Cabin camping is an amazing way to experience Ottumwa, while still enjoying a little rustic luxury. It's easy to find cabins in Ottumwa with The Dyrt. You're sure to find the perfect cabin rental for your Ottumwa camping adventure.
This recreation area is part of Rathbun Lake
$8 - $50 / night
Scout
It was beautiful, full of wildlife, easy to find,not too far from highway but far away enough to not hear
GuideNot too far off the highway. Very clean and quiet. The campground is above the lake but a short trail will take you to the lake. Couldn't see the lake from where we camped, but nice woody area behind our campsite. Nice little visitor area. Lots of trails to walk with the dog including a nice trail along the lake.
Great place to spend one night. If I had more time, I would have gone paddle boarding or fishing on the lake.
RangerVery well kept campground! Bathrooms and entire area was really in perfect shape. One of the cleanest showers and bathrooms I have seen. $10 for tent, $16 for electric - how can you go wrong?
Only issue is that the spots are pretty close together. Around 2:30am there was so much smoke in our van from nearby campfires that I woke up sick and my dog threw up all over the bed. At 3am we decided we needed to move to an electric site because it was too much to have the windows open. I felt really bad for anyone in a tent. I coughed all the next day.
The campground was not that busy so there is no way I would stay here on a busy holiday weekend due to the spots being too close. If a few people make a fire you better shut down all your windows. No sleeping in the cool, night air here.
But this is an issue at other places too. Just never experienced anything on this level before. Esp considering no one in our section even had a fire going.
I wish campgrounds would start banning these fires. But that’s a topic for a later date.
Other than that it was a great spot.
Scout$12 a night for primitive camping and you get nice warm showers by the main entrance and nice bathrooms by the main entrance. Stand-alone bathrooms throughout the park have the deep composting toilets that smell bad but whatever the ones up front are nice. Would recommend 10/10
Guide
Nice drive in gorgeous country. 23$ site without water 28 w/ water 35 full hookups. Decent showers nice playground for kids lakeside spots as well. The host sells firewood and 2 sizes of ice. Cheap too. Walking trails nearby.
Scout20 bucks a day you submit your fill out sheet at the service area and drop it off in a drop box.
ScoutStayed for a week in mid November. Although we had a storm at the beginning and end the overall stay was great. Weather ranged from 50s to 70s during the day and 30s to 40s at night. There were only 4 other sites occupied with a few ins and out during the week. I could see the spring and summer months getting busy with lake use. Trails were well maintained and tended even late into the season. My pups and I loved walking the lake loop (2.1miles) every day. Bonus: the deer came out each evening to forage.
GuideThe good: The area around the lake and near by pond, is not overly developed. There are wild raspberries and mulberries, lots of wildlife. We had a blue jay that visited us regularly at our campsite, along with deer walking through. The bad: very few sites have a view of the lake. To walk to the lake or near by pond you must go down hill, which could be a problem for any one with mobility issues. Once down to the water trail are easy to walk. I would say if you can try and get sites, 67-70. They have beautiful views.
Guide
There is a boat ramp, hiking trails, showers, and the ohv park is only 30 min away on the other side of the lake
Scout
We went out for a fishing day, boat launch was very nice and entire lake was very clean. There were several people out on the water in kayaks and paddle boats, very calm waters. Beautiful little lake with out a ton of traffic, perfect!!
TravelerNice sites, great beach, and just close enough to town to grab some ice cream from a local shop. Would visit again if in the area.
Scout
My family stayed in our popup last September and it was great. Friendly staff, nice clean bathroom and showers. Spot on beautiful pond. It was great to be able to fish from our site. Close to geode hunting locations!! Quiet. There is also a restaurant on site. We did not go but there were always lots of people there. Heard good things about food.
Guide
Tony and his wife are the camp hosts. Tony was so helpful and nice. The camp sites are spacious and clean.
Traveler
I have camped at lake wapello for 32 years in a row over my birthday in September it is the cleanest friendliest best wildlife great fishing wonderful campsites a place that I will always return to.
ScoutGreat camp grounds! New showers and toilets. Easy access. Not far from oskaloosa.
Traveler
I was only able to stay one night but i loved it. We hiked the equestrian trails one afternoon and the regular trails the next day. I camped in the equestrian campground and loved it with my popup. Outhouse type toilets are available there. I only drove past the RV campground and the campsites were close together. The equestrian area is the way to go in my opinion but i love the quiet. Picnic tables and fire rings are at each campsite.
GuideCute little RV/tent campground. Very nice hosts. Only stayed 1 night. Definitely on the 'let's go back' list. Waubonsie trail behind park is a short hike to the covered bridge and Dutchman's Store. Perfect Way to stretch your legs after a long day on the road. Bathrooms and showers were exceptionally clean. Horseshoe pit, playground and campfire swing area were nice surprises. All for under $20 for electric RV site! Great campground for a small group event.
GuideThis place is huge. We pulled in very late on a Weds night / Thursday morning. Self registration at the front. Looked like a decent amount of folks here but we didn’t drive very far into the park. If you take a look at the PDF maps on their website you can see how vast the places is with 122 spots! Bummed we needed to keep driving the next day- was very tempted to stay another night.
Shower house and bathrooms were really nice! Wasn’t expecting to want to take a shower but couldn’t pass up the opportunity when we saw them. Very hot water.
There are picnic benches everywhere and fire pits. 10/10 - would stay again!
GuideThis park has something for everyone. They have primitive tent sites, electric only, electric+water, and fhu. They also have cabins for rent. All very reasonably priced. Most of the sites are nice and shady and level. A bathhouse with showers. A stone lodge for large parties. There is a playground, a few nice hiking trails, and a lake with a nice sandy beach. Almost empty during the week, but very busy on summer weekends. Hiking,fishing, swimming, kayaking,bird watching. There are many things to keep you busy here.
ScoutWe camped in spot #20 of the north loop. I would not recommend any spot in the center second of the loop. It was more like parking than camping.
If we parked in the direction to utilize the full hookups we would have had our awning out over our neighbors campsite.
The state park has some nice trails for hiking. Use bug spray because the ticks are bad. Some nice views of the lake
ScoutOur family has been camping at Lake Darling for the past couple of years. We very much like the campground and the lake area. Opportunities for improvement would be that the full hookup sites have the neighbors waste tube close the campers picnic table. Sometimes getting a whiff of black water waste while trying eat dinner leaves a little to be desired. Eh? If a person camps in the regular electric only sites this is not a problem. However, this requires ( for most campers) the use of the shower house. The bathroom facilities are clean and well kept but the showers could use some updating and better cleaning maintenance. The lake area offers great fishing and there are boat rentals available. Paddle boats, canoes, and other options. There is a long concrete multi use path along the lake and into the cabin area. The cabins seem nice, though we have never been in them or stayed in them. Book early they are usually booked up I am told. All in all a great weekend get away place. And generally limited cell signal might be better that way eh?
TravelerWe stayed on the primative group side of the lake. There is a small pond that we were able to let some of our scouts get started in kayaks and canoes before getting into the main lake. Great fishing and walking paths. Iowa has done a great job fixing up this area. The cabins are small but clean.
GuideVery nice park and not to near a train. Very modern facilities that were clean.
GuideNice campground with some newer facilities, well kept up and clean. There are 2 parts to the campground, both nice and fairly full-but not completely on the weekend we stayed. Sites were fairly level and all pretty close to the showers/restrooms, and well spaced out between sites. There were several hiking trails-maps seemed to not quite fit the trails and lake to some degree. Several ponds have been added to the lake and along the hiking trails that aren't on the map that could assist in knowing where you're at along the trails. Trails were signed fairly well but still seemed somewhat off from the maps both online and on site.
GuideSpacious campground with clean facilities. Some campsites are close to the lake. Several hiking paths-Lakeshore Trail goes around the whole lake, so be sure to reserve 2-3 hours to conquer this path-more if you like to take in the scenery. Quite a bit of wildlife seen during kayaking and hiking-muskrat, beaver, swans, geese could be found on the water. Also seen: deer, bald eagles, frogs, toads, turtles. There were many that enjoyed fishing on the lake, as well. We spent our time hiking and kayaking, but fishing seemed pretty good for those partaking. Also has a nice beach!
GuideI absolutely loved this state park. There is so many options for fishing and camping. They even have cabin rentals for the more glamping lifestyle. They do book up quick in advance, but there is usually walk up spots available the week of too. Definitely reccomend.
ScoutNice, quiet and affordable. Saw lots of deer and rabbits right outside our door. Shower rooms are very nice.
Camping near Ottumwa, Iowa, offers a mix of beautiful landscapes and fun activities for everyone. Whether you're looking for a peaceful retreat or an adventure-filled getaway, there are several campgrounds to choose from.
With these insights, you're all set for a great camping experience near Ottumwa, Iowa!
Frequently Asked Questions
Which is the most popular cabin campsite near Ottumwa, IA?
According to TheDyrt.com, the most popular cabin campground near Ottumwa, IA is Lake Wapello State Park with a 5-star rating from 6 reviews.
What is the best site to find cabin camping near Ottumwa, IA?
TheDyrt.com has all 12 cabin camping locations near Ottumwa, IA, with real photos and reviews from campers.
