Best Glamping near Clear Lake, IA

Clear Lake State Park and McIntosh Woods State Park house some of Iowa's most distinctive glamping accommodations near the shores of Clear Lake. The McIntosh Woods location features two fully-furnished yurts with bunk beds, futons, tables and chairs, providing comfort beyond traditional camping. Clear Lake State Park complements its glamping offerings with modern amenities including electric hookups, showers, and clean bathrooms. Both parks maintain well-kept grounds with paved roads ideal for family bike riding and easy access to the lake for swimming and fishing. The sites are arranged to provide adequate space while maintaining the natural surroundings that make these glamping experiences special. One visitor noted, "We stayed in one of the two yurts - bunk bed plus a futon and table/chairs inside. Picnic table and grill outside. Walk to small town/restaurants. Clean bathroom facilities in area."

The natural surroundings enhance these glamping experiences with short hiking trails winding through McIntosh Woods and access to Clear Lake's sandy beaches just steps away. Water activities dominate the summer months with boating, fishing, and swimming available directly from both parks. Clear Lake itself serves as the central attraction, with gorgeous sunsets visible from the beach areas each evening. Both parks maintain playground equipment for children, making them ideal for family glamping getaways. The proximity to Clear Lake's downtown area means guests can easily access restaurants and shopping when they want a break from nature. A recent visitor mentioned, "The sunset was gorgeous in the evenings at the beach! We will be back!" Seasonal considerations include peak summer crowds, with reservations recommended at least three months in advance for weekend stays between Memorial Day and Labor Day.

Best Glamping Sites Near Clear Lake, Iowa (10)

    1. Clear Lake State Park Campground

    12 Reviews
    Clear Lake, IA
    2 miles
    Website
    +1 (641) 357-4212

    $17 - $35 / night

    "We love coming to Clear Lake! The campgrounds are always very well kept, bathrooms very clean! Easy access to the lake, and the town has so much to do during the summer months!"

    "Clear lake state park is a nice campground. It does get very busy during peak season and traffic is continuous. It is clean and close to the beach. Down town and other shopping is a short drive away."

    2. Pilot Knob State Park Campground

    12 Reviews
    Forest City, IA
    12 miles
    Website
    +1 (641) 581-4835

    $10 - $28 / night

    "Located by New Ulm, MN this campground has plenty of activities in the park or very near the park."

    "Very clean bathhouse and bathrooms, park. Family friendly and quiet place to camp."

    3. McIntosh Woods State Park Campground

    5 Reviews
    Ventura, IA
    4 miles
    Website
    +1 (641) 829-3847

    $12 - $60 / night

    "I prefer Clear Lake State park, but this was ok. We had lots of rain, and the sites got a bit muddy. The beach area was closed due to e-coli. Restrooms were clean, and always stocked."

    "Beautiful shaded campground near the lake, not far from town if you forgot something. We stayed in one of the two yurts- bunk bed plus a futon and table/chairs inside. Picnic table and grill outside."

    4. White Fox — Myre-Big Island State Park

    22 Reviews
    Albert Lea, MN
    35 miles
    Website
    +1 (507) 379-3403

    "We had an electric site. Very level and clean. Nice fire pit and located right next to the lake. Only downside was the site was electric only."

    "We arrived on a Sunday and stopped at the Park Welcome area. We got the last spot with electric for 3 nights. Nice staff! Ice was available."

    5. Halvorson Park

    1 Review
    Osage, IA
    28 miles
    Website
    +1 (641) 736-2221

    "Had a small swimming beach, nice bathrooms and showers dump station. Saw many people swimming off their boat/pontoons as the bottom is sandy and the current is very very slow."

    6. Cedar Bridge County Park

    1 Review
    Osage, IA
    28 miles
    Website
    +1 (641) 732-5204

    "There are about 20 self-serve sites with electric and water. Self serve firewood. Dump station and dumpsters near the exit. Clean bathrooms and showers. Lots of space at each campsite."

    7. Dows Pool Park & Campground

    3 Reviews
    Clarion, IA
    34 miles
    Website
    +1 (515) 852-4327

    "Large, open spaces equipped with a fire pit and picnic table. Electric hookups and water also available. Reasonable rates (I think we paid $15) for one night."

    "Very low cost ($15/night with water & electric). Not a far drive off of I-35. Has a pool if you’re into that kind of thing."

    8. Oakwoods Trails Campground

    6 Reviews
    Austin, MN
    42 miles
    Website
    +1 (507) 437-6165

    "Bathroom and shower available. Each site has a fire pit and picnic table. Some sites suitable for hammock camping."

    "This sites are spread out enough that you have a little privacy and each site has a fire pit and picnic table. This area is actually part of the owners farm.

    Bonus, it’s dog friendly."

    9. KOA Kampgrounds of America

    4 Reviews
    Hayward, MN
    38 miles
    Website
    +1 (507) 373-5170

    "Check in was quick, spots were easy to pull into, the bathrooms were really clean, and it was surprisingly quiet despite the proximity to the highway. "

    "We stopped for the night driving between Black Hills and Chicago and the service was awesome. The hosts called to tell us about construction and give us alternative directions."

    10. Riverside Co Park

    2 Reviews
    Osage, IA
    37 miles
    Website
    +1 (641) 732-5204

    "New Shower house/bathrooms. Natural themed kids play area including a huge tree house. City water and sewer with 50 and 30 amp to each site. Man made swimming pond with a lighted waterfall."

    "Large bath house with restrooms and showers and a little free library inside. Very long parking pads- big rig friendly and very roomy sites."

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Glamping Reviews near Clear Lake, IA

68 Reviews of 10 Clear Lake Campgrounds


  • p
    Nov. 20, 2022

    Riverside Co Park

    Great full hookup 40 unit campgrount

    40 site Totally renovated 2 years ago nestled along the little Cedar river above the dam. New Shower house/bathrooms. Natural themed kids play area including a huge tree house. City water and sewer with 50 and 30 amp to each site. Man made swimming pond with a lighted waterfall. Volleyball and walking trails with primitive camping across the road. Cabin with air conditioning and fully furnished further up the river on 200 acres of county land. Fishing above and below the dam. Picnic table and fire ring at every site.

  • Julian B.
    Sep. 4, 2018

    White Fox — Myre-Big Island State Park

    Quiet Spot Near a Tranquil Lake

    Got to this campground late in the evening. Check in was a breeze and easy to find and pull into the site. We had an electric site. Very level and clean. Nice fire pit and located right next to the lake. Only downside was the site was electric only. No option for full hookup but water was located between the sites. Dump station was clean and modern and located close by.

  • Lee D.The Dyrt PRO User
    Mar. 25, 2023

    Pilot Knob State Park Campground

    Layout of campground would be challenging if full

    General: A mixture of tent (non-electric) and electric sites, mostly arranged in several rows. 

    Site Quality: Mixed. Not all sites are level, and most do not have delineated parking pads (there is a small pavement indent to show where to access the site). A fire pit and picnic table complete the site. Most of the sites are too close together for our liking, however, when we were there (a Monday at the end of August, the day before school started), we were only one of three sites occupied so for our stay it didn’t matter. 

    Bathhouse: Basic but clean. My biggest complaint is there were no hooks or shelves for toiletries by the sinks. The showers looked nice but we did not use them. 

    Activities: Horseback riding (there are trails for this), hiking, fishing. Although we did see several trailheads, I did not have a map so didn’t explore them. There is an observation tower, but it is a two-mile walk/drive from the campground (on paved roads; I didn’t try to find hiking trails to get there). 

    Misc: A shout-out to the great host, Pam, who greeted us as we arrived. The observation tower, entrance gates, and picnic shelter were all constructed by the CCC and were beautiful. It almost seemed like the campground was an afterthought as it is outside the entrance gates and nowhere near the tower. The layout of the campground would be challenging if all sites were occupied.

  • Jennifer D.
    Jul. 12, 2019

    McIntosh Woods State Park Campground

    Not my favorite

    I prefer Clear Lake State park, but this was ok. We had lots of rain, and the sites got a bit muddy. The beach area was closed due to e-coli. Restrooms were clean, and always stocked.

  • S
    Aug. 10, 2021

    White Fox — Myre-Big Island State Park

    Peaceful

    We arrived on a Sunday and stopped at the Park Welcome area. We got the last spot with electric for 3 nights. Nice staff! Ice was available.

    $34/night plus Minnesota State Park pass @ $8/day.😩

    Not super spacious but very comfortable distance between spaces. Well maintained dirt road in campground. Grassy and mowed. Nice big trees! Water spigots. Very nice individual, clean rooms for showers.

    Two separate campground loops in the White Fox area and another couple loops half mile down the road

    The lake is gorgeous but just a few places to get to the water. Saw a sign on the park door saying kayaks and canoes available to rent.

    Six miles of paved, but badly in need of care, is a bike path that meanders through thick forest and open grassy fields. Follows the lake and heads close to the town of Albert Lea.

    We saw a guy setting out electric scooters that were available to rent which looked like fun!

    Birds and deer abound.

    Walmart 2 miles away!

  • Vanessa H.
    Sep. 11, 2022

    Clear Lake State Park Campground

    Great spot

    We love coming to Clear Lake! The campgrounds are always very well kept, bathrooms very clean! Easy access to the lake, and the town has so much to do during the summer months!

  • Rhonda P.
    Jun. 8, 2018

    McIntosh Woods State Park Campground

    beautiful spot near lake

    Beautiful shaded campground near the lake, not far from town if you forgot something. We stayed in one of the two yurts- bunk bed plus a futon and table/chairs inside. Picnic table and grill outside. Walk to small town/restaurants.Clean bathroom facilities in area. Short hikes. Fishing nearby.

  • Ken K.
    Aug. 7, 2022

    White Fox — Myre-Big Island State Park

    Stop over between other parks

    I've been using this as a night over stop before going on to the Black Hills or on my way back home. The first time I stayed the night over there it was a nightmare just because of this family or group of people showed up late and didn't comprehend quiet hours. So needless to say I had little to no sleep.

    The other times I've stayed there it was quiet and not too many people around. Kind of buggy but that's expected with the water and all the shade.

  • James P.The Dyrt PRO User
    Aug. 13, 2024

    White Fox — Myre-Big Island State Park

    Wooded hideaway

    Roomy gravel sites. A mix of electric and non-electric sites. Commercial fire rings. Electrical needs refreshing. We had an issue with the 30A breaker not resetting on site 46E; eventually relocated to 47E. Park employee Noah was very accommodating and pleasant to deal with. He came out to the site to discuss options with us and eventually made some site reservation changes to resolve the situation. Close to town, nice historic district.


Frequently Asked Questions

Which is the most popular glamping campsite near Clear Lake, IA?

According to TheDyrt.com, the most popular glamping campground near Clear Lake, IA is Clear Lake State Park Campground with a 4.4-star rating from 12 reviews.

What is the best site to find glamping camping near Clear Lake, IA?

TheDyrt.com has all 10 glamping camping locations near Clear Lake, IA, with real photos and reviews from campers.