3 campgrounds with availability this weekend
Several cabin accommodations dot the forested hills and river valleys surrounding De Soto, Wisconsin. Yellow River State Forest offers the Fire Tower Cabin, a modern facility with electricity, a microwave, full-sized refrigerator, and two porches including a screened-in version. The cabin sleeps six guests with a queen bed and two futons, providing basic kitchen amenities while maintaining a rustic atmosphere. "Modern Cabin is well maintained, electricity, microwave, a full sized refrigerator, and two porches, where one of them is screened in," notes one camper. Westfork Sports Club & Campground and Blakey Hobbit Campground also provide cabin options with varying amenities, typically including picnic tables and fire rings.
Rustic and deluxe cabins are both available, depending on the location. Upper Iowa Resort and Rental, Red Barn Resort, and Shady Rest Acres all maintain cabin accommodations alongside their other camping options. Most cabins require advance reservations, particularly during the April to October peak season when availability becomes limited. Pet policies vary by property, with some locations like Red Barn Resort and Upper Iowa Resort welcoming pets in their cabins while others maintain restrictions. A visitor to Shady Rest Acres described their cabin as "delightfully lovely with beautiful decor, two full sized beds, space for a few kids to crash, small kitchen items (microwave, mini fridge, coffeemaker) as well as a wood stove for cool nights and some A/C for warm days."
Most cabins include beds but require visitors to bring their own linens, towels, and toiletries. Kitchen facilities differ substantially between properties, ranging from bare-bones setups with only outdoor fire rings to more complete arrangements with refrigerators and microwaves. Beaver Creek Valley State Park Campground and several other locations provide firewood for purchase, though availability may be seasonal. While some cabins offer private bathrooms, others like the Fire Tower Cabin at Yellow River State Forest require guests to use nearby pit toilets or shared facilities. Many campgrounds offer drinking water access, though guests staying in more remote cabins should confirm water availability before arrival.
from $25 - $39 / night
"Campsites are well mown, have a picnic table and fire ring. Pit toilets. Easy access to water. Drink water and firewood are at the host A frame. There is no dump site. Everyone was very friendly."
"This site is like being in a garden with trees and flowers surrounding the site. It had rained and more rain was coming, so the gravel parking pad on #35 was appealing."
from $12 / night
"Very nice QUIET park! RV Campsites are gravel with fire ring and picnic table. The sites are fairly level. There is also a cabin to rent. Many electric sites."
"Really enjoyed this park. This one seems to fly a little under the radar as we were able to book 2 sites next to each other for the weekend only a few days prior to our stay."
Available this weekend
from $20 - $80 / night
"This campground is perfectly situated on the Upper Iowa River."
"Loved the sand bottom pool, owners were so nice and kids loved getting hard ice cream everyday from the shop! Clean, quiet, friendly place!"
"Very nice trails! Some trails are long with a lot of up and down through valley and ravines, so be prepared for the hike."
"Some sites have the fire ring very close to the parking area and some spots have limited shade (compared to the majority of the campground that is in the trees)."
Available this weekend
from $20 / night
"You have to be "pet friendly" if you stay here, because the the chickens roam, the dogs make friends and the cats meander, just as cats tend to do."
from $40 - $120 / night
"Cabin has basic kitchen: fridge/freezer, micro, coffee pot, table/chairs, sleeping room with queen bed, 2 futons, AC/heat, fireplace screened porch, grill/smoker& fire ring outside, table, potable"
"Horses welcome, firewood and ice available. Historical Fire Tower hike/visit is a must. Primitive pack-in sites, 1 cabin available."
from $75 / night
from $15 - $150 / night
"A beautiful location in the Driftless Area of Wisconsin. Near hiking, biking, fishing attractions. The campground is well groomed with lots of camping spots available."
"Not a lot of trees for privacy but the sites are huge so it’s all good!"
from $20 - $30 / night
"One night at a tent spot booked through VRBO. The check-in process was a bit confusing, but that was forgotten with the location. Beautiful trout stream along the sites."
from $20 / night
RangerVery nice campground with a few FHU sites, most are electric only. Some sites are pretty sloped making it hard to level longer rigs. Check carefully when making your reservation. Nice close hike to see the overlooks to the river, and there’s a well maintained hike down to the Bridal Veil Falls. Minus 1 star for the horrible push-button operated showers that only stay on for 6 seconds at a time. Good phone service for both t-mobile and AT&T.
ScoutI was a little skeptical after a negative review about the regular residents, so I watched for that dynamic. We were camping with another family so we had 8 kids between the two of us and I was worried all those kiddos would upset people. Quite the opposite experience from that review and it motivated me to leave this one to help provide a good picture. I have nothing bad to say about our camping experience. We did go a little out of season (September 12) so a lot of the campsites were empty. Most their sites are flat, and clean. The grass was well mowed and maintained. They had activities for the kids (Halloween). People that drove by were friendly and smiling, and waiving. We had people drop off candy for the kids asking parents first. We had people offer basketballs for our kids to use while they were away from their site. Me and my friend were about to haul ice bags and wood up a huge hill on foot and someone stopped their golf cart and emptied it of what they were carrying to give us a ride to our campsite. The kids tootled about on their bikes being kids with no negative experiences. There were a couple of kids on motor scooters whose engines were kind of obnoxious but that’s going to happen more and more at campgrounds, and it wasn’t during quiet hours. We had sites atop the “full Lakeview” and it was honestly surprising how beautiful it was up there. I think it can be difficult to get a view when you’re camping but those sites had it. We knew the full lake view sites were open so we took the cheaper ones across from them, but still saw the same view. There was a great amount of space between the sites we used. The only possible critique I might offer is in that specific row there weren’t many trees for shade, but the weather was cooler so it didn’t affect us, but if we went in the summer it might have been more uncomfortable without that natural shade. The bath houses and showers were great!!! I feel like a good bath house can make or break a campsite and we’ve been to some smaller ones that were quite lacking but this one was great. Very clean, not many bugs, spacious, real doors on the shower stalls. We did not arrive in season to utilize the pool area but it looked great from the other side of the gate ;) - the parks were well maintained and the kids loved them. there was a set of stairs that went from up the hill down to the office that looked a little sketchy but they were closed off for use. If you didn’t have a golf cart or couldn’t ride a bike, the trek from where we stayed to the office might be a challenge. Overall we loved it and would definitely consider going again. The sites were a little pricey but had on site sewer hookup which is fantastic.
ScoutBe advised site 14 is on such a steep hill it was honestly scary coming in an out of our camper! If an older couple were staying at this site in a camper I’m not sure if they would even be able to. Our second door entrance cannot be used due to how steep the hill is and we had to add wood to the bottom of our stairs because they didn’t touch the ground. Forgot to add you’re also under a very large black walnut tree that is currently dropping walnuts that are ripe.
LegendWe got here on a Monday and got a great spot in the back. The sunrise was spectacular. Then the fog moved in off the river and it was pretty cool.
ScoutThis is a fantastic Campground, especially for RVs and families. Large playground and outdoor games, small indoor rec area. During busy weekends with lots of kids and holidays, they have foam parties for the kids where they fill the basketball court with foam 3 ft High. Most sites are permanent sites, but have probably around 20 other 30 amp sites that can accommodate large RVs. There are only a few tent sites, but if tent is your only option and you still want to stay they will rent you an RV site for the tent. New owners are very friendly, and have adopted the same overwhelmingly hospitable nature as the previous owners. Fantastic people and very helpful. It will accommodate special needs or requests as long as it doesn't bother anybody or go against any insurance policies. I've had a permanent site here in the past, and recently started camping again and came to visit old friends. The new owners were still happy to accommodate semi truck parking for my job. I haul milk locally so I work more than I'm off, but the family can still camp and I can come when I'm done work. It is near the Wisconsin River, so it's fairly sand base although the Grass Grows plenty so you're not tracking sand everywhere. The benefits of this is when it rains heavily the sand absorbs the water rapidly. The only negative is the mosquitoes. Be prepared for mosquitoes with lots of bug spray. This is no fault of the campground, all low wetlands in Wisconsin are the same. The bathrooms are some of the best in any Campground I've seen. They are always clean, modernized, and Air condition. There are showers and bathroom stalls near the park. They try to keep families close to the park if possible for the bathrooms and the park access itself. They are really extremely accommodating for requests if it's in their power at all. The owners live at the campground and are always accessible by a simple phone call if after hours. There's a community vibe, with a community fire pit up front and often people are just hanging out outside of the main office. It embodies our Wisconsin way of life and you will find strangers waving at you every time you pass by. It's just our nature, don't be weirded out by the friendliness. The regular permanent campers are all so friendly and always willing to help a newbie or even someone struggling to figure out a problem or even carry things.
GuideFound this campground by chance after the campground I had planned to stay at was a complete disaster. Luckily, they were able to get me a campsite for two nights where I could regroup do a little laundry and chill out also took a bike ride on the bike path.
GuideNice campground with hookups. But the shower only had the push button and the water was so hot it was scalding!
TravelerIt's hard to find using my car GPS. It doesn't work well here. But it's a very good place.
LegendThis is a tucked away campground off a few miles of gravel near Spring Grove, MN. It has a pool and activities found at many KOAs. There is a beautiful creek going through the property and is a very beautiful area known as the driftless region.
Cabin rentals near De Soto, Wisconsin provide shelter in the driftless region's unique terrain characterized by deep valleys, limestone bluffs, and spring-fed streams. This unglaciated area spans parts of Wisconsin, Minnesota, and Iowa, creating distinctive camping opportunities. Winter temperatures often drop below freezing from November through March, making insulated cabins particularly valuable for off-season exploration.
Trout fishing access: Yellow River State Forest provides direct creek access for anglers. "Trout streams are well fed, campsites spread out well, amenities good for primitive use area," notes one visitor to Fire Tower Cabin. The forest maintains several stocked fishing areas with seasonal availability.
Wildlife observation: Beaver Creek Valley State Park Campground offers wildlife viewing opportunities along creek-side trails. "The river that runs through is beautiful, cold, and clear. I didn't have any luck fishing though I could see the trout hanging out in an easily accessible pool at the end of a run," explains a camper at Beaver Creek Valley.
Historical exploration: Pikes Peak State Park features Native American cultural sites accessible from cabin areas. "Most notable hike: a half-mile wooden boardwalk to one of the park's glens to the picturesque Bridal Veil Falls. On your way to the falls, just north of the main overlook, you will notice Bear Mound, an effigy built by ancient American Indians who inhabited the area from 800-1200 A.D," reports a visitor at this historic site.
Stargazing opportunities: Shady Rest Acres offers a unique pasture site perfect for night sky viewing. "One is in the middle of the pasture (that's right...near the goats). They will pen up the larger animals if you stay at that site, but it's perfect for stargazing!" states a guest at Shady Rest Acres.
River access from cabins: Upper Iowa Resort and Rental positions cabins along the Upper Iowa River. "This campground is perfectly situated on the Upper Iowa River. Had some beautiful sites along the river... The best part of this camp is they offer tube canoe and kayak rentals with a shuttle to the put in then you float back to the campground," explains a visitor at Upper Iowa Resort.
Scenic overlooks: Cabins near lookout points provide memorable sunrise/sunset views. "There are 63 mounds in the park, most of them conical or linear in shape," notes a camper describing the elevated terrain at Pikes Peak State Park Campground with its Mississippi River views.
Variable bathroom access: Some cabins use external facilities rather than private bathrooms. At Fire Tower Cabin, campers should know there is "NO shower/bathroom, must use pit toilet just yards away at trailhead," according to one review.
Water availability: During dry seasons, natural features may be less impressive. "We could see what bridal veil falls could look like but it was pretty dry," reports a camper at Pikes Peak State Park Campground.
Cell coverage limitations: Many cabin areas have limited or no cellular service. "The only thing to know is there is no cell reception because of the valley. This is great if you want to get away from it all, but if you're staying a while and need to work, this isn't the place to do it," advises a repeat visitor to Beaver Creek Valley.
Farm experience options: Some cabin properties offer unique animal encounters. Shady Rest Acres combines cabin camping with farm activities: "They have donkeys, Scottish Highland cows, sheep, goats, chickens, bees, horses, ducks, cats and dogs. You have to be 'pet friendly' if you stay here, because the chickens roam, the dogs make friends and the cats meander."
Swimming alternatives: Properties with pools provide relief during summer heat. "Loved the sand bottom pool, owners were so nice and kids loved getting hard ice cream everyday from the shop! Clean, quiet, friendly place!" shares a visitor to Upper Iowa Resort and Rental.
Free children's activities: Some parks offer programs specifically for kids. "There are fun free activities for kids to check out from the park office and a playground," notes a camper at Westfork Sports Club & Campground, highlighting amenities beyond basic cabin features.
Access considerations: Water crossings may affect site access during wet seasons. "Be warned that in order to get to sites #27 through #37 you have to drive through some water. In September it was only about 8 inches," cautions a camper at Beaver Creek Valley State Park Campground regarding terrain challenges.
Leveling requirements: Some sites require additional equipment for comfortable stays. "Nice pull-through, large enough for our 36' 5th Wheel and pickup tow vehicle, needed more leveling than some," reports a visitor about sites at Pikes Peak State Park Campground with cabin proximity.
Utility options: Iowa parks offer competitive pricing for longer stays. "Unlike Minnesota and Wisconsin, Iowa's state parks do not require a permit-bonus for RVers. Many sites have full hook-up, most if not all have electric. I paid $25 a night. Full week is $150!!" shares a camper comparing costs across the tri-state area.
Frequently Asked Questions
Which is the most popular cabin campsite near De Soto, WI?
According to TheDyrt.com, the most popular cabin campground near De Soto, WI is Red Barn Resort and Campground with a 5-star rating from 2 reviews.
What is the best site to find cabin camping near De Soto, WI?
TheDyrt.com has all 38 cabin camping locations near De Soto, WI, with real photos and reviews from campers.
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