Best Glamping near Ottumwa, IA

Looking to go glamping near Ottumwa and enjoy a rustic retreat into nature? Camping has always been a favorite form of travel for many, but Ottumwa, IA glamping is a new and unique way to do it. The Dyrt makes it easy to find glamping near Ottumwa.

Best Glamping Sites Near Ottumwa, IA (11)

    Camper-submitted photo from Lake Darling State Park Campground
    Camper-submitted photo from Lake Darling State Park Campground
    Camper-submitted photo from Lake Darling State Park Campground
    Camper-submitted photo from Lake Darling State Park Campground
    Camper-submitted photo from Lake Darling State Park Campground
    Camper-submitted photo from Lake Darling State Park Campground

    1. Lake Darling State Park Campground

    7 Reviews
    15 Photos
    35 Saves
    Brighton, Iowa
    • Pets
    • Fires
    • Electric Hookups
    • Phone Service
    • Reservable
    • ADA Access
    Camper-submitted photo from Island View Campground — Lake Rathbun
    Camper-submitted photo from Island View Campground — Lake Rathbun
    Camper-submitted photo from Island View Campground — Lake Rathbun
    Camper-submitted photo from Island View Campground — Lake Rathbun
    Camper-submitted photo from Island View Campground — Lake Rathbun
    Camper-submitted photo from Island View Campground — Lake Rathbun

    2. Island View Campground — Lake Rathbun

    6 Reviews
    23 Photos
    29 Saves
    Moravia, Iowa

    Overview

    Island View Park is located on beautiful Rathbun Lake, just nine miles northwest of Centerville, Iowa and 8 miles southwest of Moravia.

    Recreation

    The 11,000-acre lake provides a variety of fishing opportunities for any angler: Crappie, channel catfish, walleye and largemouth bass are most common. The prevailing winds on Rathbun Lake, also known as Iowa's Ocean, make it one of the best sailing lakes in Iowa.

    Natural Features

    Rathbun Lake is situated in the gently rolling hills of the Chariton River Valley in southeast Iowa. The campground consists of open grassy areas dotted with trees. Bald eagles, white-tailed deer, Canada geese, wild turkey and other wildlife can be found at Rathbun Lake.

    Contact Info

    This location is unstaffed. To speak with our main office for general information, please call: (641) 647-2464.

    Nearby Attractions

    The Rathbun Fish Hatchery is nearby, offering self-guided tours Monday through Friday year-round. Hundreds of thousands of catfish and walleye are produced here each year. Southern Iowa's only Off Highway Vehicle Park is just 20 minutes from the campground. It is located on the south bank of the South Fork Chariton River and encompasses nearly 125 acres in an abandoned rock quarry.

    • Pets
    • Fires
    • Electric Hookups
    • Phone Service
    • Reservable
    • RVs

    $50 / night

    • No image available

      3. Eveland Access

      3 Reviews
      3 Saves
      Oskaloosa, Iowa
      • Pets
      • Fires
      • Electric Hookups
      • Phone Service
      • ADA Access
      • RVs

      $20 / night

      Camper-submitted photo from Waubonsie Trail Park
      Camper-submitted photo from Waubonsie Trail Park
      Camper-submitted photo from Waubonsie Trail Park
      Camper-submitted photo from Waubonsie Trail Park
      Camper-submitted photo from Waubonsie Trail Park
      Camper-submitted photo from Waubonsie Trail Park
      • No image available

        5. Keokuk County Belva Deer Park

        1 Review
        4 Saves
        Sigourney, Iowa
        • Pets
        • Fires
        • Electric Hookups
        • Phone Service
        • RVs
        • Tents
        Camper-submitted photo from Wallashuck
        Camper-submitted photo from Wallashuck
        Camper-submitted photo from Wallashuck
        Camper-submitted photo from Wallashuck
        Camper-submitted photo from Wallashuck
        Camper-submitted photo from Wallashuck

        6. Wallashuck

        4 Reviews
        11 Photos
        31 Saves
        Pella, Iowa

        Overview

        Wallashuck Campground is located on Lake Red Rock, Iowas largest lake. It is just 10 minutes from Pella, known for its Dutch heritage, and 15 minutes from Knoxville, the Sprint car capital of the world. Visitors enjoy boating, fishing, hiking, biking and viewing wildlife. For more information regarding the Army Corps of Engineers and the Lake Red Rock Project, click here:Lake Red Rock Website

        Recreation

        Lake Red Rock offers excellent boating, water skiing and swimming opportunities. Miles of water trails for kayakers and canoeists are designated along the shoreline. Anglers will find crappie, largemouth and striped bass,walleye, channel and flathead catfish, northern pike and bluegill. Several miles of trails for hiking and biking are in the area. The 15 mile paved Volksweg Trail stretches west from Pella to the Des Moines River and to the Cordova Recreation Area.

        Natural Features

        Lake Red Rock is situated on the Des Moines River. Hardwood forests cover the lake shore at Wallashuck, offering shade and scenic views. Wildlife is abundant around the lake. A wide variety of waterfowl, including the American White Pelican, migrates through the area in spring and fall. Bald eagles can be observed from November through March. White-tailed deer , turkeys and other small animals are commonly viewed around the lake.

        Nearby Attractions

        Des Moines, Iowa's capital, is an hour away, with numerous shopping and dining opportunities, museums and the Blank Park Zoo.

        Charges & Cancellations

        A $10.00 service fee will apply if you change or cancel your reservation. The $10.00 service fee will be deducted from the refund amound. Cancel or change reservations through recreation.gov or by calling 1-877-444-6777. Late cancellations are subject to additional fees.

        • Pets
        • Fires
        • Electric Hookups
        • Phone Service
        • Reservable
        • RVs

        $24 / night

        Camper-submitted photo from Lake Iowa County Park
        Camper-submitted photo from Lake Iowa County Park
        Camper-submitted photo from Lake Iowa County Park
        Camper-submitted photo from Lake Iowa County Park
        Camper-submitted photo from Lake Iowa County Park
        Camper-submitted photo from Lake Iowa County Park

        7. Lake Iowa County Park

        6 Reviews
        14 Photos
        24 Saves
        Williamsburg, Iowa

        Lake Iowa Park offers a quiet, safe and beautifully-maintained campground that includes 120 rocked pads with electricity, shower houses and a dump station. There are water hydrants with rural water spread throughout the campground to fill your camper tanks. There are two non-electric areas suitable for tents which are within a short walk to the shower house. Currently there are no reservations for camping, it is all first come first served.

        2 cabins are available for rent. Each cabin has a full kitchen and ADA compliant bathroom and will sleep 8 people.

        • Pets
        • Fires
        • Electric Hookups
        • Phone Service
        • ADA Access
        • RVs
        Camper-submitted photo from Indian Lake Park
        Camper-submitted photo from Indian Lake Park
        Camper-submitted photo from Indian Lake Park
        Camper-submitted photo from Indian Lake Park
        Camper-submitted photo from Indian Lake Park
        Camper-submitted photo from Indian Lake Park

        8. Indian Lake Park

        4 Reviews
        7 Photos
        30 Saves
        Farmington, Iowa
        • Pets
        • Fires
        • Electric Hookups
        • Phone Service
        • Reservable
        • ADA Access

        $8 - $50 / night

        • No image available

          9. Marion County Park

          2 Reviews
          10 Saves
          Knoxville, Iowa
          • Pets
          • Fires
          • Electric Hookups
          • Phone Service
          • ADA Access
          • RVs
          Camper-submitted photo from The Catfish Place Campground
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        Showing results 1-10 of 11 campgrounds

        Recent Glamping Reviews in Ottumwa

        37 Reviews of 11 Ottumwa Campgrounds


        • Ken G.The Dyrt PRO User
          Camper-submitted photo from Lake Iowa County Park
          Sep. 23, 2024

          Lake Iowa County Park

          very nice and clean. Lots of sites but well spaced

          Not 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.

        • Randall K.The Dyrt PRO User
          Camper-submitted photo from Lake Iowa County Park
          Aug. 9, 2024

          Lake Iowa County Park

          Great spot for a great price

          Very 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.

        • KThe Dyrt PRO User
          Camper-submitted photo from Keokuk County Belva Deer Park
          May. 31, 2024

          Keokuk County Belva Deer Park

          Clean park warm showers

          $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

        • Marie M.
          Camper-submitted photo from Eveland Access
          Oct. 26, 2023

          Eveland Access

          Glendale Access

          20 bucks a day you submit your fill out sheet at the service area and drop it off in a drop box.

        • AThe Dyrt PRO User
          Camper-submitted photo from Wallashuck
          Jul. 19, 2023

          Wallashuck

          Convenience with some space

          We were able to camp in a tent near RVs without feeling crowded. The restrooms, showers, and playground were all close by…great for camping with kids. There were some nicer than ours and some with less privacy or further away than we’d prefer.

          A nice mix of convenience and privacy. Perfect location to showers and playground for kids. Ample space for our needs, but not overly private

        • L
          Camper-submitted photo from Lake Iowa County Park
          Jul. 10, 2022

          Lake Iowa County Park

          Good, but.

          The 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.

        • T
          Camper-submitted photo from Lake Darling State Park Campground
          Sep. 28, 2021

          Lake Darling State Park Campground

          Nice little lake & ammenities

          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!!

        • Lisa H.The Dyrt PRO User
          Camper-submitted photo from Wallashuck
          Sep. 13, 2021

          Wallashuck

          One of my favorite parks

          Wallashuck in Pella, iowa is one of my favorite places to camp. It’s mostly quiet and peaceful. Plus town is close and has plenty to entertain or fill up supplies

        • A
          Camper-submitted photo from Marion County Park
          Jul. 20, 2021

          Marion County Park

          Peaceful county park in small town Iowa

          We really enjoy this campground and use it as a home base when we’re back visiting family. There’s a couple of parks onsite for kids- one with a zip line swing- plus a pond for fishing, areas to hike and bike. There’s also a historic village onsite that’s open for tours on weekends during the summer. Plus, it’s on the outskirts of town so restaurants and grocery stores are nearby.

          The sites are somewhat unlevel so you’ll likely need to block up tires (we’ve had to block one side of tires on two different past sites). For our current site (site 58 with a 2.8 degree incline), we had to angle in a bit otherwise our auto leveling would throw an error since our front had to go up too high.

        • Amy W.
          Camper-submitted photo from The Catfish Place Campground
          Jul. 5, 2021

          The Catfish Place Campground

          Peaceful camping

          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.

        • Jeannie B.
          Camper-submitted photo from Indian Lake Park
          Jun. 24, 2021

          Indian Lake Park

          Great park and friendly host

          Tony and his wife are the camp hosts. Tony was so helpful and nice. The camp sites are spacious and clean.

        • MThe Dyrt PRO User
          Camper-submitted photo from Wallashuck
          Jun. 1, 2021

          Wallashuck

          Wallashuck Rec Area

          Very nice campground, each sight has a fire ring and table, plus a lantern pole. It is in a city park like setting and on the lake. Fire wood for sale at the entrance, you have to get water at the entrance only electrical hook up. Showers are very clean and there is also a children’s play ground.

        • R
          Camper-submitted photo from Marion County Park
          May. 5, 2021

          Marion County Park

          Great location, tons of amenities

          Marion County is often overlooked by people in favor of the various Red Rock campgrounds that are nearby, but in my opinion, unless you have a boat, there is nothing that puts Red Rock above Marion County. They have done a great job in recent years updating sites a few at a time, adding pavement and full sewer hookups. The campground is well spaced out and it is almost always possible to get a walk up spot on the weekend even if you wait until Friday afternoon/evening. There is only one bath/shower house, but it is centrally located and not far no matter where you are. There are many stores within a 5-10 minute drive if you need supplies, but it still feels isolated while there. The hosts are always great and and on the rare occasion there is an issue, it is quickly resolved. We love going to Marion County and will continue doing so for a long time.

        • Tim
          Camper-submitted photo from Eveland Access
          Dec. 20, 2020

          Eveland Access

          Fantastic

          Great camp grounds! New showers and toilets. Easy access. Not far from oskaloosa.

        • Joyce M.
          Camper-submitted photo from Waubonsie Trail Park
          Oct. 11, 2020

          Waubonsie Trail Park

          Very pretty scenery

          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.

        • T
          Camper-submitted photo from Waubonsie Trail Park
          Sep. 3, 2020

          Waubonsie Trail Park

          Iowa Gem!

          Cute 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.

        • Claudia M.
          Camper-submitted photo from Lake Iowa County Park
          Aug. 6, 2020

          Lake Iowa County Park

          Super cute!

          This 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!

        • Dave N.The Dyrt PRO User
          Camper-submitted photo from Indian Lake Park
          Jul. 14, 2020

          Indian Lake Park

          Beautiful

          This 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.

        • Douglas P.
          Camper-submitted photo from Lake Darling State Park Campground
          Mar. 12, 2020

          Lake Darling State Park Campground

          Lake Darling Campground

          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?

        • R
          Camper-submitted photo from Lake Darling State Park Campground
          Nov. 5, 2019

          Lake Darling State Park Campground

          Beautiful getaway

          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.

        • M
          Camper-submitted photo from Lake Darling State Park Campground
          Jun. 30, 2019

          Lake Darling State Park Campground

          Beautiful lake/Nice Campground

          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.

        • Desiree R.
          Camper-submitted photo from Lake Darling State Park Campground
          Apr. 15, 2019

          Lake Darling State Park Campground

          Amazing lake

          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.

        • Michael M.
          Camper-submitted photo from Wallashuck
          Mar. 19, 2019

          Wallashuck

          Decent

          Good place close to Pella and Knoxville. Some sites on Red Rock. Little pricey for not having full hookups. Overall good place.



        Frequently Asked Questions

        • Which is the most popular glamping campsite near Ottumwa, IA?

          According to TheDyrt.com, the most popular glamping campground near Ottumwa, IA is Lake Darling State Park Campground with a 4.7-star rating from 7 reviews.

        • What is the best site to find glamping camping near Ottumwa, IA?

          TheDyrt.com has all 11 glamping camping locations near Ottumwa, IA, with real photos and reviews from campers.