Sleeps | 6 |
Bedrooms | Studio |
Half Baths | 1 |
Space | 18 sq ft |
Property type | campground |
Our farm is just off Interstate 80 in Eastern Iowa, near Amana Colonies, local wineries, you pick farms, small town bistros. We offer a 4 acre site covered by restored prairie, woods, pond and trails. Our quiet setting is perfect for friends and families to get together and spend time outdoors. Campers sleep in our 18ft tipi, can cook over the fire, grill or Dutch ovens. They can fish, swim, kayak, canoe, catch frogs and fireflies. Our campers only need to bring food and sleeping bags, we have everything you will need. Finally, there is electricity at the cook site and at our rustic restroom. The restroom includes an outdoor hot water shower. Water is provided at both sites as well.
I am a naturalist. I teach outdoor skills and ecology. My husband is a builder and wine maker. We love vegetable and fruit gardening and improving the farm. We love to meet our visitors and share our farm.
Maria Koschmeder purchased this campground in 2006
The farmstead has been used by the same family for over 100 years. It was clean when we purchased it but the land was well used. It is a wonderful challenge to restore the bean fields to prairie, the windbreak to timber and the shallow pond to a healthy wetland.
We wanted to be able to invite our family and friends to use our new wildlife area. We put a small beach in, purchased and learned how to take care of a tipi and brought a lifetime of camping gear and experience to our site. At our pond, you can have a fire, see the stars, sleep in a tipi. In the morning you will watch the sun rise in the east and set in the west on our hill. We are only five miles from the interstate but it is quiet, peaceful, natural. When you camp at our site, younarebthe only client for that day. Everything you could imagine is provided. You only need to bring food and sleeping bags. We even have an outdoor shower at our rustic restroom.
Our stay was more than we could have expected. Walking Stick provided everything we could possibly need to camp given that we are not regular campers. We have three kids 15, 9 and 3. They were able to entertain themselves for three full days without electronics and it was a great way to bond and disconnect while enjoying nature. The pond is perfect size for kids with a nice little beach the little one loved and plenty of space for the two bigger kids to use kayaks without us having to worry about them since we could see them the entire time. The teepee was clean and better than a tent. We had great weather so I can't say how it holds up in rain but I'd imagine well. There's a rustic outhouse that's clean and my kids didn't find disgusting :) the 3 year old loved pumping the water into the basins to wash her hands and the camping shower worked great- the kids found it pretty cool to take a shower "outside".
You have 4 acres to yourself and there are more trails than we could keep track of- thankfully they all lead back to your campsite so no one can get lost. It's big enough to feel like you're far away but small enough for you to feel comfortable letting your kids run around. Having the small stuff provided helped us a lot- fire wood, cookware, lanterns, etc. We ended up bringing more than we needed. You only have to pack food, bait and personal care items EVERYTHING else is provided. It was amazing. I can't explain how perfect this was for a family that doesn't camp a lot. My kids got to experience camping and I didn't have to worry that I'd forgotten something because things I didn't even think I'd need were there (salt and pepper!).
On a grown up note two wonderful bottles of wine were given to us night one- hand made by the family. These were a treat!
I can't recommended Walking Stick adventures enough.