3 campgrounds with availability next weekend
Fire Tower Cabin in Yellow River State Forest offers a rustic cabin camping experience with basic kitchen amenities including a refrigerator/freezer, microwave, and coffee pot. The cabin features a queen bed, two futons, air conditioning, heat, and a fireplace with a screened porch. "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," notes one visitor. Additional outdoor amenities include a grill/smoker, fire ring, and table. While this cabin has no bathroom or shower facilities, a pit toilet is located nearby at the trailhead.
Rustic and deluxe cabins are both available, depending on the location. Several campgrounds near Ferryville feature cabin rentals suitable for various group sizes. The Fire Tower Cabin in Yellow River State Forest sleeps up to six people with its combination of a queen bed and futons. Pet-friendly options exist at several locations, allowing visitors to bring their animals along. A review described the Fire Tower Cabin as "well maintained" with "potable/drink water outside." Reservations are typically required for cabin rentals, with many locations booking up quickly during summer months. Some cabins remain available year-round, offering heated indoor spaces during colder seasons.
Most cabins include beds but require visitors to bring their own linens, towels, and toiletries. Basic kitchen supplies may be provided, but availability varies by location. The Fire Tower Cabin includes tables and chairs along with refrigeration and basic cooking appliances. Water is typically available outside cabins rather than through indoor plumbing. While some cabins have electricity for lighting and small appliances, others may be more primitive. Firewood can sometimes be purchased at the campground office or visitor center, though policies vary by location. Nearby towns offer additional supplies for longer stays.
"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 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 next weekend
from $20 / night
from $25 - $39 / 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
"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 next 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!"
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!
ScoutIt’s a nice place to camp if you are fortunate enough to be with others know how to keep there music low or off. The lake is lovely, the camp sites are plentiful and fairly dispersed. I moved once after the music started blaring with Cheap Trick from the ‘70’s and now in the distance I can hear a metal band and a very high quality bass thumping away. Crazy. Tucked away on a bluff looking at a lovely landscape. If this kind of thing doesn’t bother you, you will enjoy this place. If you want quiet, it may be disappointing. Playground for kids, a beach, fishing.
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.
Yellow River State Forest offers elevated cabin camping experiences in northeast Iowa, just across the Mississippi River from Ferryville, Wisconsin. The forest sits within the Driftless Area, characterized by its deeply carved river valleys and steep limestone bluffs that escaped glaciation during the last ice age. The region's unique topography creates microclimates that support diverse plant and animal communities not found elsewhere in the Midwest.
Trout fishing access: At Big Paint Campground, stocked trout streams attract anglers throughout the season. "Stocked trout streams are an attraction for fishermen; see photo of stocking calendar," notes one visitor who enjoyed hiking despite summer conditions.
Visit lookout points: The forest features several scenic overlooks including Iowa's only fire tower. "Visited the 3 lookouts including Iowa only Fire tower. Bird life is colorful. Lots of places to hike. Scenery is lush," shares a camper who stayed at Big Paint Campground.
Historical exploration: Near Pikes Peak State Park Campground, visitors can discover Native American heritage sites. "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," explains one visitor.
River recreation: Upper Iowa Resort and Rental offers convenient water activities with transportation included. "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," notes a camper who appreciated the logistical simplicity.
Swimming options: Several campgrounds feature water recreation beyond river activities. "Loved the sand bottom pool, owners were so nice and kids loved getting hard ice cream everyday from the shop! Clean, quiet, friendly place!" reports a visitor to Upper Iowa Resort and Rental.
Scenic hiking trails: The network of trails throughout Yellow River State Forest provides varied terrain for all abilities. "We enjoyed hiking despite the mosquitoes and humidity in August and were able to make a 5+ mile loop leaving from the campground," shares a visitor who made the most of the trail system despite summer conditions.
Limited or no cell service: The deep valleys of the Driftless region often block cellular signals. At Beaver Creek Valley State Park Campground, "No cell service at all," reports one camper, while another notes, "There is no cell reception because of the valley. This 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."
Varying bathroom facilities: Cabins and campgrounds offer different levels of amenities. "We had to line up our campsite like a line of trains - truck, picnic table, tent - as the site was basically just the shoulder of the road. Be warned that in order to get to sites #27 through #37 you have to drive through some water," cautions a Beaver Creek Valley visitor.
Water crossings: Some access roads require driving through shallow water. "Tent sites further back in the campground through multiple water crossings (ok for cars)," notes a reviewer about navigating to more remote sites.
Look for educational activities: Several parks offer programs for children. "There are fun free activities for kids to check out from the park office and a playground," mentions a visitor to Beaver Creek Valley State Park Campground.
Consider cabins for mixed weather conditions: Westfork Sports Club & Campground offers alternative accommodations. "For rent on site is a cabin, 2 Native lodges and a clubhouse for large groups, events, and meetings. Reservable from the website," notes a visitor, providing options when tent camping might be less comfortable.
Bring quarters for showers: Some facilities require coins for hot water. "Hot water and flush toilets and hot showers (need quarters)," advises a Westfork Sports Club camper, highlighting the importance of being prepared with change.
Hookup availability varies: Different cabin rentals near Ferryville offer various levels of services. "Some sites have power and water, ours only power. There's a water pipe and dump station on the way out," explains a camper at Pikes Peak State Park.
State park permit differences: Iowa parks don't require the same permits as neighboring states. "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 an RVer staying at Pikes Peak State Park.
Train noise considerations: Some campgrounds have nearby rail lines. "This campground is adjacent to a BNSF rail line. Though loud when trains pass, I didn't lose any sleep," reports a visitor to Sports Unlimited Campground who adapted to the intermittent noise.
Frequently Asked Questions
Which is the most popular cabin campsite near Ferryville, WI?
According to TheDyrt.com, the most popular cabin campground near Ferryville, WI is Big Paint Campground — Yellow River State Forest with a 4.5-star rating from 12 reviews.
What is the best site to find cabin camping near Ferryville, WI?
TheDyrt.com has all 35 cabin camping locations near Ferryville, WI, with real photos and reviews from campers.
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