Best Cabin Camping near Osage, IA

I have been visiting Chimney Rock Camp and Canoe for 20 years. Every time I visit I have a wonderful time enjoying the scenic Upper Iowa River. This part of Iowa is a treasure. Deb and her crew are always helpful and accommodating. They run a great canoe/kayak/tube rental with shuttle service. This is a private campground. I appreciate the laid back vibe. We have been here during the week and have had the place pretty much to ourselves. The weekends are a bit more lively, but with friendly folks. Some of my favorite memories are on the shuttle bus up to the drop in and laughing with fellow campers/ river floaters. We love Chimney Rock and pray this little slice of heaven is available for us to enjoy for years to come. We prefer to stay down by the river sans electricity. We have done this for years in a tent and now in our hybrid camper. There are cabins, electric sites, showers and a dump station.

Excellent staff. One of the best kept campgrounds I've been to. Between the campground and the nearby towns, there is easily two weeks of activities to do. More depending on the time of year you go. They offer canoeing, kayaking, tubing, sand volleyball court, shower facilities, water and electrical hookups, cabins, picnic shelter, and firewood on site. Go to http://www.chimneyrocks.com for more information

We booked a spot for our RV because we wanted to explore the Decorah,IA area and it’s abundant set of activities. The campground is more on the rustic side but they have a nice clean shower house, very well kept grounds and a ton of space to spread out. The lower campground is right next to the river and there are RV, tent and cabin sites available.

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.

Bathrooms are close to camp. Camp sites are close to eachother, but there is tons of camping to get away!

Mystery Cave State Park is surrounded in in a lush green forest with huge oak and maple trees that hang over the road like a huge living canopy. My new word while we stayed there was “Forresty” due to feeling like we had entered a different world. There are so many activities to do both within the park and surrounding areas, but my most favorite thing to do was walk the endless miles of hiking trails. (Word to the wise, some of the trails are hiking/equestrian so watch your step😂) We didn’t do our homework, but if we would have known, we would have brought our fishing rods as the rivers were full of trout!!

We arrived at 2:00pm on Saturday, after a long 5 hour drive from northern Minnesota. It was amazing to watch the landscape change from iron ore mining pits to countless acres of corn and potatoes!! Check in time is 4:00pm, but our spot was empty when we arrived, so the park rangers let us set up early (Friendly and most helpful!!) We grabbed a bundle of wood for $6.00 for a campfire while we were at the park office. (that is pretty normal rates as you can’t bring in your own wood at State Parks in Minnesota) There are 3 different loops, an additional equestrian loop, and 5 cabins. We stayed in loop “C” with has bigger sites for RV’s and offers electricity. Loops “A” and “B” have smaller sites (still big!!) and both of those loops are non-electric. None of the sites are “full” hook up, but there is a dump station & fresh water fill right off the park office. The restrooms and showers are just off of the “C” loop, as was the amphitheater, and there are garbage/recycling bins every 4-5th site. The park was very noisy, but that all changed when most of the folks left Sunday. It was very peaceful the rest of the week.

There are so many things outside the park to do too!! We were not aware, but the Mystery Cave is a short drive from the state park. We took the scenic tour, and our guide Kip was fantastic!!! Hey let everyone ask all the questions they wanted to, and didn’t rush us at all!! The rate is $15.00 for adults, $10.00 for kids 5-12, and kids under 5 go for free. The pictures just don’t do it justice!! The next day we drove to Masonic Park in Spring Valley and we were amazed by the sheer size of the rock face!! There is no charge to picnic or visit there and there is one spot for camping, but you need to get permission from the city before doing so. We also toured Niagra Cave which is a longer drive, but well worth it!! The underground waterfall was super cool!! They charge $16.00 per adult, kids 4-12 are $10.00, and children under 4 are free.

All in all this was a great get away for our family, and I highly recommend staying at the park:)

This campground has a TON of sites!  There are close to 60 sites in all, about a third to half of those are electric sites.  If you like open spaces, this is a wonderful place to camp.

Beautiful, clean, and recently updated bathrooms and showers!

So much wildlife to see at this park.  Seeing large groups of deer was a daily/nightly thing!

The park has 20+ miles of hiking trails through prairies, woodlands, and along the lake too!  PLus the park offers geocashing (and free GPS rental), as well as canoes, kayaks, paddle boards, and a small fishing that can be rented!

A lot to offer here!

Chimney Rock Campground was exactly what this Family needed for our first camping trip! We stayed in the upper C campground, every spot is spread far apart for privacy. Yes there was music and people partying I have read people complain in other reviews, but it was done at a decent time and what do you expect? we have all been there and done that and they were done before midnight and silence the rest of the night! We rented canoes and went on a four hour trip but next time we will Deff go on a longer canoe trip and leave earlier. The scenery and the clear water on the river and we went fishing and caught one after the other. We cannot complain about one single thing from our weekend getaway close to home and will be back very very soon.

This campground has it all. Easy access for kayaking and tubing on the Upper Iowa River.

We visit on memorial day weekend with a large group. Camp right along side the Upper Iowa River....80 foot limestone bluffs! Campground shuttles and rents canoes/kayaks.

Beautiful large sites along the river so you can fish as well as has a pond that you can swim in with three beach entry areas. Large bath house with restrooms and showers and a little free library inside. Very long parking pads- big rig friendly and very roomy sites. Nice walking trails on the east and south side of the park. Very creative natural play park for children to play on. Full hook up sites with a very reasonable nightly rate. It appeared that some of the campsites were seasonal but couldn’t confirm that.

A lot of stuff there for kids, however pretty much everything needs works. Schedule existing for activities, however it seems thing start and stop whenever they feel like it. It seemed the level of drunk adults on golf carts ramp up around 3. Overall, if the rate was half the price it would of been a good experience, but at there rate there are way better campgrounds in the area

This is a nice park with a lot of activities for kids including a pool and jumping pad. The main park of the campground has people packed in pretty close. There a some spots that are more expensive with more space. I thought this place was a little high priced in general.

Great park for kids and for adults to relax. Decently priced.

A decent campground. They have a pool with some water slides, an arcade, some fishing ponds, play equipment, a giant bouncy cushion and a couple of inflatable bouncy houses. My only complaints were that a fair amount of things were out of order and the place wasn’t very clean other than that we had a good time.

Pay close attention to times for activities here. Things start late and end early. Lots to do, and good overall. Some tlc is needed (mowing, weeds). Overall we would come back during the week for another fun time.

This campground became our favorite site in quite a while! Minimal bugs, very nice staff, beautiful sites with lots of nature! Dog friendly. Playground, mini golf, and pool all complimentary! 2 trails and babbling brooke were peaceful. They had kid and adult activities scheduled for Friday and Saturday which was a cool surprise when we checked in!