One of our All Time Favorite Spots In Iowa, Backbone State Park is a MUST SEE/MUST HIKE park!!! We hiked here in late October and I highly recommend visiting during that time! The weather was gorgeous, the colors were beautiful and it was just busy enough that we weren't alone, but we still felt like we were! There are plenty of hiking trails with different difficulty. At one point we somehow ended up on what I'm pretty positive was a deer path instead of a trail, but it's hard to beat the views no matter where you're hiking!

Awesome Park with so much to see. This park is so pretty and fun to explore. I would highly recommend this park. RV park in the back. Travel photographer from Galena IL.

Backbone is the 1st State Park in Iowa and has a great history with the Civilian Conservation Corps. Great swimming beach, tons of trails, and modernized campgrounds. Tons of shade all around. Can get a little buggy, but that is anywhere these days.

I would have given this place more stars if we had known that the Park Store was closed and the lake was full of E. Coli and blue algae toxins. We camped there June 5 and 6. We had never been there before, but we were expecting to be able to get firewood and concessions at the Park Store. That's also where you can rent canoes, kayaks, etc. No such luck - everything was closed. The only thing we saw was one small sign in front of the beach warning about excessive E. Coli and blue algae. It discouraged people from swimming, fishing, etc. Very disappointing. Other than that, the campground was spread out and spacious. It was quiet and secluded. It was very buggy when we were there, and silk worms were hanging from the trees - more than I've ever seen anywhere else. The kids had a great time at least. I hope to go back sometime when the lake is back to normal and everything is open. Didn't get to do any hiking this time around, but hopefully next time.

This is definitely one of the better parks in the state. There are some great trails and the water is nice. There are newer modern bathrooms at the campgrounds with showers and running water, which is a treat. Tent camping spaces are fairly generous in size, though some have slopes you have to contend with. The northern part of the park is not well connected to the southern part... Not a big problem but something to be aware of. If you're camping in the southern campgrounds, make sure you make the trip up to the northern part where there is much more 'nature features' to enjoy. There are several great trout fishing spots on the river in the north side of the park, as well as a cave and nice walking trails. The real treat of this park is the staff. The DNR working this park is top notch. They are very friendly and helpful to the visitors. There is a park store in the park supplying essentials and even treats for the kids near the beach area. They sell firewood at the store for $1 more than some local sellers and the money goes to the parks to keep up the great service they are providing. The campgrounds have camp hosts happy to help out. There were staff on site working around the park to keep it in good shape during our weekend visit. That's definitely encouraging! There's several playground for the kiddies to enjoy (though they're a bit dated). Several trails connect right up to the campground areas for quick, easy access. We didn't make it on to the lake but it looks easy to enjoy with kayaks or a canoe. Be aware there is a dam you probably want to steer clear of. I can't say enough about how friendly, helpful, and welcoming the people staffing the park were. Between them and the beautiful nature, we'll definitely enjoy this park again in the future.

Beautiful park but mostly close during the winter and spring. Check the park's website or give them a call before coming. There are also caves, fishing sites and camping grounds. Various location to enter the park but highly recommend the north entrance and the entrances by the overflow.

Backbone is one of the best parks in iowa. Cliffs, rivers, caves, hiking, dog friendly, and scenic. Camping is available. This is one of the few places I DO NOT go kayaking in, yet many do. Plenty of picnic areas. Trailheads are easy to find if you go to the east/west entrance. The east lake trail is very loose gravel that is a bit tricky to get down in the first 5 min, but smooth sailing after that. Backbone trail is very beautiful and the heart of the park. West Lake is a great trail scenic and not overly crowded. The cave isn't that big of a deal..but always gotta investigate. Trails can be tight so remember to be considerate. If your dog isn't well behaved, this won't be the best park to go too.

This was our first visit, and honestly, we didn't allow enough time in the afternoon to see everything this park has to offer. We hiked the Lake Trail, but no one was sure after looking at the park's trail map what length it was or time it would take before we lost sunlight. Poor map. The trail was not an easy hike due to lots of rocks and tree roots to watch for under foot. I think looking down at our feet took away from the beautiful scenery we had hoped to enjoy. Adding to the stress was wondering where the trail finally turned to head back toward the parking lot. We never seemed to reach the end of the lake, but the sun was just above the tree tops, and we had to turn back. It's definitely not a trail we would want to hike in the dark, not being familiar with it and much of it being right at the edge of the lake embankment, only about a foot wide. Once home, I added a Trail App to my phone and realized we would have never been able to hike the full distance around the lake in the time we had. But apparently there were other easier and shorter trails we could have taken if we had known about them. Signage getting to the park was non existent, oddly. Even the last turn had no sign visible until you're right at the entrance further up the road. No available restrooms near the lake open in November. No water fountains working either. Not surprising for November, but it was a warm day. We didn't think we'd be sweating on the trail, and hadn't brought water bottles along. Better next time?!

This has to be my newest favorite campground. It’s so hard to believe this is Iowa! The campsite was quiet and clean with plenty of space for the tent and vehicle. The trails provided great scenery and enough of a challenge to have a good workout. The look out points are worth the time to take in the beauty of nature and creation. At night the stars were spectacular. Only disappointment was no shower house working but that was due to colder weather, not lack of service. Speaking of lack of service, I love that my cellphone doesn’t agree with this it’s. Talk about unplugged from connectivity! I wish I spent time fishing, but there always next time, and there will definitely be a next time.

This is a super nice park. Pretty big too. We stayed here in our travel trailer and the site was nice and spacious. Slightly shaded. Electric only but the bathrooms are clean and there's water spouts throughout the park. We went to the spring and the cave. Both super short walks but pretty. We could have spent another day or two here but we were just passing through on our way back to Ohio.

Great place to hike, explore, fish, camp etc. We checked out the cave and the springs. The stream running through the park was full of trout, did not fish for them so not sure how hard they are to catch. Took some time to walk along the stream and check out the woods. To see everything you would need way more time than the three hours we were here. Will be back.

Awesome state park. Beautiful lake and multiple spring fed stream. Mile of hiking trails. Great place to camp, fish and just enjoy the views.

We visited over Veterans Day weekend 2022, so I’m almost a year late posting this. We had the park almost to ourselves, stayed in one of the cabins on site. Very simple, and modest but good enough for a place to warm up and rest for the night. Trails were decent, and definitely easy. Saw eagles, deer, and evidence of beavers. Our mini schnauzer loved exploring, and even caught a mole! Good times!

Backbone is a beautiful state park. It’s shows off some of the most beautiful hardwood trees in the fall splendor…leaves are just electric in the fall. We love hiking the trails with our dogs. The park is immaculate as visitors respect it and keep in clean. If you camp, the sites are nice with quite a few to chose from. The small beach is also rather nice in the summer. This is a true jewel in northeast Iowa

I adore this beautiful park. Spring fed water hikes, backbone hike, camping, you can't go wrong! Restrooms aren't great, but if you're camping those are good. Lots of dogs and hikers and people enjoying the sites.

We would recommend visiting Backbone State Park, if you're in the area. Great hiking and scenery. Paddle boat, kayak and canoe rentals to get a different perspective of the park from the water. The park gave us a welcome break during the Labor Day holiday. The camp grounds were also very nice. The whole park is well kept and the staff at the shop was very helpful and kind.

We camped here for three nights. The campground is very laid back. Showers were ok. Campground was quiet. Backbone trail was awesome! Great views and neat rock formations. We also saw the cave and did the Barred Owl hike and East Lake hike.

Very nice park. Had lots of fun and the trails were great!!

If you’re coming to swim, I don’t recommend driving out of the way to visit. It’s not dog friendly, if you’re coming to swim. I thought we’d be able to swim anywhere (like most lakes) but got there and they have a sign saying to only swim in this small and shallow/warm designated “beach” area with a gross mushy bottom. By noon the shore was thick with algae. There are no bathrooms or concessions for 2023 because of some road construction which I didn’t understand. And if you book a campsite the confirmation says that you can rent boats, buy ice, etc. which you actually can’t.

Asome place for hiking. Needs to have better trail makers and better maps. Some trails are really nice and other trails needs some work on them to make hiking easier.

Backbone state park is my favorite Iowa State Park. It has many cool features and nice trails. A natural spring, old fish hatchery, cave, backbone trail are all fun things to explore. For the campground, I really wish they would add more electric sites. They fill up fast.

Beautiful park. Very well kept up. Single private showers with locks in the camp grounds, also very clean. 4-1 bedroom cabins, 4-2 bedroom cabins also very nice. Trout stream for fishing that they stock regularly. Miles of trails to walk, lots of picturesque views to take in. Suggest going in the fall when the colors are vibrant.

Weather turned cold the end of camping season but it didn't change our minds. Beautiful spot and we ended up with almost the whole park to ourselves. A lot of nice places for walking and hiking. This was our first visit and when spring gets here we are sure to visit again and again so much to explore!

Beautiful day spot! We stopped by on our way home. Some trout streams and pretty trails. We didn't see any shower houses and the outhouse we stopped at was super dark inside. Doesn't seem like camping would be great for those with little kids in my personal opinion.

One of my favorite state parks. Great hiking trails, camping, fishing, and the woods are gorgeous. Especially in the fall. Beautiful rolling hills with a river winding through. A great place to explore and just love on some nature.

We did the backbone trail loop and it was cool! You have to do a little self navigating through some of the rocks and trees especially with all the fallen leaves covering the trail. It felt like we were rock climbing at times. The trail is full of tripping hazards. Watch the ground at all time. The rocks stick up like a spine would so the name is fitting. Then once you're past the rock parts, it'd a ton of tree root trippers. Not for elderly or young children. I did help my dog up and down some of the rocks we had to climb that were a big jump. Also it was 3pm and you could hear a lot of owls which made it even better!

I come here once a year in the fall. Some of the best camping and hiking in Iowa. It's also a nice area for some casual kayaking.