Best Cabin Camping near Ottumwa, IA

I 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.

Our 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?

We 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.

The Lake has been recently drained and refilled. The new trails around the lake are so wonderful. Electric and tent sites. Brand new five season cabins. Great all year round!

excellent way to spend a day with family. boat rentals were a blast and added bonus.

Lacey-Keosaqua State Park is a gem located in Southeast Iowa in Van Buren County. It is off the beaten path but it is one of oldest Iowa State Parks. The Park and campground are well maintained and clean. We visited over Labor Day weekend and the park was only two-thirds full. It was a variety of Tent campers and RV's. The camp sites are spaced really well so you don't feel like you are on top of one another. They have electric and non-electric sites and the shower is very clean. There are almost 80 sites in the campground.

Don't miss the hiking trails and the Beach House and swimming lake. Don't miss lake Sugema, the Indian Mounds or the Ely Ford Mormon Trail crossing.

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. Location is about 10 minute drive from Honey Creek Resort which provides a nice 18 hole golf course, water park, and restaurant.

Shower house / bathroom was very clean. Camping site contained a few trees so we were able to string up a tarp to provide shade and protect firewood and furniture from rain. We were there the week before the 4th of July and during the week, there were only about 6 other campers there. The weekend was a bit busier but still sites to be had. Be careful driving around the park as I don't think there was a day we didn't see at least 8 deer wandering around the campsite or near roads.

Nice park - would definitely stay there again.

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.

Spacious 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!

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.

Facilities have just recently been updated. Great place to camp. Our kids love it.

New facilities are great!

We had a great time out camping. Excellent area.

Nice 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.

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!!

We had a cross country meet here. Came back to camp. Loved exploring the area.

We 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

There is a boat ramp, hiking trails, showers, and the ohv park is only 30 min away on the other side of the lake

Great for the whole family. Well marked trails. Beautiful views.