Best Glamping near Rockford, IA

McIntosh Woods State Park Campground near Clear Lake houses several yurts, offering a glamping experience with modern amenities and nature immersion simultaneously. The yurts provide a comfortable alternative to traditional camping with bunk beds, futon seating, and indoor furniture including tables and chairs. Visitors enjoy access to clean bathrooms and shower facilities throughout their stay. "Beautiful shaded campground near the lake, not far from town if you forgot something," noted one reviewer about the peaceful setting. Both McIntosh Woods and Pilot Knob State Park accommodate glamping enthusiasts seeking unique outdoor experiences without sacrificing comfort. The parks feature picnic tables outside accommodations, grilling areas, and convenient proximity to water activities at Clear Lake, where guests can enjoy swimming, fishing, and boating during warmer months.

Hiking trails wind through both properties, offering glamping guests opportunities to explore natural surroundings while returning to comfortable accommodations each evening. A visitor mentioned, "We had a very pleasant two-night stay even though we were prepared for a different experience." The parks maintain well-kept grounds with shaded sites and paved pathways perfect for bike riding. Seasonal considerations include most glamping accommodations being available from April through October, with some sites requiring reservations several months in advance, especially for summer weekends. Guests particularly appreciate the eco-friendly aspects of these glamping options, which balance modern comforts with minimal environmental impact while providing access to playground equipment, beaches, and fishing opportunities just steps from their accommodations.

Best Glamping Sites Near Rockford, Iowa (13)

    1. Clear Lake State Park Campground

    12 Reviews
    Clear Lake, IA
    23 miles
    Website
    +1 (641) 357-4212

    $12 - $20 / night

    "The rest of the sites are beautiful with electric hook up. Nice clean bathroom and hot shower!"

    "Pros: Clean/well maintained, easy short path through the trees to get to the beach, sturdy picnic tables all around, long “driveway” for campsite Cons: pads are gravel and not very level, pads are very"

    2. Cedar Bridge County Park

    1 Review
    Osage, IA
    17 miles
    Website
    +1 (641) 732-5204

    "There are about 20 self-serve sites with electric and water. Self serve firewood. Dump station and dumpsters near the exit. Clean bathrooms and showers. Lots of space at each campsite."

    3. Halvorson Park

    1 Review
    Osage, IA
    21 miles
    Website
    +1 (641) 736-2221

    "Had a small swimming beach, nice bathrooms and showers dump station. Saw many people swimming off their boat/pontoons as the bottom is sandy and the current is very very slow."

    4. McIntosh Woods State Park Campground

    5 Reviews
    Ventura, IA
    26 miles
    Website
    +1 (641) 829-3847

    $10 - $60 / night

    "Beautiful shaded campground near the lake, not far from town if you forgot something. We stayed in one of the two yurts- bunk bed plus a futon and table/chairs inside. Picnic table and grill outside."

    "Sites arranged in a circle around a clean shower house. Potable water. Only 2 non-electric sites. Most sites level. Sites are close to each other, not offering much in the way of privacy."

    5. Pilot Knob State Park Campground

    12 Reviews
    Forest City, IA
    34 miles
    Website
    +1 (641) 581-4835

    $10 - $18 / night

    "Located by New Ulm, MN this campground has plenty of activities in the park or very near the park."

    "Very clean bathhouse and bathrooms, park. Family friendly and quiet place to camp."

    6. White Fox — Myre-Big Island State Park

    22 Reviews
    Albert Lea, MN
    44 miles
    Website
    +1 (507) 379-3403

    "We had an electric site. Very level and clean. Nice fire pit and located right next to the lake. Only downside was the site was electric only."

    "We arrived on a Sunday and stopped at the Park Welcome area. We got the last spot with electric for 3 nights. Nice staff! Ice was available."

    7. Riverside Co Park

    2 Reviews
    Osage, IA
    28 miles
    Website
    +1 (641) 732-5204

    "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."

    "Large bath house with restrooms and showers and a little free library inside. Very long parking pads- big rig friendly and very roomy sites."

    8. Airport Lake Park Campground

    3 Reviews
    Elma, IA
    30 miles
    Website
    +1 (641) 394-4714

    "Water electric at each site. Dump station on site. Nice swimming beach and many fishing jetties."

    "Bathrooms were clean. Good cell phone signal. Small lake for fishing and swimming working walking distance"

    9. Bremer County Park Cedar Bend Park

    2 Reviews
    Waverly, IA
    31 miles
    Website
    +1 (319) 882-4742

    "We had the RV and used the electric hookup. We found that it was quite a peaceful campground when we went."

    "We like this campground a lot, very nice shade, playground area, as well as nice trails. Clean restrooms and shower stall"

    10. George Wyth State Park Campground

    14 Reviews
    Cedar Falls, IA
    45 miles
    Website
    +1 (319) 232-5505

    $12 - $20 / night

    "** Iowa state parks are a bargain! This one is $11 for a non-electric site, $16 for an electric site. (Rates go down to $6 and $11 from 10/1-4/30.)"

    "Nice campground with some non-electric sites on bank of Cedar River, clean shower house and flush toilets."

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Glamping Reviews near Rockford, IA

87 Reviews of 13 Rockford Campgrounds


  • p
    Nov. 20, 2022

    Riverside Co Park

    Great full hookup 40 unit campgrount

    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.

  • Mary S.
    Aug. 31, 2018

    George Wyth State Park Campground

    Another bargain at an Iowa State Park

    Why Should You Camp Here?

    • Iowa state parks are a bargain! This one is $11 for a non-electric site, $16 for an electric site. (Rates go down to $6 and $11 from 10/1-4/30.) There is no separate park entry fee (unlike some states).

    • You can rent kayaks, canoes or pedal boats near the campground at Wyth Lake. And there are 3 other nearby lakes.

    • There's a small beach at Wyth Lake.

    • The Cedar River is on the edge of the campground.

    • You're so close to Cedar Falls and Waterloo which means there are craft breweries!

    • We were only there for a night but I saw this on reserveamerica.com: "The Lake-to-State Park Bike Route is a 50 mile route connecting Pine Lake and George Wyth State Park. The route primarily utilizes county highways and established bike routes and paths once inside Cedar Falls/Waterloo." 

    • We didn't do everything we could do there, because we were just passing through. Check this out: https://iowastateparks.reserveamerica.com/camping/george-wyth-state-park/r/campgroundDetails.do?contractCode=IA&parkId=610125

    Amenities

    • The usual fire ring and picnic table

    • Dump station and potable water

    • Flush toilets and running water in bathrooms along with push button showers. Ok, push button showers are not ideal. Just keep pushing that button and hopefully you'll be okay with the temperature that you can't control!

  • Julian B.
    Sep. 4, 2018

    White Fox — Myre-Big Island State Park

    Quiet Spot Near a Tranquil Lake

    Got to this campground late in the evening. Check in was a breeze and easy to find and pull into the site. We had an electric site. Very level and clean. Nice fire pit and located right next to the lake. Only downside was the site was electric only. No option for full hookup but water was located between the sites. Dump station was clean and modern and located close by.

  • Lee D.The Dyrt PRO User
    Mar. 25, 2023

    Pilot Knob State Park Campground

    Layout of campground would be challenging if full

    General: A mixture of tent (non-electric) and electric sites, mostly arranged in several rows. 

    Site Quality: Mixed. Not all sites are level, and most do not have delineated parking pads (there is a small pavement indent to show where to access the site). A fire pit and picnic table complete the site. Most of the sites are too close together for our liking, however, when we were there (a Monday at the end of August, the day before school started), we were only one of three sites occupied so for our stay it didn’t matter. 

    Bathhouse: Basic but clean. My biggest complaint is there were no hooks or shelves for toiletries by the sinks. The showers looked nice but we did not use them. 

    Activities: Horseback riding (there are trails for this), hiking, fishing. Although we did see several trailheads, I did not have a map so didn’t explore them. There is an observation tower, but it is a two-mile walk/drive from the campground (on paved roads; I didn’t try to find hiking trails to get there). 

    Misc: A shout-out to the great host, Pam, who greeted us as we arrived. The observation tower, entrance gates, and picnic shelter were all constructed by the CCC and were beautiful. It almost seemed like the campground was an afterthought as it is outside the entrance gates and nowhere near the tower. The layout of the campground would be challenging if all sites were occupied.

  • S
    Aug. 10, 2021

    White Fox — Myre-Big Island State Park

    Peaceful

    We arrived on a Sunday and stopped at the Park Welcome area. We got the last spot with electric for 3 nights. Nice staff! Ice was available.

    $34/night plus Minnesota State Park pass @ $8/day.😩

    Not super spacious but very comfortable distance between spaces. Well maintained dirt road in campground. Grassy and mowed. Nice big trees! Water spigots. Very nice individual, clean rooms for showers.

    Two separate campground loops in the White Fox area and another couple loops half mile down the road

    The lake is gorgeous but just a few places to get to the water. Saw a sign on the park door saying kayaks and canoes available to rent.

    Six miles of paved, but badly in need of care, is a bike path that meanders through thick forest and open grassy fields. Follows the lake and heads close to the town of Albert Lea.

    We saw a guy setting out electric scooters that were available to rent which looked like fun!

    Birds and deer abound.

    Walmart 2 miles away!

  • Rhonda P.
    Jun. 8, 2018

    McIntosh Woods State Park Campground

    beautiful spot near lake

    Beautiful shaded campground near the lake, not far from town if you forgot something. We stayed in one of the two yurts- bunk bed plus a futon and table/chairs inside. Picnic table and grill outside. Walk to small town/restaurants.Clean bathroom facilities in area. Short hikes. Fishing nearby.

  • Ken K.
    Aug. 7, 2022

    White Fox — Myre-Big Island State Park

    Stop over between other parks

    I've been using this as a night over stop before going on to the Black Hills or on my way back home. The first time I stayed the night over there it was a nightmare just because of this family or group of people showed up late and didn't comprehend quiet hours. So needless to say I had little to no sleep.

    The other times I've stayed there it was quiet and not too many people around. Kind of buggy but that's expected with the water and all the shade.

  • James P.The Dyrt PRO User
    Aug. 13, 2024

    White Fox — Myre-Big Island State Park

    Wooded hideaway

    Roomy gravel sites. A mix of electric and non-electric sites. Commercial fire rings. Electrical needs refreshing. We had an issue with the 30A breaker not resetting on site 46E; eventually relocated to 47E. Park employee Noah was very accommodating and pleasant to deal with. He came out to the site to discuss options with us and eventually made some site reservation changes to resolve the situation. Close to town, nice historic district.

  • Carrie C.
    May. 24, 2025

    Dows Pool Park & Campground

    Dows Campground

    Pulled in one evening on our way to Texas from Minnesota. Large, open spaces equipped with a fire pit and picnic table. Electric hookups and water also available. Reasonable rates (I think we paid $15) for one night.


Guide to Rockford

Clear Lake and its surrounding areas offer multiple glamping opportunities near Rockford, Iowa. Located in north-central Iowa about 15 miles west of Rockford, Clear Lake spans 3,684 acres with a maximum depth of 20 feet. Average summer water temperatures reach 75°F, making it suitable for swimming from June through August. Winter temperatures typically drop to 14°F in January, with campgrounds adjusting seasonal availability accordingly.

What to do

Hiking trails and explorations: Pilot Knob State Park Campground features several hiking trails through diverse terrain. "Great hiking trails," noted one visitor, while another mentioned the park's "CCC-constructed observation tower, entrance gates, and picnic shelter" that are worth visiting during your stay.

Water activities: Clear Lake State Park Campground provides numerous water recreation options. "Close to the beach, town and the lake has great fish," reports one camper. Another mentioned that "the playground was fun for the kids, nice beach access," making it suitable for families looking to combine water activities with glamping accommodations.

Biking opportunities: Paved pathways at several parks facilitate cycling excursions. "Paved roads are great for bike riding," noted one visitor about Clear Lake State Park. Another camper at Myre-Big Island State Park mentioned "a bike path that meanders through thick forest and open grassy fields" that "follows the lake and heads close to the town of Albert Lea."

What campers like

Privacy options: Halvorson Park offers spacious sites along the Cedar River. "Nice county park along the Cedar river. Boating and fishing was fun. Had a small swimming beach, nice bathrooms and showers dump station," noted one camper, adding that the park has "nice big campsites."

Upgraded facilities: Riverside Co Park has recently renovated amenities. "40 site Totally renovated 2 years ago nestled along the little Cedar river above the dam. New Shower house/bathrooms," reported a visitor. Another camper praised the "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."

Unique accommodations: Many campers appreciate the diverse lodging options. "Leave your Apple Macintosh computer at home and spend the night at McIntosh Woods State Park," suggested one reviewer, noting that "the campground is not on the lake, but it has some nice shade with open space. It also has Yurts to rent as well."

What you should know

Reservation timing: Popular glamping sites require advance planning. A Pilot Knob visitor noted that for summer weekends, "most glamping accommodations" need reservations "several months in advance."

Weather considerations: Seasonal variations affect water activities. "We saw a sign on the park door saying kayaks and canoes available to rent," mentioned a Myre-Big Island State Park visitor, though availability varies by season.

Site selection tips: George Wyth State Park Campground offers varied sites with different features. "If you plan it right you can get a site right next to the Cedar River. Really pretty in the evening," advised one camper, though they cautioned that "because it is so close to river anytime it rains heavily there is flooding in several areas of the park."

Tips for camping with families

Kid-friendly amenities: Multiple parks cater to children with designated play areas. "The playground and lake was also fun for the kids too," noted one Airport Lake Park visitor. Another camper at Riverside Co Park mentioned a "natural themed kids play area including a huge tree house."

Swimming opportunities: Airport Lake Park Campground offers water activities suitable for various ages. "Small lake for fishing and swimming working walking distance," noted one visitor. Another camper mentioned that "the circle group site has a nice big area for the kids to play."

Educational opportunities: Wildlife viewing enhances family experiences. "My best friend and I camp all the time with our pups! This park was lovely, it's on an island and we had a pretty amazing view!! We did a little hiking and enjoyed the semi empty campground only 10-15 people!! We saw a ton of wild life many many many deer!" reported a visitor to Myre-Big Island State Park.

Tips from RVers

Hookup availability: Electric sites are common but full hookups more limited. "There are only 6 full hook up sites and the care taker made sure we got one. The rest of the sites are beautiful with electric hook up," noted one Clear Lake State Park camper.

Access considerations: Some parks have navigational challenges. A Myre-Big Island State Park visitor cautioned, "The interior roads are dirt roads with a few potholes they are very narrow. The camping sites are nice sized and relatively private. There is a gravel pad on each site and some have a tent pad."

Site leveling: Surface conditions vary between parks. "Not all sites are level, and most do not have delineated parking pads," warned a Pilot Knob camper, suggesting RVers should bring leveling equipment.

Frequently Asked Questions

Which is the most popular glamping campsite near Rockford, IA?

According to TheDyrt.com, the most popular glamping campground near Rockford, IA is Clear Lake State Park Campground with a 4.4-star rating from 12 reviews.

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

TheDyrt.com has all 13 glamping camping locations near Rockford, IA, with real photos and reviews from campers.