Greene County conservation director Dan Towers and his staff are working at top speed this week to finish construction of a new cabin at Spring Lake State Park. The cabin is reserved for the coming Memorial Day weekend, and according to Towers, it will be ready.
The new cabin, dubbed “Sycamore” by the county conservation board, is next to “Cottonwood,” which was completed last July on the east side of the park, northeast across the lake from the campground. Cottonwood was used every weekend after it opened, and Towers said most weekends are already booked for both cabins through August. There are still many week nights available.
The 760 square-foot cabins can sleep up to eight people, with a futon providing a ninth bed. The cabins are heated/air conditioned and have a stove, refrigerator and microwave oven. Dishes and cookware are also provided, but guests must bring their own bedding. The cabins have a half-bath; showers are available nearby at the campground. The cabins do not have televisions or internet capacity. “If that gets to be something a lot of people ask for, we’ll look at it, but there are plenty of other things to do here without TV or internet,” Towers said.
The cabins are made from a kit with every piece numbered. “It’s like building with Lincoln Logs,” Towers said. He added that Greene County is not unique in providing cabins; there are about 150 similar cabins in Iowa.
Cost of the cabins was $70,000 each. The Greene County Community Foundation provided $15,000 in funding for the first cabin. Other funding has come from the state’s Resource Enhancement and Protection (REAP) program and county funds. Spring Lake generates about $100,000 in revenue each year; some of that is available for park improvements like the cabins.
Cabins can be reserved by calling 515-386-5674.
