Best Cabin Camping near Oelwein, IA

Backbone State Park offers furnished log cabins near Oelwein, approximately 30 miles away. The modern family cabins include electricity, heat, air conditioning, and fully-equipped kitchenettes with refrigerators, stoves, microwaves, and coffee makers. Most cabins feature separate sleeping areas with queen beds and futon couches for additional sleeping space. A visitor commented, "We stayed in a family cabin that sleeps up to 4 people. The small, but cozy bedroom included a mattress, along with a sink. Additional amenities included stove, frig, microwave, pots and pans, and even a small coffee maker." Bathroom facilities vary by location, with some cabins offering private toilets and showers, while others require guests to use nearby campground facilities.

Reservations are required for most cabin rentals in the area, with many locations enforcing a two-night minimum stay, particularly during peak seasons. The Waterloo-Lost Island Waterpark KOA provides cabin accommodations with varying amenities approximately 25 miles from Oelwein. Most cabins allow pets, though specific policies and additional fees may apply. As one camper wrote, "Great RV park. Lots of room and cabin rentals for folks that don't have an RV." Yellow River State Forest also offers the Fire Tower Cabin with basic kitchen amenities including a refrigerator/freezer, microwave, coffee pot, and table with chairs.

Most cabins provide basic furniture and appliances, but guests typically need to bring their own bedding, linens, and toiletries. According to a review, "The cabin has a common area with a kitchenette. You're responsible for bringing your own linens." Cooking equipment varies significantly between locations - some provide complete kitchen setups while others offer only basic facilities. Firewood is available for purchase at most locations, though some restrictions may apply regarding outside firewood due to invasive species concerns. General stores with basic supplies can be found in nearby communities, with Strawberry Point located near Backbone State Park offering essentials for cabin guests.

2025 Detourist Giveaway

Review Campgrounds. Win Prizes.

Enter to Win

Best Cabin Sites Near Oelwein, Iowa (21)

    1. Six Pines Campground — Backbone State Park

    29 Reviews
    Dundee, IA
    18 miles
    Website
    +1 (563) 924-2527

    $15 - $25 / night

    "This has been one of my favorite state parks in Iowa to camp thus far. I've tent camped in April and cabin camped in October."

    "This place has tent, rv and cabin camping, you can choose modern or non modern camping."

    2. Waterloo - Lost Island Waterpark KOA

    10 Reviews
    Evansdale, IA
    26 miles
    Website
    +1 (319) 233-3485

    "Great RV park. Lots of room and cabin rentals for folks that don’t have an RV. The fenced dog park was fantastic for those of us with dogs."

    "Little shade with small trees next to about each site. Gas, propane, laundry room, beach area, small boat rentals, good sized convenience store with ice, beer, snacks, milkshake machine, etc."

    3. South Lake Campground — Backbone State Park

    2 Reviews
    Dundee, IA
    19 miles
    Website
    +1 (563) 924-2527

    $15 - $33 / night

    "Great shady spots - register on line - clean bathrooms and showers - no full hook ups - must fill water tanks before parking and 30/50 power available"

    "All reservable spots...clean bathrooms, showers and spots. Beautiful park!"

    4. Pikes Peak State Park Campground

    29 Reviews
    McGregor, IA
    44 miles
    Website
    +1 (563) 873-2341

    $20 - $35 / night

    "Very nice trails! Some trails are long with a lot of up and down through valley and ravines, so be prepared for the hike."

    "Some sites have the fire ring very close to the parking area and some spots have limited shade (compared to the majority of the campground that is in the trees)."

    5. Skip-A-Way Resort

    3 Reviews
    West Union, IA
    26 miles
    Website
    +1 (563) 423-7338

    "They have permanent sites and rentals. There is tent sites and rental campers also. Sewer, water and electric."

    "This was a nice campground next to a small town- nice quiet sites. Sites were kind of close together. Mostly seasonal spots here."

    6. Big Woods Lake

    2 Reviews
    Cedar Falls, IA
    28 miles
    +1 (319) 266-6813

    "Nice park with a bike path around the lake. A few nature trails, but nothing I would call hiking. Two vault toilets placed on the bike path. One modern bathroom with showers in the campground."

    "As far as RV parks go, this one is young and the lack of shade is only evidence of that. Sites are well planned out though, giving each camper plenty of space."

    7. Pinicon Ridge Park

    9 Reviews
    Central City, IA
    37 miles
    Website
    +1 (319) 438-6616

    "Dump available on entrance/exit.  The site was a level rock pad witch was very spacious with a fire ring and picnic table.  Nearest grocery store was within 5 miles. "

    "Water and electric hookups, dump station near by. Clean shower house with storm shelter. Mixed sun and shade with generous grassy sites, fire pit and picnic table."

    8. Backbone State Park Cabins

    Be the first to review!
    Dundee, IA
    20 miles
    +1 (563) 924-2527

    $100 - $200 / night

    9. Hickory Hills Park

    3 Reviews
    Evansdale, IA
    34 miles
    Website
    +1 (319) 342-3350

    "This campground has no shippers but is secluded and quiet and only 5 dollars. There’s a barn with electricity running water and real toilets."

    "This is a great quiet park with animals for visiting and a very clean shower house."

    10. Pleasant Creek State Recreation Area Campground

    6 Reviews
    Shellsburg, IA
    38 miles
    Website
    +1 (319) 436-7716

    $17 - $60 / night

    "The tent sites are very nice and private. There are waist high prairie flowers between the sites to provide privacy and beauty. New picnic tables. Lots of shade. visited in July"

    "Cabins were nice - not luxury or glamping but clean and in good condition.  The gentleman that takes care of the campground takes great pride in his work and it shows - kudos to him! "

Show More
Showing results 1-10 of 21 campgrounds

2025 Detourist Giveaway

Review Campgrounds. Win Prizes.

Enter to Win


Cabin Reviews near Oelwein, IA

119 Reviews of 21 Oelwein Campgrounds


  • James M.The Dyrt PRO User
    Jul. 27, 2022

    Fire Tower Cabin — Yellow River State Forest

    Great State Forest cabin with trout fishing

    Cabin has basic kitchen: fridge/freezer, micro, coffee pot, table/chairs, sleeping room with queen bed, 2 futons, AC/heat, fireplace screened porch, grill/smoker& fire ring outside, table, potable/drink water outside. NO shower/bathroom, must use pit toilet just yards away at trailhead.

  • Jessica H.
    May. 9, 2018

    Six Pines Campground — Backbone State Park

    Backbone State Park

    This has been one of my favorite state parks in Iowa to camp thus far. I've tent camped in April and cabin camped in October. The cabin camping was the better of the two experiences, mainly due to the unusually chilly overnight temperatures in April. During the warmer months you can rent canoes from the concession stand. Climbing/rappelling is also allowed in the park via registration at the park office.

    We stayed in a family cabin that sleeps up to 4 people. You have to reserve cabins and there is a 2 night minimum stay, but the price is extremely reasonable. These cabins also offer heat and A/C. Our cabin had a common area with a kitchenette.The bathroom included a toilet and shower. The small, but cozy bedroom included a mattress - you're responsible for bringing your own linens - along with a sink. Additional amenities included stove, frig, microwave, pots and pans, and even a small coffee maker. And, the couch in the common area pulled out into a futon, providing extra sleeping space. Outdoor amenities included a fire pit and picnic bench. Bonus: The back of our cabin area looked out onto Backbone Lake.

    We purchased firewood in Strawberry Point, a small town just a short drive from the park. Iowa requires that firewood be obtained within the county you're staying in due to the Emerald Ash Borer epidemic.

    We fished for trout and hiked along several trails in the park. The Devil's Backbone was our favorite mainly because of the scenery along the bluff. It was the perfect way to view the changing leaves and watch the Maquoketa River flow by.

    While we did have neighbors on either side of us, the noise level was minimal, and everyone was respectful of parking spaces as there is a common parking area in front of the cabins.

    This is a beautiful spot to visit especially in autumn.

  • Tori L.
    May. 26, 2024

    Big Paint Campground — Yellow River State Forest

    Dream stay.

    Came to learn more about Tenkara fly fishing. Had a ball. Visited the 3 lookouts including Iowa only Fire tower. Bird life is colorful. Lots of places to hike. Scenery is lush. I had no phone service. Campsites are well mown, have a picnic table and fire ring. Pit toilets. Easy access to water. Drink water and firewood are at the host A frame. There is no dump site. Everyone was very friendly. Helpful. Nights were quiet. Very relaxing.

  • L
    Aug. 22, 2020

    Waterloo - Lost Island Waterpark KOA

    Something for everyone

    Great RV park. Lots of room and cabin rentals for folks that don’t have an RV. The fenced dog park was fantastic for those of us with dogs. A lake with beach area and an area for fishing founded it out! Would recommend!

  • C
    Jun. 6, 2018

    Matsell Bridge Natural Area

    Nice little inexpensive primitive site... spaces almost always available

    Nice quiet little primitive campground next to the Wapsipinicon River. Unfortunately, when I was there the last weekend of May, the gnats were bad, and the mosquitoes were just starting to gear up. HOWEVER, take bug spray and enjoy the rustic peacefulness of this "best kept secret" for primitive and inexpensive camping sites. Beautiful location, ranger close by, wood for sale just across the bridge, fire pits and picnic tables at every site. Good for RV, trailer or tent camping… level ground and lots of shade. Primitive bathrooms, no showers or running water.

  • Ashley D.
    Aug. 23, 2018

    Six Pines Campground — Backbone State Park

    Fun for the whole family

    This campground has many things to do. This place has tent, rv and cabin camping, you can choose modern or non modern camping. Fun activities include fishing, swimming in a lake and also ground fed springs, boat rentals on the lake, hiking also horse trails, rock climbing, caves, playgrounds shelters for events and parties. I am sure there are even more things to do that I didnt have the time for.

  • Clint  G.
    Jul. 19, 2021

    Pinicon Ridge Park

    Perfect County Campground

    We stayed at this campground for 7 nights with W/E hook ups.  Dump available on entrance/exit.  The site was a level rock pad witch was very spacious with a fire ring and picnic table.  Nearest grocery store was within 5 miles.  The bathrooms and shower were very clean with lots of hot water.  There is hiking in the park and very little road noise.

  • Melissa K.The Dyrt PRO User
    Jul. 3, 2017

    Boulder Creek Campground

    Pretty Disappointed

    This park fell short in so many ways. Having stayed in other Yogi Bear's we were expecting similar accommodations. I will say they had a lot of rain and it did affect most of the campground. We booked over the phone for two nights. It was nearly $90 for those two nights. This is pretty spendy for us but we were meeting friends there. We arrived at the campground and were given site 14. It as across from our friends cabin so it should have been good. However, we got to our site on a very poorly maintained road only to find the site did not have a fire pit or a picnic table. It was extremely tiny, barely big enough for our truck and definitely not enough room for our two tents. The site was covered in sticks and debris and there was trash bags in front of the cabin across the washed out road. We went down to voice our concern that this was just not going to work and they said to try site 13. Even worse then 14. It was a grass spot, mowed out, no place to park a vehicle, which I'm glad I left at the bottom of the hill, extremely narrow, washed out road going to site 13. There still was no picnic table but there was a fire pit. Stated this is just not going to work. We paid way too much for so little accommodations. They said they couldn't refund or move us to an electric site (we didn't need electric but the two previously mentioned sites were not going to work) without talking to their boss. After already spending 28 days in a tent, across the country, I was pretty upset that this yogi bear was so bad. They did end up moving me to site 17, which was one of the few that did not have a completely flooded fire ring. Which leads to the next things, almost all of the grounds were completely flooded. Fire rings couldn't even be seen they were so far under water. To walk to any part of the park involved getting your feet wet. The playground swings were above water making it difficult for the kids to reach them without getting really wet. There had been no attempts to move any water from the storms making it difficult to enjoy parts of the park. The pool was pretty cold but I suppose it is Wisconsin. The staff did have many events going on but if you were early, you wouldn't even know the events were going on. They showed up right on time and then had to set up. But they did do a variety of races and had a pirates and princess dance. They brought in actual hair dressers to do the little girls hair for them. That was something the girls in the group enjoyed. They also had cartoons playing in the evenings. The kids also enjoyed that. Overall, I would never return, there are so many really nice parks in Wisconsin for way less money. This was not worth it at all.

  • James M.The Dyrt PRO User
    Feb. 23, 2021

    Fire Tower Cabin — Yellow River State Forest

    Best Wildplace Camping in Iowa

    Trout streams well fed, campsites spread out well, amenities good for primitive use area. Horses welcome, firewood and ice available. Historical Fire Tower hike/visit is a must. Primitive pack-in sites, 1 cabin available. Modern Cabin is well maintained, electricity, microwave, a full sized refrigerator, and two porches, where one of them is screened in. Sleeps 6.


Guide to Oelwein

Cabin camping near Oelwein, Iowa offers a fantastic way to immerse yourself in nature while enjoying the comforts of home. With a variety of campgrounds featuring cabins, you can find the perfect spot for your next getaway.

Cabin campers like these nearby activities

Some prices for cabin camping range from $35 to $100

Cabin campers appreciate these amenities

  • Big Woods Lake features well-planned sites with electric hookups and a modern bathroom facility, ensuring a comfortable stay.
  • At Pinicon Ridge Park, you'll find spacious grassy sites, picnic tables, and clean shower facilities, perfect for family gatherings.
  • Skip-A-Way Resort offers a variety of recreational activities, including mini-golf and paddle boating, along with clean restrooms and friendly staff.

Frequently Asked Questions

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

According to TheDyrt.com, the most popular cabin campground near Oelwein, IA is Six Pines Campground — Backbone State Park with a 4.4-star rating from 29 reviews.

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

TheDyrt.com has all 21 cabin camping locations near Oelwein, IA, with real photos and reviews from campers.