Best Cabin Camping near Pella, IA

Recent Cabin Reviews in Pella

46 Reviews of 14 Pella Campgrounds

• 

  Mandy F.

  Scout

  

  Oct. 10, 2024

  Lake Iowa County Park

  Wasn't free

  It was beautiful, full of wildlife, easy to find,not too far from highway but far away enough to not hear

• 

  Leslie K.

  Scout

  

  Oct. 7, 2024

  Outback Campground & Resort

  Wallaby Cabin Review

  This review is for the Wallaby cabin. This cabin supposedly has a bathroom with a shower, 3 beds and a kitchenette. The bathroom has a shower so small it is difficult not to rinse one's hair while applying shampoo. There is no sink in this room for brushing teeth, washing hands or face, etc. There is no mirror either, or hooks for towels or washcloths or clothes. There is also no heater. The cabin has no closet or any place to hang any clothes. There were several bugs crawling on the ceiling. The wall A/C could not help but spew dust, as it was coated with that on the filter and cover. The trash can had a clean bag, which occupants are required to leave in dumpster at checkout. When removing the bag, the stuck-on mess under it was appalling. The bed in each loft area had obviously been used and not changed, as the covers were in disarray and the bottom sheets not clean. The main bed has a zipped on plastic cover which the loose fitting fitted sheet will not stay on, causing occupants to end up sleeping on plastic. We purchased a blanket to go over it for the next night. We would not have stayed more than one night but, as we had reserved 3, it is not refundable. The tv is to the side of the immovable chairs, so that one must have head turned completely to one side to watch. The cabin has such a slant that a ball will roll by itself to the entrance side. All this for more than$350 for 3 night stay.

• 

  Ken G.

  Guide

  

  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.

  Ranger

  

  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.

• K

  Keith B.

  Scout

  

  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

• 

  Stuart K.

  Legend

  

  Apr. 1, 2024

  Newton KOA

  This KOA Deserves Your Attention

  Literally a single stone’s throw from I80, one of the busiest thoroughfares you’ll find yourself on here in the great ‘Hawkeye State,’ this is one campground that very much deserves your attention, despite being a KOA. In fact, this campground outpost is so close to the highway that you’ll be hard pressed not to see or hear it during your entire stay. While this KOA does sit down a bit from the hustle & bustle that comes with a major interstate highway, a good number of the available RV sites sit on a sloping hill that is the same elevation as the highway itself, so if you do have the choice, opt for the lower sites (more on that later). 

  Sitting just 30 minutes east of Des Moines, Newton KOA offers up about 100 sites for RVs and 5th wheelers offering up all the standard hook-ups (water, sewage and 30 / 50 amp- but be careful because some sites only offer 30 or 50, while some do offer both, so be sure to ask when making your reservation). For mi tent pitching bredren, there’s about a dozen or so sites to choose from and all are fairly intermingled with the RV sites, although each site does sit on a plush patch of grass, so this KOA does a nice job on that front of integration. Oh, and if you don’t have an RV, 5th wheeler or a tent, on worries, this KOA will rent you one of its three cabins. 

  As this is a KOA you can expect a ton of amenities and this place does not disappoint with: catch & release fishing pond w/ fish cleaning station (that is oddly placed about as far away from the fishing pond as you can get), disc golf course, K9 camp for the puppies, cable TV, WiFi, in-ground pool (available 5/25 until 9/3) with ADA pool lift, horseshoes, meeting rooms, firewood for sale, LP gas refueling station, pool table, shuffleboard, social lounge, two kids playground, laundr-O-mat, basketball court, restroom & shower facilities, mini-market with basic groceries, ping pong, jump pad, game room, gaga pit, designated dumpster and dump station and of course the scattered fire pits and picnic tables. Just to go above and beyond, this KOA serves up free breakfast of flapjacks on Saturdays. Yahoo! 

  Insider’s tips? Here’s a few: (1) Whether you are pitching a tent or pulling up in your RV, the best sites IMHO are those in the lower valley, but located right in front of the main office, where there are 6 RV slots numbered #45 – 50 and 6 tent sites numbered T1 – T6; (2) Should you get hungry and might want to try some local fare, check out Taco John’s and La Cabaña Mexican Restaurant, which I guess stand for ‘local’ around here, although there is Newton Family Restaurant. If you are looking for something really different and amazing, I would suggest heading on over to Dan’s Sandwich Shop, which feels like real Americana from a bygone era, complete with a diner-esque vibe and matching elbow counter to warm up to over a nice piece of apple pie, scoop of ice cream washed down with a hot mug of coffee; (3) While this KOA has a mini-market, you will find a bigger selection with better prices just down the road at the local Walmart, where just due west of this, you’ll find a Hy-Vee Grocery store with a wine & spirits shop positioned there as well. Further down the road, you have excellent fresh cut meat from Fareway Grocery, but check out the local hotspot, Newton Market as well; and (4) While what you will discover from an outdoor standpoint at Newton KOA is interesting, if you want something more substantial, head to Newton Arboretum & Botanical Gardens for 6 acres of family-friendly landscape to explore with more displays and demonstrations that you can shake a stick at! Seriously, there’s a butterfly garden, peony border and nearly 200 individual species of trees here to check out. 

  Happy Camping!

• 

  Marie M.

  Scout

  

  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.

• m

  michael W.

  Traveler

  

  Oct. 14, 2023

  Thomas Mitchell County Park

  Nice campground although not too many spaces.

  Came in late, even though there were several empty spaces turns out they were reserved. Very nice camp host told us we could have a non-electric site, none of them were reserved. Bathroom/showers were clean.

• 

  Ben K.

  Scout

  

  Aug. 28, 2023

  Thomas Mitchell County Park

  Clean and quiet in tent

  Spent 2 nights tent camping here. We stayed at site 4, glad I read reviews on here. I personally would not want to be in a site beyond number 7 as it gets too close to the dump station and subsequent “sewage lagoon”

  Shower house was clean, pretty quiet, and only 5 miles off the highway

• J

  Jeff C.

  Scout

  

  Jul. 24, 2023

  Newton KOA

  A decent option along the freeway

  Our stay here was fine. Check-in was easy and courteous. We were escorted to our site. All of the staff that we interacted with was great. It seems like this park has an original section and then expansion sections tired up a hillside. The original section is the only section with any mature shade trees. Our site, and it looked like the others in the tiered hillside section, were in full sun all day. We selected an upgraded patio site. It was spacious and the patio area was made from pavers. It was equiped the same as the other sites though, just a fire pit and a picnic table (that was in rough shape). Our experience at other KOAs is that the patio sites have some better patio furniture. The fire pit wasn't functional for cooking. The cooking grate was rusted and set about 1" off the bottom of the fire pit leaving no room for charcoal. Pool looked nice but we didn't use it. The bathrooms and showers were clean but the showers could use a place to set your dry clothes.

• 

  Jake C.

  Legend

  

  Jan. 25, 2023

  Waterfront Cabin

  Off-Grid Cabin by the pond

  Jake from the Dyrt here!  I had a chance to learn a little about this awesome cabin, they offer the opportunity to get off-grid and hangout on the porch overlooking a pond.  Check them out and leave a review on The Dyrt!

• 

  Reese W.

  Guide

  

  Aug. 26, 2022

  Thomas Mitchell County Park

  Lovely campground, mostly RVs/Camper Vans

  We rolled up to this campground past 10pm on a Thursday night just looking for a safe spot to sleep and hopefully a shower before getting back on the road. This place was great. The drive into the grounds was a little confusing, but I imagine that in the daylight we would have had an easier time. There was no camp office that we could find, but we were pleasantly surprised when we found an open spot that we could make a same day reservation and payment online ($29 for an electric site after fees). There are QR codes at each site that you can scan to quickly and easily do this on the spot. You can reserve online ahead of time as well. The bathhouse was very clean and had two showers that had hot water. We could not hear the highway from our spot despite it being close by, and the other campers around were very quiet. My only somewhat negative note about this place is I am not sure at all where tent campers are intended to go. We were in a van and this was perfect for us, but for non-vehicle campers this may not be as ideal.

• L

  Leslie P.

  Guide

  

  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.

• 

  Cher C.

  Traveler

  

  Jun. 24, 2022

  Newton KOA

  I Owe Allot, To IOWA ...

  Staff is *Outstanding!! Sites Level (#62); Great Kamp K9!! Laundry, "Immaculate"!; Clean, clean, oh and CLEAN! Gotta get @ least, one nite here!🤓

• 

  Jackson M.

  Guide

  

  Jun. 13, 2022

  Honey Creek State Park Campground

  Decent campsite

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

• 

  Whitney S.

  Guide

  

  Apr. 9, 2022

  Thomas Mitchell County Park

  Oasis close to home

  I have created a space in my minivan so I'm a vamping and I have reserved the same spot for one weekend a month for the next 8 months and I am so excited to have a place to come and relax while decompressing from My crazy Life.

• C

  Chuck G.

  Scout

  

  Oct. 4, 2021

  Newton KOA

  A Must Stay! An Oasis? Yup!!

  New Escapod owners! We’ve done the state parks and are winging back to PA. Saw Newton KOA made the call and it was perfect. Don’t let the “ industrial park”reference put you off. You drive past it down into an oasis of green, clean and friendly hosts! It’s October so busy but not summer, office staff was waiting for us at 6:40 PM ALL SMILES!! They parked us on a level site with water and electric about a 5 minute walk to sparkling clean bathrooms and showers. Grounds were well kept , people were friendly and it’s a must stay again on our way out west next season

• 

  Shannon G.

  Legend

  

  Jun. 29, 2021

  Thomas Mitchell County Park

  Creek side sites available

  Thomas Mitchell park is located outside of Altoona Iowa on 197 acres. There are electric and non electric sites available. The outer loop has a creek that flows behind the sites with large stairs to get down to it. Kids were having a blast in the water. Some sites are reservable and some walk up. There is a fishing lake,playground,sand volleyball, and hiking. The main hiking trails are wide with smaller ones shooting off the sides. There is also a group site that you can hike to on the Devote trail. The camp hosts are helpful and offer firewood,which they bring to your site, on Wednesday-Sunday. It is very peaceful but we also camp Sun-We’d when there isn’t a ton of people. We will definitely camp here again.

• 

  Tim M.

  Traveler

  

  May. 10, 2021

  Lake Wapello State Park Campground

  Happy place

  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.

• S

  Sydney

  Scout

  

  Jan. 16, 2021

  Newton KOA

  Perfect, overnight stay

  Great overnight stay. Got in later a little than planned, after hours. Very quiet— great nights sleep.

• 

  Tim

  Scout

  

  Dec. 20, 2020

  Eveland Access

  Fantastic

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

• 

  Jamee N.

  Guide

  

  Sep. 17, 2020

  Newton KOA

  Family Friendly

  We tried to stay here on probably the hottest day of the year. It was just wayyyyy too hot so we made sandwiches and decided to drive through the night, but it wasn’t this KOA’s fault! Very friendly staff. Tons for kids and families to do. My only complaint is that where we were, tent spot #1...there wasn’t really any soaration of the tent sites. People moved in beside us and were literally in our site because there wasn’t anything stopping them. Probably a better place for RV camping over tent camping.

• 

  Claudia M.

  Guide

  

  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!

• P

  Pete M.

  Traveler

  

  Jul. 28, 2020

  Newton KOA

  Our Favorite

  The owners are fantastic! The campground is well maintained and the stocked pond for fishing is a relaxing spot. Stop by and spend an evening. Well worth it.

• 

  Thomas B.

  Legend

  

  Jul. 2, 2020

  Thomas Mitchell County Park

  Cute county park

  Nice little county park just east of Des Moines with fairly easy access to I-80. Several other campers in the tent area, but very courteous and quiet. And no music! We arrived late and found a spot. LOTS of bugs and very loud peepers at dusk in the frog pond near the entrance, but they quieted down, and our bug screens worked like a charm (we sleep in our Outback on quick turnaround nights). In the morning light we did notice that we were right next to the “sewage lagoon” by the RV dump spot. We were upwind , so it wasn’t too bad. Would recommend avoiding sites 18 and 19. Overall a nice place for a quick overnight. Clean and well groomed.

• 

  Sarah K.

  Scout

  

  Jun. 14, 2020

  Honey Creek State Park Campground

  North loop review

  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

• 

  Willy W.

  Ranger

  

  May. 31, 2020

  Newton KOA

  KOA is OK

  Newton KOA

  This is the primary location for camping in Newton. It’s right off interstate I-80 and is very close to the Iowa Speedway.

  There are places to go tent camping but it’s primarily setup for rvs. The tent camping spots have a picnic table and fire pit.

  The RV sports are pretty nice, most have the usual hookups. This place can get pretty busy when there is a race going on.

  There is a creek in the back and some pretty easy hiking trails to explore. There is a fish cleaning station near the creek. They do also have a pond with bass and bluegill. They also have a pool by the office but it’s currently being painted.

  Overall this is a pretty nice KOA and it’s very clean and maintained. You can hear the interstate but you get used to it.