Best Cabin Camping near Lucas, IA

Several cabin camping options exist within a short drive of Lucas, Iowa. Little River Recreation Area offers cabins near the shore of a large lake, providing electric hookups and comfortable indoor accommodations. Honey Creek State Park Campground includes cabin rentals alongside traditional campsites, featuring modern amenities and proximity to Rathbun Lake. "New rental cabin almost finished, clean beach, boat ramp and fishing. Clean spacious bathrooms, nice playground for the kids," noted one visitor about the Nine Eagles State Park facilities. River Oaks RV Park provides cabin rentals with access to newly built, spotless bathroom and laundry facilities.

Rustic and deluxe cabins are both available, depending on the location. Winterset City Park offers rental cabins with full hookups in a peaceful setting that "does not feel like" a typical city campground according to visitor feedback. Des Moines West KOA Holiday provides cabin accommodations from April through October with amenities including drinking water, electric hookups, showers, and toilets. Nine Eagles State Park Campground remains open from April through December, with cabins that accommodate families seeking recreational activities. Most locations allow alcohol and fires, though policies regarding pets vary by location, with some cabins being strictly pet-free.

Most cabins include beds but require visitors to bring their own linens, towels, and toiletries. Basic cooking facilities typically include fire rings outside cabins, though some higher-end accommodations may feature more complete kitchen setups. Firewood is available for purchase at several locations including Winterset City Park, where it costs $8 per bundle. On-site markets exist at Little River Recreation Area, Des Moines West KOA, and Timberline Campground where campers can acquire essential supplies. Trash service, drinking water, and electric hookups are standard at most cabin locations, though availability varies seasonally.

Best Cabin Sites Near Lucas, Iowa (22)

    1. Singing Mesa Ranch

    Be the first to review!
    Lucas, IA
    4 miles
    Website
    +1 (641) 919-3671

    $15 - $75 / night

    2. Winterset City Park

    12 Reviews
    Winterset, IA
    35 miles
    Website
    +1 (515) 462-3258

    $15 - $22 / night

    "The Shower/restrooms were clean and stocked.  Firewood is available for 8$ a bundle.  Sites are gravel base and  fairly level.  The city park has a edge maze that is unique. "

    "We will definitely return, we loved this park. The bridges of Madisin County, Clarke Tower, cute local ice cream shop, John Wayne Museum! So much fun in a cute Iowa community!"

    3. Little River Recreation Area

    2 Reviews
    Leon, IA
    25 miles
    Website
    +1 (641) 446-7307

    "Nice little campground 4.5 miles of the freeway...9 minutes away from a small town with stores that stay open till 9. A bait shop onsite, closes early."

    "General: This small county park (16 electric, 14 tent sites plus three cabins) is not reservable which might be an issue on summer weekends but on a Sunday in April, was no problem."

    4. Honey Creek State Park Campground

    4 Reviews
    Moravia, IA
    30 miles
    Website
    +1 (641) 724-3739

    $12 - $50 / night

    "Campground Review: Honey Creek State Park is on Rathbun Lake, a very popular place to boat, fish and camp in Southern Iowa. We camped in the Group Campground with out Boy Scout Troop."

    "Honey Creek State Park is located on the north side of Rathbun Lake in southern Iowa. Boat ramp at the park is large (6 lanes) with several docks to assist loading and unloading."

    5. Des Moines West KOA Holiday

    23 Reviews
    Earlham, IA
    48 miles
    Website
    +1 (515) 834-2729

    "Not much privacy between sites nor shade. Bathhouses were clean and private. Laundry available. Off leash dog area available."

    "We stayed one night in a basic cabin. AC was on upon arrival- check in/out was quick and easy !Bathrooms were immaculate!"

    6. Nine Eagles State Park Campground

    6 Reviews
    Davis City, IA
    34 miles
    Website
    +1 (641) 442-2855

    $10 - $75 / night

    "Nine Eagles is near Lamoni, Iowa near the Iowa-Missouri border right off of Interstate 35. I camped here with my son and his Boy Scout troop in the youth group part of the campground."

    "After a short debate we opted to pay the extra money for an electric site - based solely on the fact that the water wasn't turned on in the basic site loop (we later discovered it was also off at the swimming"

    7. Timberline Campground

    13 Reviews
    West Des Moines, IA
    43 miles
    Website
    +1 (515) 987-1714

    $35 - $80 / night

    "Playground was next to us but it was fun watching the kids play. Full sun in the morning but afternoon was shaded by trees. Restrooms and shower was clean and close walking distance."

    "We called ahead to see if they had sites available that night. Arrived just before the office closed at 7pm."

    8. River Oaks RV Park

    2 Reviews
    Runnells, IA
    32 miles
    Website
    +1 (515) 989-0574

    $45 - $60 / night

    "Nice size campground, sites have good spacing and full hookups that were installed with some thought."

    "We stayed here to go to the Iowa State Fair. It was easy to park here and catch a shuttle to the fair."

    9. Thomas Mitchell County Park

    11 Reviews
    Mitchellville, IA
    42 miles
    Website
    +1 (515) 967-4889

    "Thomas Mitchell park is located outside of Altoona Iowa on 197 acres. There are electric and non electric sites available."

    "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."

    10. Crow's Nest RV Resort

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    Indianola, IA
    22 miles
    Website
    +1 (515) 961-4324
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Cabin Reviews near Lucas, IA

108 Reviews of 22 Lucas Campgrounds


  • Eugene B.
    Sep. 11, 2021

    Little River Recreation Area

    Rv/tent sites on a big lake... Fish, fish, fish

    Nice little campground 4.5 miles of the freeway...9 minutes away from a small town with stores that stay open till 9. A bait shop onsite, closes early. Most rv sites with power, walk in tent sites w/o. Rates are great $12/15. Showers and flush toilets onsite as well as cabin rentals, canoe rental and fire wood available. Downside is a lot of flying bugs...not really biting just annoying. The lake has a lot of fish in it I hear... Family friendly.

  • Jake C.The Dyrt ADMIN User
    Jan. 25, 2023

    Waterfront Cabin

    Off-Grid Cabin by the pond

    Jake from the Dyrt here!  I had a chance to learn a little about this awesome cabin, they offer the opportunity to get off-grid and hangout on the porch overlooking a pond.  Check them out and leave a review on The Dyrt!

  • Lee D.The Dyrt PRO User
    Oct. 28, 2022

    Little River Recreation Area

    Off the beaten path and very quiet

    General: This small county park (16 electric, 14 tent sites plus three cabins) is not reservable which might be an issue on summer weekends but on a Sunday in April, was no problem. Including us, only three sites were occupied. The rates are very reasonable -$15 for electric, and $12 for tent sites. 

    Site Quality/Facilities: Each site has a generous-sized picnic table and fire ring. Some sites are better than others, however. Sites 2 and 3 (both electric) are sloped down and the driveway is a bit overgrown. No physical separation between sites which when we were there was not an issue but might be when more crowded. Some of the sites have a direct water view but again, some are more sloped than others. 

    Bathhouse: A short hike uphill from all sites but it was very clean when we were there. The showers also looked clean, but I did not use them so cannot comment on how well they worked. 

    Activities/Amenities: Fishing! We saw a few boats on the water when we were there and there were two docks, one of them handicapped accessible. Swimming is not allowed but there is a nice day-use area not far down the road with a nice beach and picnic area. There are also horseshoe pits and a small but very nice playground. No hiking trails that I could discern. There was also a small little free library. 

    When we were there, we appreciated the quiet, out-of-the-way setting. It is close to the town of Leon but we circumvented it on the way in and out so I don’t know what services might be available.

  • Lauri C.
    Jun. 30, 2019

    Nine Eagles State Park Campground

    Overall nice park

    Nice park, a little run down, but there's a new park ranger in town who is trying to fix it up. New rental cabin almost finished, clean beach, boat ramp and fishing. Clean spacious bathrooms, nice playground for the kids and a really cool equestrian section. No store, no wood so get what you need before you get here.

  • Jim H.The Dyrt PRO User
    Oct. 8, 2018

    Green Valley State Park Campground

    Nice, clean campground

    Campsite was pretty packed on a Saturday night in late September. We didn't have a reservation but was able to get one of the last tent sites available. Nice spot, fire pits have nice swinging grates on them. There was a picnic table at our spot as well. Great view of the lake from here. We were in Campsite 092. Only drawback is that there must be a cow farm somewhere to the south as you will hear cows mooing all night at this campground.

  • Renee H.
    May. 23, 2024

    Des Moines West KOA Holiday

    Nice modern KOA

    Large modern KOA with sites to accommodate all sizes of rigs and also tent campers. Gravel sites require some leveling. Not much privacy between sites nor shade. Bathhouses were clean and private. Laundry available. Off leash dog area available. Convenient to John Wayne’s birthplace and covered bridges of Madison County. Bulk propane tanks were on site for winter campers. Camper cabins available. Small store with Hunt Brothers pizza to order. Gathering room on site and pedal car racetrack. Verizon cell signal was good. Garbage dumpster and dump station on site.

  • Matt S.
    Sep. 24, 2016

    Honey Creek State Park Campground

    Ranger Review: Goal Zero Light House 250 at Honey Creek State Park

    Campground Review: Honey Creek State Park is on Rathbun Lake, a very popular place to boat, fish and camp in Southern Iowa. We camped in the Group Campground with out Boy Scout Troop. We pulled into camp after dark and between the headlights of our vehicles and our lanterns (My Goal Zero Light House 250) we set up camp in the dark.

    We explored the campground, there were some nice trails and nice spots to camp. The bathrooms were clean but they were a little bit of a walk from the Group Site. The weather was great and the bugs weren't bad. I would recommend Honey Creek State Park.

    Ranger Review: The Goal Zero Light House 250 is a nice lantern. I give it 4 out of 5 stars. The light settings are perfect. You can use half of the lantern or the full lamp power. You can adjust the lighting power by turning the knob on the front. It can be charged with a wall charger, a solar panel, or the green hand crank on top of the lantern.

    We used it when setting our tent up in the dark and it did a good job. At 250 lumens it is just the right amount of light to let you see what you need with out blinding you in the dark. We did not start a campfire that night, instead we placed the Goal Zero Light House 250 on the ground and we surrounded the lantern with our camp chairs as if it was a camp fire. We were up for three hours talking and never did the lantern light weaken.

    I like this light. It is too heavy and bulky for backpacking but it is great for car camping. There is a smaller model but I don't know if it will work for backpacking.

  • L
    Jun. 10, 2020

    Des Moines West KOA Holiday

    Peaceful and clean!

    We stayed one night in a basic cabin. AC was on upon arrival- check in/out was quick and easy !Bathrooms were immaculate! Pizza & Chicken ordered on site was a delicious dinner when we were just to tired to fuss with our own gear. Nice store too!!

  • Matt S.
    Jul. 15, 2017

    Three Mile Lake Recreation Area

    Three Mile Rec Area is clean and beautiful

    I have to say, of all of the campgrounds and parks that I have visited in southern Iowa near highway 34, Three Mile is the best.

    This park is clean with nice amenities and a beautiful lake. During the week you can almost have the place to yourself... it is a different story on the weekends.

    You can tent camp or pull your camper and just enjoy the setting. If you don't like to tent camp and don't have a camper, don't worry, there are several cabins for rent.

    There are showers and bathrooms and an awesome playground for the younger kids.

    I am definitely adding this to my list for regular stays with my family.


Guide to Lucas

Cabin camping near Lucas, Iowa offers a serene escape into nature, with various options for those looking to unwind in a cozy setting.

Explore the Beauty of Rathbun Lake

Cabin campers appreciate these amenities

  • Little River Recreation Area provides electric hookups, drinking water, and clean facilities, making it a comfortable choice for families.
  • At Singing Mesa Ranch, guests can enjoy reservable cabins with essential amenities like showers and toilets.
  • Waterfront Cabin offers a unique off-grid experience with a picturesque view of a pond, perfect for a peaceful getaway.

Activities for Every Adventurer

  • Fishing enthusiasts will love Double E LLC Camping, which features a bait shop and easy access to local fishing spots.
  • Families can enjoy a variety of outdoor activities at Horns Ferry Hideaway, where campfires are allowed and the setting is perfect for relaxation.
  • River Oaks RV Park caters to both RV and cabin campers, providing ample opportunities for outdoor fun and exploration.

Frequently Asked Questions

Which is the most popular cabin campsite near Lucas, IA?

According to TheDyrt.com, the most popular cabin campground near Lucas, IA is Singing Mesa Ranch with a 0-star rating from 0 reviews.

What is the best site to find cabin camping near Lucas, IA?

TheDyrt.com has all 22 cabin camping locations near Lucas, IA, with real photos and reviews from campers.