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.

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!

Thunder Bay Falls is a must see on your way into or out of Galena! It's only about a 10 min drive…read moreout of the way for a majestic view of the waterfall. Depending on how much rain there's been will determine how full the waterfall is- the 1st time I came here, there was a trickle of water. This time (a full year later) was a full fledged roaring waterfall! This is a quick stop- it's just the waterfall! There's a gravel parking lot (usually the other cars are a dead giveaway). There are several viewing areas with selfie stations for you to prop up your phone! The wildflowers are beauty here too. If you brought a fishing pole, go for it! There are signs (and reviews) that clearly state you have to be a member or a guest of something in order to be here... we've never seen anyone enforcing the rules here. It's too much of a treasure to keep people away.

Discovered this nice , small waterfall in the Galena Illinois area. You don't need to spend much…read moretime here , maybe fifteen minutes tops. If you're in the area , it's worth a quick stop for some nice photos. The parking area is located very close to the falls. Maybe a two hundred yard walk. The terrain is a little bit bumpy for elderly people to walk on, but you can still view the falls from the road above if you don't want to get out of the car. The water empties into a beautiful , slow moving stream , surrounded by wildflowers. This attraction is free to view.

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.

Beautiful and extensive trails over a surprisingly large area, many along or near pretty waterways…read more....there are several well marked parking lots near the trail heads. We did get lost trying to find the nature center which didn't seem connected to the part of the park we first arrived in...it seems there are two separate entrances? Fortunately we were near the cool castle-like tower, the Julien Dubuque Monument, which offers stunning panoramic views of the Mississippi and of the city of Dubuque. Definitely would like to come back for more hiking here!

Mines of Spain is a go to place for me and has been for years. A wonderful scenic outdoor space…read more Great for hiking.

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

I absolutely love the Arboretum. Beautiful peaceful place. Spent hours there just soaking in and…read moreenjoying the area. The koi pond was wonderful. This place charges no fee for admittance. I don't understand how they cannot as such a wonderful place. I highly recommend

Small and quite walkable even for me with a disability. The Japanese garden was quite pretty. We…read morewere there early in the day so not a lot of other people around, which can be enjoyable. Would return to see it in different seasons.

Wow this place is easily Iowa's most beautiful park. If you live in the area and haven't been you…read moreare missing out .

I've never camped here so I can't tell you how those facilities are, but I do love the hiking…read moretrials. They are fun and not too challenging.

Great find and well maintained by the state. Great views! Kayaked on the Mississippi River which…read morewas great but came with some current struggles. The boat launch is right across the road from MP. The hosts were nice. They are only checking in people from 12-4. Find your site and your tag is on the post. There are about 10 walk up sites you can get on FCFS basis. Some electric and some primitive sites. Make sure to select the correct one. Beautiful views are with the hike up the cliffs.

We had a family get together here today and rented the pavilion. For $50, you get a really nice…read morebuilding facility that has a fireplace and several large picnic tables. The public restrooms are in this building however, and you will have people coming and going during your event. It wasn't too busy today so not a problem. There is plenty of open grassy area to play, didn't get enough wind to be able to fly the kites, but we were close! But we definitely had a lot of room to kick the soccer ball, throw the football and run around. The grill worked great, it's 4 feet long and we were able to cook plenty of burgers and hotdog and such for the family. There's also a couple of electrical outlets so we were able to plug-in a couple crockpots for beans and such. There are quite a few mice living in this facility, so just be aware of that, but you are out in the country! There are many hikes and such that leave from this location so you could use this as homebase with other family members being able to go out and take a great hike as well. We had a great day and I have a feeling this is going to become a tradition PS. Bring the bug spray :)