Best Glamping near Winterset, IA

Recent Glamping Reviews near Winterset, Iowa

222 Reviews of 19 Winterset Campgrounds

• 

  Matt S.

  Legend

  

  Oct. 1, 2016

  Pammel County Park

  Try out the Middle River Trail at Pammel Park

  Pammel Park is awesome. It is actually a State Park that is managed by the local County Conservation Board. Pammel Park has amazing trails with varied terrain and nice forests.

  The campgrounds are clean with options for tenters and RVs. There are even Yurt Cabins that can be rented. Pammel Park has a great water trail for Kayakers with several launch points.

  The only caution I would have is pay attention while you are hiking, there are rattlesnakes in the park. Overall I highly recommend Pammel Park. It is about a 30 minute drive from Des Moines and about 5 minutes from Winterset.

  I would consider Pammel Park a secret gem even for native Iowans. Checkout Pammel Park and spend some time in the historical town of Winterset.

• 

  Sara D.

  Scout

  

  Aug. 11, 2021

  Des Moines West KOA Holiday

  Fun for young kids!

  It was a fun place for kids. They had plenty to do between the pool and all of the fun activities. We went during Father’s Day weekend so they had face painting, movies, and hungry hungry daddy (a version of hungry hungry hippos). Over all I think it would be a fun maybe 1 time a year place while kids are young. I like the outdoors so I wished the camper spaces were MUCH bigger! You are on top of your neighbors. They didn’t have grates for our grill and when we called they tried to get a make shift one which was at least something for us to use to cook off of (we could have just ordered pizza from their kitchen lol). So it’s definitely a camper only friendly place, tent spaces are almost nonexistent. Overall extremely clean, staff was great, they pick up your trash.. it’s glamping at it finest.

• 

  Wendy P.

  Scout

  

  Jul. 19, 2018

  Ledges State Park Campground

  Beautiful hikes. Prepare for coons.

  One of the more beautiful places to camp in Iowa. Awesome hiking trails and really well-shaded campsites. The hike in spots are great if you like privacy and being in the middle of the woods - but you don’t want to be THAT far from your car.

  Beware of the raccoons. They’re plentiful and crazy smart here. We had one open our cooler, steal an egg from the cartoon - without disturbing anything else. Honestly, I was impressed! But some of our friends had them rip through their tents to get at food - not as impressive.

• 

  Matt S.

  Legend

  

  Oct. 1, 2016

  Winterset City Park

  If you love John Wayne you will love Winterset City Park

  Don't let the name fool you, for a city park and campground, Winterset City Park rocks. You probably didn't know that Winterset, Iowa is the birthplace of John Wayne. You may have seen the Clint Eastwood movie the "Bridges of Madison County," but you probably didn't know that the bridges are real and the movie was filmed in Winterset.

  The campground is clean and there is a large space for campers/RV's and a separate spot for tents towards the back of the campground toward the park. The park itself is gorgeous and your just a few blocks away from the John Wayne Museum. If you are in Winterset the second week of October, stay for the Bridge Festival, it's a blast!

  The campground is a solid 3.5, clean and well maintained. When you include all of the sites it pushes it up to a 4 star campground.

• 

  Tom S.

  Guide

  

  Sep. 30, 2016

  Ledges State Park Campground

  Don't fall off the ledge!

  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.

• K

  Kelly

  Guide

  

  Mar. 25, 2021

  Pammel County Park

  Nice spot.

  Road improvement 2021 is nice, cutting down the shade trees, not nice.

  This is a regular stop on my campground rotation.  Camp host's are the best ever.  Clean facilities.  Has both shaded and open spots, yurts, trails.  There are lots of activities, kids can swim below the ford, canoe starting on one side of the park and loop I'd guess about 3 miles on the middle river to the other side of the park.  In and out are about 500 yards from each other thru the tunnel.  If your rig is over 12ft, have to come in the back way.  Winterset has lots to offer, great town square, farmers market on Saturdays, great car club fills the square every month, Madison county fair, Clark Tower, John Wayne Birthplace and museum, Covered Bridges.   My only complaint would be all sites can be reserved, so if you don't reserve a site at beginning of the year, you are out of luck.  Be nice if there were some first come/first serve.

• c

  carson O.

  Traveler

  

  Jul. 8, 2018

  Winterset City Park

  Neat Picnic Park

  Cute little park just in the town of Winterset. there is a two mile loop that leads you up Clark's Tower where you can see the rolling hills of gorgeous Madison county. great place to take the family for a picnic or host a cookout.

• H

  Heather G.

  Guide

  

  Sep. 26, 2021

  Winterset City Park

  Lovely Campground

  I just loved this campground. It has shade trees, grass, free showers and lots of room. It is part of a city park on the outskirts of Winterset. There is a dog park and one of the Bridges of Madison County is located within walking distance of the campground. This was well worth the 20 mile drive off I80. If I had known how m=nice this area was, I would have planned better and stayed here for more than one night.

• 

  Brian G.

  Guide

  

  Sep. 22, 2019

  Pammel County Park

  Beautiful

  Nice small park settle nicely in the iowa country side!

• 

  Mike C.

  Scout

  

  Sep. 26, 2018

  Ledges State Park Campground

  Small Quant and scenic

  The views around the park are some of the very best in Iowa. Hiking trails often found you coming face to face with deer who look at you inquisitively. Fun for family as the waters over the roadways are a splash for adults and children alike. It's a hidden gem, just outside Boone Iowa.

• A

  Adam

  Guide

  

  Nov. 7, 2020

  Winterset City Park

  Loved this cute park!

  We will definitely return, we loved this park. The bridges of Madisin County, Clarke Tower, cute local ice cream shop, John Wayne Museum! So much fun in a cute Iowa community!

• 

  Dorothy H.

  Guide

  

  May. 17, 2018

  Ledges State Park Campground

  Love it

  Not something you see a lot of in Iowa. It is well worth a trip to see and explore.

• 

  Kent B.

  Guide

  

  Aug. 17, 2016

  Ledges State Park Campground

  So great

  This is the best park in the state of Iowa, so much fun going thru the low water crossings!

• R

  RideTheWaveofBlessing J.

  Scout

  

  Oct. 11, 2021

  Timberline Campground

  Blow-My-Mind Camping

  If you’re traveling through Des Moines, Iowa area; this is the place you will want to camp at! Outstanding facilities, beautiful and tranquil location, friendly and helpful staff, and a place you will always remember as a sweet spot.

• D

  Dylan

  Scout

  

  Oct. 8, 2020

  Cherry Glen Campground

  Better than most in Central Iowa

  Above average overall for central Iowa. Views of Saylorville Lake. Plenty of shade. Clean restrooms. It’s a large park and some sites are close together, but generally spacious. Good cell service.

• D

  Dwight P.

  Scout

  

  Aug. 15, 2022

  Swede Point Park

  Simple but nice,. Close to the High Trestle Trail.

  We camped here to be close to the Iowa High Trestle Trail for bicycling and it's very handy for that. Nothing fancy, but has plenty of sites, flush toilets and showers available. Sites with electric are $18/night and primitive sites are $11/night ...hard to beat that.

• 

  Matt S.

  Legend

  

  Aug. 31, 2018

  Casey City Park

  Small City Park

  This campground is right off the interstate in the small town of Casey Iowa. This is a small town. There is a little diner and a few businesses, but if you camp here make sure you have not forgotten anything important at home.

  The campground is clean and perfect for someone with a camper or an RV.

• 

  Matt S.

  Legend

  

  Oct. 1, 2018

  Hickory Hills Park

  Indian Mounds and hiking trails at Hickory Hills

  This is a great little park just east of New Virginia, Iowa. I went to the park with my son and Boy Scout Troop for a night hike, that is why there are no pictures. This is a great little park. The hiking trails are pretty easy going through the forest and then opening up next to old Native American burial mounds. This is really a great place to pitch a tent. It is clean and well maintained.

• 

  Matt S.

  Legend

  

  Nov. 1, 2018

  Ledges State Park Campground

  Ledges will reopen in January 2019

  Ledges State Park is one of the most visited parks in Iowa. I loved coming to this park as a kid and I can't wait for it to re-open. It has been closed since January 2018, but it scheduled to re-open in January of 2019. Here is a link to a local story explaining the closure and flooding and the schedule to re-open the park.

  https://whotv.com/2018/10/24/ledges-state-park-flooding-and-renovation-update/

• M

  Matt A.

  Traveler

  

  Aug. 16, 2019

  Ledges State Park Campground

  Hidden Slice of Heaven

  Growing up in Iowa maybe 50 miles from the Ledges was one the the best things for me. Campground is clean and well kept with both electric and primitive with a few hike in spots. It is a beautiful park with some good trails and a creek running through the bottoms of the "canyon". Loved going all the time when I was a kid and now 30 years later I have taken my family there several times making the drive from Kentucky just for some relaxation time.

• 

  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.

• 

  Larissa C.

  Guide

  

  Aug. 3, 2018

  Jester County Park

  Best Camping in Central Iowa

  Jester Park is our go-to camping destination in central Iowa! By far, this county park has a lot of fun activities and access points to the Saylorville waterway circuit. In addition to the water access ways, there is a sweet pond to fish in, several hiking trails, a brand new (opened August 2018) Nature Center, amphitheater, bison and bird viewing, and even cabins if you want to rent them (fully stocked, linens included!).

  Our favorite spot to camp is 410 and 409. It's a secluded area within the 400s that is lined with trees on one side and a drop off into the Saylorville water circuit on the other (see photos). For $15/night/camping spot, you can enjoy the best view of stars and amazing sunsets. We go a couple times a year to camp and Jester has even been the place where we hold special events like birthdays/going away parties.

• 

  TMB

  Guide

  

  Oct. 16, 2020

  Ledges State Park Campground

  Surprise River Gorge in Iowa

  Comfortable and scenic park in Iowa with forested trails, gorge, and natural water features amidst the farm fields and rolling hills.  Campground sites are well spaced and mostly level, many with shade and decent privacy.  Mix of hookups for different needs; access to water and trash was easy.  The bathrooms were a bit dated and unclean when we visited, but not terrible.  Good cell coverage in the area and we could do work and school with our Verizon Hotspot.  Beware of the raccoons!   They were not aggressive from the standpoint of approaching us, but they were brash in approaching camper and supplies after dark, and they were a constant presence at the dumpster.  Do not leave food out!  Deer and other small game/wildlife seem abundant.  Trails were poorly signed, but the park is relatively small and getting lost or wandering does not have bad consequences; you'll find where you wanted to go without too much trouble.

• 

  Tanner H.

  Traveler

  

  Jun. 24, 2021

  Jester County Park

  Jester park is great for a weekend with friends and testing new camping gear

  This site was great, it has a reserve site to its right, (the people never showed up) and a FCFS site to the left. No one showed up there either and it was Father’s Day weekend! Super quiet and relaxing. Each site towards the front of the 400’s is BIG. You have plenty of room for 2 vehicles and two sizable tents. There was four of us and a dog.

  A couple minor complaints that I developed would be that it is right next to the golf course so there is a lot of near by traffic, and people like to cruise on motorcycles and drive muscle cars through the twisty roads. The nice bathroom in the #300s camping area is a bit of a walk BUT has showers and really clean toilets. Some of the cleanest I’ve seen at a campground in Iowa. DO NOT USE THE “TOILETS” in the #400s area, they are dirty and basically a hole in the ground.

  Another downside is that things are pretty spread out, and with it being pretty hot out we weren’t able to walk miles to get to the different trails at the park. The short trails we did walk on were nice and up kept though.

• 

  Melissa K.

  Legend

  

  Jun. 14, 2018

  Casey City Park

  Small little park off the highway

  This is a small little park off the highway, we had been traveling for two days and needed to stop for the night. We followed the signs that said camping and went through a quant, however pretty vacant, little town. We got to the end of the town and found a city park that allowed camping.

  Pros -- it was $10 a night, that's decent! Most places are more along this drive. It also had a magnificent playground. My kids had been cooped up for two days and needed to run off some pent up energy and this was perfect. A few neighborhood kids joined them (it was smack dab in a neighborhood) and they had a blast, all while I rested from my chair at my campsite. Lots of green grass (an improvement from the desert climate we come from) and trees for shade. It had flush toilets and free showers! There was a picnic table, electricity and a grill at every site. It was a pretty restful night.

  Cons -- The bathrooms were not the cleanest. The women's bathroom stalls did not function correctly, either the door wouldn't lock or it wouldn't close. There were lots of bugs, in the restroom, in the site, all over. I didn't sit at the picnic table due to the bugs all over it so I sat in my camp chair where I found relief. I'm not one that thinks there should be no bugs in nature but there just was an abundance of them everywhere. You could hear some highway traffic and a little train traffic. The town was all but closed up. There was a gas station and a bar open. The gas station attendant wasn't super friendly.

  It was a great place to lay our heads for the night, play some games, run the playground but it probably wouldn't be on my list of first places to stop. Beauty of Iowa is almost every exit shows camping!u 7

• K

  Kara P.

  Scout

  

  Jun. 21, 2023

  Winterset City Park

  Beautiful setting and quiet

  Wonderful setting and quiet place to stay. Beautiful views with quick access to Bridges of Madison County. Great hook ups and utilities!

• D

  Dave M.

  Guide

  

  Jul. 16, 2022

  Winterset City Park

  Nice City Campground

  Full hookups. Nice Park next door. Covered Bridges nearby.