Best Cabin Camping near Whittemore, IA

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.

Dolliver State Park was our maiden voyage in our travel trailer and it was obvious we were pitiful newbies! The park's beauty and tranquility did get disturbed a couple times when our dogs got loose (newbs!). The park staff were friendly and very helpful as were our fellow campers. The sites are mostly level with picnic tables and fire rings. Sites range from shady to sunny and the reservation website depicts the sites with a small photo and details about the amount of slope and shade. Cell service was good but no WiFi without a hotspot for us. We had fun, learned a lot and plan to camp here again!

The RV parking area isn't really big, but all sites are great & feel private, especially the outer ones. We have never stayed in the cabins, but they look nice & well kept. Bathrooms & showers are nice. We LOVE the hiking trails. Some can be a pretty good workout & steep for a 61 year old, but they are do-able & have resting benches a long the way. There are some beautiful old bridges if you get on the right trails😁 Wifi is virtually non-existent there, but it is nice to be "unplugged" We have a DVD player & watch old movies if its raining. We wish the park cut-up it's own firewood & offered it for sale (there are plenty downed trees available) It would be an extra income for them. As it is, you can't bring in any wood outside the area because of the Elm Tree Borer possibly being transported, so you will need to go to Ft Dodge to buy some (Menards & possibly some gas stations) have bundles you can buy. It would be so much easier right at the park, like some places we go in Minnesota. We live an hour away and come just to hike sometimes. Nice, quiet place

If you are picking up a camper from Lichtsinn RV in Forest City they offer to let you stay on their lot with electric hookups during your pick up. But, we found it a little more private and less intimidating to set up camp down the road just a few miles at Plot Knob State Park. Nice level sites with electric hook ups, clean restrooms and showers. Gave us the opportunity to unload our car and figure out our new motorhome without feeling like we were being watched. We didn't explore to much but we noticed they have several hiking trails. Very nice and quiet.

We found this place by accident, and were very happy we did. It’s a small family run campground with mostly seasonal campers. Set along the shores of Lake Imogene, which comes out of nowhere surrounded by farm land, and you can’t even see it from the road. Mature shade trees everywhere, Impeccably clean bathrooms, showers, etc. playground, small homemade mini golf course, volleyball, basketball, the works to keep the kids happy and entertained while you relax in a quiet clean setting. We stayed in a bull through site with two other campers, were nice and spaced out and didn’t hear them at all, but we’re told on weekends because of an on-site wedding venue, there are more people and the campsites are full. Mid-week night stats are tops though, and we would absolutely stay here again. The pull through sites have electric, water and sewage at every site.

Everyone we met (owners, staff, other campers) were extremely nice. Good people, great stay.