashuck Campground is located on Lake Red Rock, Iowas largest lake. It is just 10 minutes from Pella, known for its Dutch heritage, and 15 minutes from Knoxville, the Sprint car capital of the world. Visitors enjoy boating, fishing, hiking, biking and viewing wildlife. For more information regarding the Army Corps of Engineers and the Lake Red Rock Project, click here:Lake Red Rock Website
Lake Red Rock offers excellent boating, water skiing and swimming opportunities. Miles of water trails for kayakers and canoeists are designated along the shoreline. Anglers will find crappie, largemouth and striped bass,walleye, channel and flathead catfish, northern pike and bluegill. Several miles of trails for hiking and biking are in the area. The 15 mile paved Volksweg Trail stretches west from Pella to the Des Moines River and to the Cordova Recreation Area.
Lake Red Rock is situated on the Des Moines River. Hardwood forests cover the lake shore at Wallashuck, offering shade and scenic views. Wildlife is abundant around the lake. A wide variety of waterfowl, including the American White Pelican, migrates through the area in spring and fall. Bald eagles can be observed from November through March. White-tailed deer , turkeys and other small animals are commonly viewed around the lake.
Des Moines, Iowa's capital, is an hour away, with numerous shopping and dining opportunities, museums and the Blank Park Zoo.
A $10.00 service fee will apply if you change or cancel your reservation. The $10.00 service fee will be deducted from the refund amound. Cancel or change reservations through recreation.gov or by calling 1-877-444-6777. Late cancellations are subject to additional fees.
$24 / night
$20 - $25 / night
$20 / night
$5 / night
Cherry Glen Campground is located on the 26,000-acre Saylorville Lake Project, which stretches more than 50 miles up the Des Moines River Valley. The lake provides a wide variety of recreational activities, including boating, swimming, fishing, hiking and hunting.
Visitors enjoy Saylorville Lake for its excellent boating, sailing, water skiing, windsurfing and swimming opportunities. Anglers will find walleye, wiper, largemouth bass, catfish, crappie and northern pike. The paved Neal Smith Trail winds 24 miles from Des Moines to Big Creek State Park and connects the campgrounds on the east side of the lake. It is designated as a National Recreation Trail and is used for biking, hiking, jogging, walking and in-line skating.
Cherry Glen, the oldest and most popular campground on the lake, is nestled on a compact 13-acre wooded ridge. Wildlife is abundant throughout the project. White-tailed deer, turkeys, waterfowl and other small game animals roam the lands around the lake.
$26 / night
Scout
Very clean, easy to reserve. Bathroom was a pit toilet but clean. Camp spot was clean and well-maintained.
Ranger
Nice city park campground close to lots of covered bridges and other things to see. The sites are pretty well spaced with lots of grass and some trees in between. It was a good value for full hookup sites. The bathroom was decent, and phone service was adequate. We just spent one night here on our way home from Colorado, but will be returning in the fall to explore more and see some colors.
ScoutThe park is closed for camping indefinitely
Scout$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
Scout
went out here with family and had a amtime azing
Scoutwe love it here people are great price is Right Showers are hot every time it a WOnderfull place •to be .
Legend
I like this place, I really do. It certainly packs a punch with all of the amenities that Kellogg RV Park offers up, not least of which is partnering up with apparently the best burger joint in the whole of Iowa. Burgers and camping? Can it get any better? Well, while this location gets extra points for achieving EZ on- and off-again I80 highway access, that likely is also its downside, as you are so close to arguably the busiest of all thoroughfares here in the state of Iowa that it makes you wonder if you are really getting away from it all or just taking a quick pitstop.
As for the grounds themselves, they are very well organized and nearly everything on this property is either brand-spanking new or has a nice degree of ‘kitsch’ that just feels right where you are at in the middle of the Midwest. There’s a well-appointed separate laundry location on the NE corner of RV Park, with a community shower/ bathroom facility smack-dab in the middle of the place, making it central and convenient to get refreshed. There’s a simple little loop that will jog you around the place, where in all there’s some 38 spots perfectly carved out for RVs or 5th Wheelers. While the map for Kellogg RV Park indicates a playground behind the laundry, if it was there to begin with, it has been replaced by a chicken coop, which I have to admit is pretty dang awesome to be woken up by these fine-feathered friends each dawn. Plus, um, there’s fresh eggs for your brunch munching pleasure!
With amenities in mind, each pull-thru, gravel-strewn site (all 18’ wide with lengths ranging from 65’ to 85’) comes equipped with all of the typical hook-ups (20 / 30 / 50 amp electric, water and sewage) along with plenty of in-ground fire rings, stand-up BBQ grills and plenty of brand new picnic tables along with complimentary WiFi. There’s solar panels on the for southwest corner of the campground, which sadly eliminates the vibe that you are out in nature. If there was just one bit of advice I would give this place it’s this(and it’s quite simple): plant some trees! That’s the one thing I noticed that felt incredibly weird… there’s just a few trees in this whole place. Granted, it is somewhat surrounded by corn fields, but here’s a hint: After mid-September when all that corn is harvested, the place feels like a barren desert, so how you compensate for that is by planting trees, shrubs, bush or anything that would make this place feel like it was planted in nature versus carved out of a watershed.
While the main office is up front where you would have seen that Iowa’s Best Burger Café sign, where there’s also an Amoco gas station along with a convenience market that has limited groceries and supplies. Bonus points to Kellogg RV Park for having an F5-rated tornado shelter located on-site, so while your RV might blow away, no worries, you and those you hold most precious will be protected in the event of a tornado, which is important because this state gets hit by them all the time. They’ll also sell you a bundle of firewood for$6 / bundle, which is fair, especially considering that they’ll deliver the bundles directly to your site.
Insider’s tips? Here’s a few: (1) IMHO the best sites are those located as far east and north as possible (yes, right near the laundry facilities and chicken coop). Why? Well, because they will be furthest away from I80, so less noise, plus they are on the periphery, so this offers up better views of corn country, and additionally, more tranquility. Plus the shower / restroom facilities are centrally located, so not too far away; (2) If you are looking to get buzzed while out here at Kellogg RV Park, you are in luck as just nearby there’s Grinnell Craft Brewhouse, Buzzed Bee Meadery as well as Van Wijk Winery – all of which are absolutely worth the visit!; (3) Should your foodie vibes need to be tamed while here, head on over to nearby Maytag Blue Cheese for a slice or slab or head on over to Dayton Meat Products, which not only processes meat in case you are out and about with a bow & arrow, but will serve up some pretty outrageously awesome sausages, loins and particular cuts of meats that you just can’t find anywhere nearby. Oh, and if farmer’s markets are your thing, then check out nearby Grinnell Farmers Market or Jasper County Farmer’s Market – both just 10 minutes from here; and (4) Once you grow tired of pillaging your on-board mini-fridge or Cordova roto-molded cooler and are looking for some local fare, I will have to admit that Iowa’s Best Burger Café does live up to its boast – and while I didn’t have another burger while I was in the ‘Hawkeye State’ I do make it my business to check stuff out when I see ‘Best’ noted anywhere and there’s reasonable proof behind this claim here, so give the good folks here the better side of your discerning tastes and try them out. Oh, and there’s that little thing that there’s not too much competition in these parts, so unless you are up for a good drive, the only other joint is RJ’s Bar& Grill, which trust me, is much more Bar than Grill.
Happy Camping!
ScoutI live just 7 miles away, but I love to take my grand daughter here for overnight camping. Most of the sites are tucked into the woods and very spacious. It's only $7/night! There is some play equipment for children. There is only a pit toilet in the campground and it's nice enough for midnight runs. (Bring your flashlight!) Drive up the road to the observatory and there is a bathroom with flush toilets and a hot shower, also a water spigot on the back side. There is also a big group site for family get togethers. There is a nice little circle hike that's not too difficult and was great for rehab after my knee replacement. I'd highly recommend it, but I don't want it to get too crowded!
Ranger
RV park is relatively quiet and easy to get into. The concrete in our site was in poor condition, it had crumbled leaving a dip in the pad. The cable didn’t work, but electric and water had no issues. Easy on and off to the interstate. There is only one garbage dumpster near the entrance and we didn’t see a camp host on site or anybody to check in with. We stayed just one night on our way through the area and were comfortable.
Scout20 bucks a day you submit your fill out sheet at the service area and drop it off in a drop box.
Traveler
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.
TravelerDefinitely follow the directions on Dyrt, google took us on a winding gravel road that led to the same place.
The sites are very spacious, could easily accommodate multiple tents.
We arrived just after 9p after a long long day of driving and found the park easy to navigate.
Please be courteous when finding a spot after dark. The park was mostly empty but even still some people were shining flashlights at our tent.
Hoping to do an early morning hike, the trails, observatory and orienteering course all look awesome.
The entire property was well maintained, previous campers enjoyed copious amounts of beer and threw the cans into the brush, but I can't fault the park for that.
ScoutSpent 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
Scout
We were able to camp in a tent near RVs without feeling crowded. The restrooms, showers, and playground were all close by…great for camping with kids. There were some nicer than ours and some with less privacy or further away than we’d prefer.
A nice mix of convenience and privacy. Perfect location to showers and playground for kids. Ample space for our needs, but not overly private
Traveler
Timberline is among my favorite campgrounds, always has great people, nice shade trees, fun pool, and quality facilities.
ScoutWonderful setting and quiet place to stay. Beautiful views with quick access to Bridges of Madison County. Great hook ups and utilities!
ScoutMarta and crew were so friendly and helpful! Clean bathrooms, beautiful property. Close to hwy but far enough away. We called ahead to arrive after hours and had to get back on the road in the morning. Wish we could’ve stayed longer!
Scout
Stayed 2 nights in 6/7. No shade, giant electrical boxes, whole campground is downhill from dump station and the smell on Sunday morning is really unpleasant. Feels like whole campground is crammed together and smoke from campfires is thick enough to chew.
When we were there, teens were running littler kids off the playground; someone dumped all the TP in the men's room in to the toilets on Sunday morning, and the showers were too hot to use, with no way to adjust water temp.
On the bright side, the lake is pretty, it's right there at the campground. Boat, kayak and canoe rentals seemed reasonable and little store was convenient.
GuideNo wake lake. Boat and kayak rental and a small store with basic necessities. Campground has some 30 amp and some 50 amp sites. New playground for the kids. Clean facilities.
TravelerFull hookups and easy to park, small spots but not too small. Shower and bath houses are clean.
ScoutThe campground area is clean. Showers and toilets are clean. The RV section of campground was nearly full but the tent/non-hook up section had lots of space. One can camp on lakeside but be aware that these spots have a slope, not comfortable for my van. Park management was fine with changing campsite. Contact info for ranger was available at entrance. Overall good experience.
GuideVery nice, clean and comfortable campground for an overnight stop. Price is right! The “office” is a little gas station, hamburger cafe with a very efficient and friendly check in person. The sites are mostly pull through with full service electric, water, and sewer. The only real issue is the constant noise from I-80 which is just to the south of the campground. But nothing that a good set of earplugs can’t fix. Our little dog especially liked the two chicken coops at east side of the the campground! (Not noisy or any problem - just a reminder that you are in Iowa!). Overall, very nice and has clean restrooms. The sign on the “office” says they have Iowas “BEST” Hamburger. We didn’t try it, but will take their word for it!
Guide
This campground is big and clean. It’s pretty peaceful & quiet. I have been here before. I did forget site 13 has a tree that seems to drop things on my roof and internet isn’t very strong. 1-2 bars on Verizon
GuideWe called ahead to see if they had sites available that night. Arrived just before the office closed at 7pm. They were ready for us and escorted us to our pull-through full-hookups site near the front of the campground. This is a huge property but laid out in different sections that each have their own flavor. The pull-throughs near the front are level, gravel pads with grass all around. Other areas are forested and some are hilly. Full-hookups worked fine. We stayed in site 121, which faces an open grassy area backed by a little forest that echoed with beautiful wildlife sounds in the evening. There are no campground lights except at the restrooms, so it’s great for stargazing! The restrooms were good.
TravelerBeautiful scenery with lake front camping. Sunset over the lake! Found a great trail to hike, also the opportunity to rent a boat or paddlebord. Clean bathroom with good showers. Limited shade options.
GuideWe 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.
ScoutClean place very open and gorgeous and peaceful
Frequently Asked Questions
Which is the most popular glamping campsite near Knoxville, IA?
According to TheDyrt.com, the most popular glamping campground near Knoxville, IA is Lake Ahquabi State Park Campground with a 4.1-star rating from 13 reviews.
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TheDyrt.com has all 17 glamping camping locations near Knoxville, IA, with real photos and reviews from campers.
