Best Glamping near Rockwell City, IA

We stayed at the Grotto of the Redemption RV park for two nights. We were in our class C while slowly making our way across the country. We had no problems getting a spot here. There are two areas. One is very close to a train line, which runs infrequently. Sites are grass, level, and reasonably well maintained. All sites are pull through. Only electrical hookups are available at the sites. This is in good condition. There is fresh water and a dump station available. Each site has a nice grassy area and there are plenty of large trees. Staff was very friendly and helpful. There was a park nearby with a playground. 

The RV park is near the Grotto. The Grotto is a fascinating achievement worth a look if you are in the area.

We had 2 bar LTE with Verizon. Our hotspot was usable and performed very well. Campground wifi was not available.

We enjoyed our brief stay at this campground. We will stay again when traveling this way.

One of my favorite locations to camp in Iowa as a Boy Scout growing up was Ledges State Park. Since I hadn't been back in years, I decided to check it out and spend a night camping there. It's close to how I remember it.

The campground has a good picnic area, restrooms, and an excellent trail. It's also inexpensive.

What I enjoy most about this park compared to others in Iowa are the sandstone ledges and the slopes on the trail. There are some excellent views, so make sure your phone has enough battery to take photos (unlike me). I also spent a lot of time off the trail. It isn't too hard to get around. I'm not one who enjoys staying at a park that is mostly flat, so this is definitely a good place in Iowa for me to camp.

If you are looking for a cool place to camp within an hour of Des Moines, you should seriously consider this park.

We stayed here while passing through on a road trip. It was easy to get a camp site. We opted for a hike-in site to try for a bit of seclusion. The site was nice. We didn't have other campers near by. The hiking trails are very short but there is a bike path that evidently connects several parks in the region. It is a family friendly park with bathrooms, spot for trash, and even shower station. There is a kayak launch point off Lower Ledges Road. The water was calm. This is more of a park for locals to picnic, fish and kayak than a destination for out of towners. It is a quiet park that had a lot of local dog walkers and would be a peaceful place to stay with the kids if stopping through the area. There is a playground on site and you can fish out of the Des Moines River.

The hike-in camp sites are the way to go! We spent a weekend out here a couple times every summer and love the primitive hike-in sites 1000x more than any other option. You have your own space, you can still add an additional tent on site for friends, and the noise is minimal.

Have a plan to secure your food! Unfortunately, raccoons are used to getting leftovers from campers and are highly domesticated in terms of coming in to the campgrounds. Make sure to leave the area how you found it or in better condition. And bring your hammock! Lots of great trees to lounge around in between.

I’ve been camping here since I was a child, and it’s spoiled me for other campgrounds. Because of the Ledges, I still expect campsites to be surrounded by trees for privacy, and I am surprised when I arrive at a campground where this is not the case.

If you’re lucky in the spring you might find morel mushrooms in the woods, and you might stumble upon wild blackberries or mulberries in the summer. At least, we did when I was young.

The Lower Ledges are very fun to explore. Bring swimming suits for the kids to play in the stream that crosses the road. Bring hiking clothes for the trails. Bring a camera to capture the view. We like to bring bikes for the whole family and ride around the campground and down to the Lower Ledges.

(Please do note that the whole park is closed this year, 2018, due to flooding, and the Lower Ledges were closed last year as well. I believe they are redoing the road down.)