During our 4 day stay we experienced great camping and adventure. The camp spots are spacious,…read moremixed with some full sun and partial/full shade. The bathrooms were clean, with great water temperature/pressure, and free. The bugs were thick but manageable with a fan. The Backbone hiking trail, the cave, and the park structures were fun to explore. Iowa's oldest park did not reflect tired but instead sturdy and worthy of visitors!

We camped here on a recent road trip and the park really impressed me with its scope and beauty…read more The area is really scenic and the park boasts many different types of terrain and levels. There are ridges and ravines, valleys and peaks. It looked to be excellent for hiking. The campgrounds are nice and spacious and there are many, many campsites. I really enjoyed my stay here and could see coming back to Backbone to explore it more. I believe it is Iowa's first state park and there are many things to check out, including a seasonal CCC museum.

The DNR lady that was here today 8/5 at 10 am she was a phenomenal tour guide! I would definitely…read morecome back with friends and family.

We visited to specifically tour the Lowell Walter house, a.k.a. Cedar Rock, designed by Frank Lloyd…read moreWright. Cedar Rock does not disappoint!! Our tour guide Erick was great- knowledgeable and very engaging as was the other gentleman at the welcome center. Although we traveled by car, we loved that we saw a few guests actually arrived by kayak as the home's boathouse is right on the river- they did mention they called the park to prearrange their tour so as to meet the guide at the house. As avid kayakers we'll be doing this for a return visit. FYI kayakers/canoers- there's a sizeable sand bar forming a nice natural beach right across the river from the Cedar Rock boathouse that's perfect for a lunch stop/picnic. Thank You Cedar Rock staff!

My husband and I really enjoyed this state park. There were a lot of spots to overlook the…read moreMississippi River and pretty sights. Also, they had a bunch of parks for our baby to play in, giving her something fun to do. There isn't an entrance fee, but you do have to pay a donation to park. We went on a Sunday early in the morning and there was almost no one there. It was super easy to find parking. The trails are clearly marked, but you don't go off path and everything is easy to walk; at least the trails we went on. Some were uphill and some were downhill, but we were able to have our stroller. Overall, it was a nice little stop from Galena and enjoyed ourselves.

Traveling the river and staying in Dubuque overnight. Anxious to visit the park because all the…read morepositive reviews. Everything says it's open. (looking at you Yelp) ITS CLOSED. SEASONAL! Thank goodness there's lots of history to find in the oldest Iowa town. The one star is for all the review sights that don't check details.

We were here as part of a Nature Foundation of Wisconsin outing so we were lucky to have the park's…read moresuperintendent as one of our tour guides. We hiked along the trail that overlooked both the Wisconsin and Mississippi Rivers. It was beautiful. Lots of interesting birds, plant life and history. There are many beautiful vistas and historic/ geographical plaques and markers to help explain the area. The flood marker at the boat launch was impressive. We were only here for the day but we could see how this is a popular place for camping. We understand in summer that the mosquitoes can be fierce - lucky we were here in May. We brought our picnic lunch to the far south end of the park at the Henneger Point picnic area and had it to ourselves. A very nice state park.

This is a really nice park for easy hikes with outstanding views…read more Lookout point is a must with a beautiful view of the Wisconsin river flowing into the Mississippi. The sand caves loop is an easy shaded hike perfect for hot days (with bug repellent). Driving down to the boat landing also give an interesting view from the fishing platform. Overall a really nice park.

What a beautiful park!…read more During a quick trip to Iowa we kept our activities limited to outdoor activities and carry out eats. I pulled up the Yelp app to find a park to explore and voila, there was Vander Veer Botanical Park. It was a toasty 93 degree day so we were quickly drawn to the plentiful shaded spaces found throughout this large park. In addition to a botanical garden (which we didn't visit specifically), they also have a rose garden, small pond with a fountain, long shaded promenade, and plentiful paved paths for walking. We strolled through the rose garden and then were naturally drawn to the long shaded walkway that leads up to a large and entertaining fountain at the end. This park has so many lovely uses for varying audiences and interests. Highly recommend giving it a visit if you find yourself in the Quad Cities!

It the most fun me and my kid add I love how handicap accessible it was in the summerread more

Its about 2 miles from my house. The bank fishing sucks due to the weeds. Camping was awesome over…read more4th july weekend. Beautiful scenery except for all the goose . The staff is helpful, friendly and polite.

Beautifly manicured and organized camping site. Staff super helpful too. Efficient RV dump!read more

This is a small state park with eight full hookups and a tent area. That being said it has large…read morelake and many well maintained trails plus areas for picnics. On our most recent trip, two teens and their dad built a shelter and bench for people to enjoy. Also had some young teens deliver "random acts of kindness" gift bags - so cool. Individual showers and bathrooms also available.

A very peaceful & beautiful place!! Nice campground along with 2 cabins to rent, a lake for…read moreswimming, a playground for kids at the beach, kayaking, boating, fishing, several hiking trails, and there's a waterfall. Plenty of picnic areas to grill, read, stretch out on a blanket or chair & enjoy nature. The only downside is the geese.

I'm focusing on the campground here- outer perimeter sites are nice - shady and private. Inner…read moreperimeter sites are laid out so there is very little separation - no privacy and no noise abatement. Our neighbors weren't loud in any way but because of the layout their conversations were entirely audible. The camp host was never seen so sites had as many as 5 cars parked on them etc. The park has beautiful walking and bike paths throughout and the bike paths are heavily used. Unfortunately many of the bikers leave the path and cut through the campground road going quite fast- faster than cars would drive through - as campgrounds tend to have small kids playing I would be concerned if those were my kids. The park itself had much to offer - the campground and rest rooms are well maintained. Sites have some gravel and are mostly level. I think during the week would be a better experience.

This is a beautiful park and campground in Waterloo, Iowa. Really nice bike trails a decent beach…read moreon the lake and a nice campground. We didn't fish but saw a lot of anglers. The campground is on the bank of the Cedar river as are the boat launch ramps. The river is really pretty. The primitive campsites are right next to the river and are really nice sites.

A great place to stop while taking the Mississippi River Trail by car, Pikes Peak State Park…read moreprovides the best views of the River that my wife and I found during our 10 day road trip. It was definitely worth the stop and short walk along the wooden bridge boardwalk to see a small waterfall along the way. The state park was established in 1935, and is named after the same explorer (Zebulon Pike) that the summit in Colorado is named after.

Beautiful, very nicely maintained park overlooking the confluence of the Mississippi and Wisconsin…read morerivers. Short walk to bridal veil falls along a wooden boardwalk is worth it. Lots of birds. Lovely, serene spot.