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.

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.

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.

Lots of amazing trails. The overlooks are fantastic. Trails shared with horses and Mtn bikes. Love…read moreit. No motorized bikes or ATVs. Cannot climb fire tower. Drive from Dubuque is gorgeous all the way. About 1.5 hours. Americana towns to stop and eat or shop little antique or resales.

I first camped here in the early-mid 1980's, and returned here last year with my son for a camping…read moretrip. This is the largest contiguous forest in Iowa, which is near the bluffs of the Mississippi River. It is also fairly isolated - spotty phone service, and buy all supplies before you arrive. The campgrounds are loops with little shade overall, but the nearby bluffs, trails, and fishing are what bring people. Toilets are pit toilets that were cleaned daily when we camped in the middle of the week, but they are pit toilets. No showers, sinks, or electricity. You fill out a form and stuff that and $8 into a little slot on a board with the site #'s posted above the slot This place is gorgeous. The trails are on bluffs high above the campground and the scenery is spectacular. You would never guess this is Iowa. It is also near the Effigy Mounds National Monument, a prehistoric burial site built by Native Americans over 1000 years ago. This is a place to camp and visit if you want to see some of the less-visited State Forests and Parks in the midwest.

One of the best parks that I have been too! That much is for certain! In this part of Iowa people…read moreare very proud of their yards and parks and therefore they are kept up in a stupendous fashion. The exact opposite from where I come from in Wyoming where people just don't seem to care or the soil is too poor to have a good yard. This park has several playgrounds on of which is a huge jungle gym made out of wood, a great swimming pool, walking/jogging paths, sports fields and so on. You could really spend a whole day here. Apparently lots of people do because everyone from the county seems to at least know about this park or goes there when it is nice out. Definitely a stop worth making if you are in this neck of the woods and need to take a break.

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!

I have been wanted to come here for years. Totally made for a nice day trip!!! All of the…read moreDNR employees were knowledgable and so nice !!! If you are a fan of Frank Lloyd Wright make this trip. The house is so well preserved.

This is a hidden gem! The campgrounds offers sewer, water, and electric to all their sites, some…read morecement parking pads but the rest are nice and level, and great spacing between the sites. There are plenty of nicely mowed trails to hike, short and long distances, and it's set in beautiful limestones bluffs and tall grass prairies. So quiet, far away from any busy road.

We went here camping in the Horse Camping portion (Albany Equestrian Campground). The camp sight…read morewas very spacious. I was pleasantly surprised by how well maintained the camp sight was. The grass portion was well groomed, the roadways were in good repair and all campers were well behaved. The only thing different I could have hoped for was cooler temperatures which obviously isn't the park's responsibility. As most who come here to this camp sight already have their own camper/trailer, the Latrobe was basic. If you want to take a shower, you just get In your car and go over to the regular camp sight. We were able to do a bit of tubing on the Volga River just 2-3 minutes walk from our campsight. The River was a bit low due to lack of recent rains but again, that is not the park's responsibility. There is a wine tasting place just 200 yards outside the main entrance which is a nice place to visit. Fayette, Iowa is just 10 minutes south by car with a very well stocked Dollar General story (kind of like a mini-Target.

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.

Great Iowa park to get out and walk and enjoy the scenic views from higher up along the…read moreMississippi. The park has some nice easy hiking paths to discover. It has 11 miles of trails to check out. We did bridal veil falls trail and then Point Ann trail from the McGregor parking area. Other nearby attractions like effigy mounds national monument and local small town businesses. If you are from Iowa, don't forget to cross the river and grab some spotted cow beer from the town of prairie du chien in Wisconsin! They have a campground as well and river activities. Yellow river state park isn't far and is one of our favorites. Highly recommend for a vacation spot either for a day trip or multiple days to check out the surrounding attractions.

Beautiful campground at Pikes Peak State Park, McGregor,IA. We were here in 2019, and now (2025) an…read moreamazing difference. The campground has been updated and redone. Spacious sites, concrete roads, easier access to all sites. Very well maintained. Mid-April and water was not accessible yet. We brought our own so no problem if you plan accordingly. Very nice trails throughout the other part of the park. Keep up the good work, Iowa.

The Ice Cave in Decorah was such a fun stop which is near by Dunnin'g Springs. You are only able to…read morewalk to the ice cave not drive but it's about a 10-15 min walk roughly! The entrance was noticeably cold because of the ice that stays inside for part of the year, which was really neat to see. I also loved that they have info posted about the cave so you can learn while you're there. I did not go inside of it but my husband did & recorded inside of the cave. Overall, such an awesome and unique experience, definitely worth checking out if you're in the area!

I decided to swing thru to see dunning springs on my way home from Wisconsin. The road is closed…read moreI'm sad that I had to ask a local to see if it was closed downtown. He told me to go behind the store between subway and the road. It should be marked by the city. But none the less I'm glad we seen it

I can't believe I hadn't heard of this place before starting to research a spring break trip…read more Effigy national monument is super close to Minnesota and should be a must see, must visit for anyone living in Minnesota, Wisconsin, Iowa or Illinois within three hours. There's no entrance fee, but there's still several friendly and helpful rangers at the station as well as the museum explaining the significance. It is a very culturally important site to come up with mound stating back more than 1000 years. The scenery is outstanding. Is it the confluence of two rivers, you can see far and either direction if you hike to several of the scenic landing spots. We put in a good 5 mile hike and didn't even reach all of the places. It's great for history, cultural, and hiking. Highly recommend.

This place is special and amazing. I love how we no longer excavate the mounds but use remote…read moresensing technology like LIDAR and GIS to help interpret the data. I had been to some mounds in Whitewater, Wisconsin before but to see them clearly really requires arial view and careful clearing of trees and underbrush. We came across the monument quite on accident. It's definitely on our list to return to and see the area in a different season.