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.

Was in the park to go on the Mystery Cave tour and see Historic Forestville. We decided to go on a…read morehike and walked along the a river trail. The park is a perfect way to spend a summer day!

This review is about the park area only not the Mystery Cave which is further down the road…read more Start with the unfortunate news, the walking bridge to the historic town of Forestville was closed. I did read about that in the state's info about the park ahead of time. I picked up a map at the office and was told there is a stone walking bridge at marker 8. More bad news on the trail. The field and location maps show markers on the trail but the numbers didn't correspond with the ground signs as many were missing. I just couldn't find the temporary bridge, or marker 8, but took a decent hike on the other trails. The park isn't as scenic as others but there is a variety of trails from easy to difficult, which is what I like. Some steep hills will test your true endurance. Driving out about another 1/2 mile I see more trails I missed, lo leads to marker 8.

Spent a weekend camping & hiking here and it's lovely! This state park occupies a large swath of…read morethe coastline of Lake Albert Lea, and is very convenient to the city of Albert Lea and 35-W. As such, this is a very easy park to get to. I camped in one of the two large drive-in campgrounds, both of which are very well-appointed with amenities. There are drinking water faucets distributed liberally throughout the campgrounds, and there are large restroom facilities at each, which are kept clean and have plenty of toilets, sinks, and showers. They even have little stations to plug in devices to charge them. Probably my biggest gripe with this park is that the restroom facilities are so brightly lit, right next to where the campsites are, that it strongly impacts the outdoorsy ambience. Many campers might not mind that & might even prefer it. But between that and the audible proximity to the Interstate, I prefer to feel a little more isolated. I saw lots of big trailers plugged into outlets, and there are also group camps, rentable cabins, and backpacking sites. I definitely want to return here to try one of those backpacking sites along the east side of the lake. Speaking of the lake, I did spot a number of fishing and canoeing options being taken advantage of. With all the beautiful lakefront area here, this is a really cool place for that kind of activity. I was surprised that the office wasn't staffed when i arrived mid-afternoon on a Saturday in June (2022) to check in; I wasn't able to get my hands on a physical map, and I had to put cash in an envelope to get some firewood. But other than that, it felt like a well-staffed park. All things considered, I will defintely return from the Twin Cities, and if it's more convenient to where you live, you can consider that a good thing! EDIT: I did indeed return two weeks later and try out a packpacking site. Loved it! It's way more remote over there. Really beautiful and lots of cool, well-posted trails. There was a big stash of firewood they'd prepared for free; do they do that for everyone? It's great! You can get to all the backpacking sites via canoe. Bumping my rating from 4 stars to 5!

Beautiful, large park with trails for walking and bike trails. Wetland areas, big trees, and well…read moremaintained public areas

This is a great place to go to for multiple occasions, wether you need a place to go for a get…read moretogether of any kind, or need a quiet place to relax or refocus! East park makes a beautiful place for pictures as well!

I'm feeling homesick for Oregon today, so I decided to go park hoping today. This is such a nice…read morepark. Clean and well maintained. There are actually many playground sets within this park to choose from. Lots of picnic shelters and benches to enjoy a lunch at. Nice walking paths wandering through the whole park and Pleanty of resting benches to sit at if you get tired. If you enjoy Frisbee golf, they have a nice set here to play with too. Check out the water fountain by the flower gardens or bring some bread to feed the ducks or geese. If your kids have never seen a deer up close, well...this park also has a deer enclosure for the kids to enjoy. Pleanty of things to do here on a nice spring day.

I booked a spot for my camper for a class reunion. The campgrounds had been closed for a while for…read moreupgrades and remodeling..new bathrooms and showers..so I was pretty stoked to have the new upgrades..well the bathrooms and showers were both clean and new.. not sure what they were thinking when they sat down and designed it though..solid concrete looked good in paper, double as a storm shelter..instead during camping season this turns it into a sauna..literally sweating while shaving..no fans? Did the budget run over? And the showers..has that great push button get X amount of time then push it again. I get it..but the shower head right on the wall..so you get to kiss that button if you want your head directly under the shower head. And the cool part is you don't have to waste time deciding the temperature of your water. They decide for you..100 degrees out. Cool off in a hot shower inside a sauna.. wth..then last jab on showers.. they had a blank slate to work with and it is a wet room..everything is wet because it is a shower..but you have to get to it..aka you have clothes on and with you to change into clean ones..1 darn hook..saved some money there..at least your towel has somewhere to stay dry..because the 2x2 foot bench isn't keeping anything dry..where do you sit to get dressed? Dry off? Keep clean clothes clean and dry? Just a stupid overall design..use the handicap shower and hope nobody in a wheelchair needs it..it at least has a small separate space that stays dry..same dumb 1 hook 2x2 foot bench concept..other than that wonderful stay..clean well kept grounds..campers were respectful nice..park staff were helpful and nice..scenery was beautiful..

Very nice picturesque park... Very very busy in the summer decent kayaking, and fishing to be had…read moreonly electric motors are allowed

Outside the Jay C. Hormel Nature Center, you will find over 500 acres of prairie, forest, and…read morewetlands. Inside, offers hands-on learning. You can learn about owls, hawks, snakes, turtles, and more. You can find each of these live animals inside. Most have a write-up near their exhibits to teach you more about them. If you are lucky you can visit the center when the snake is taken out of its cage and have the opportunity to hold it or see it up close. There are plenty of interactive displays inside and several places where little ones can play. Whether outdoors or indoors this is the perfect way to spend a day.

The Hormel Nature Center brings back warm fuzzy memories from my childhood when my Dad used to work…read morehere. They have educational events, tours, nature walks, a visitor center, etc. And of course you can always explore on your own as well. The park features native prairie, hardwood forest, wetlands and streams. I rememer climbing the big rock out in the front of the visitor center and feeling like it was SO TALL (when you're 5, everything's giant). Not sure if everyone would or could enjoy it as much as I do, but it's still a great little retreat.

McIntosh State Park is a small. but nice park. on Clear Lake in the town of Ventura. It has a boat…read morelaunch area, camping sites and trails. The entry area is planted with prairie plants. It is very inviting. If you are looking for a camp site, hiking, picnicking or boating in the Clear Lake area, check out this State Park!

Wow, what a wonderful surprise to pull off hwy 35 after miles of farming fields and land in this…read morelush green campground. Filled with huge shade trees and grass I was so happy to be in the woods. Lots of peaceful trails that have been mowed, take you deeper into and under the canopy of trees and ferns. I know most people probably camp here for the lake, but for me it is all about being in nature. Lots of frogs along the grassy shoreline, bunnies in the open grass areas and plenty of birds. $16 is a great deal for sites with electricity. Happy to be here.

My wife and I are Camp host at dolliver Memorial state Park. I've been to most of our state parks…read moreand this is by far the most beautiful park we have. My wife and I take pride in the cleanliness of the bathrooms and the ground and we will do our best to keep it that way.

I stopped at this park on my way from Fort Dodge, IA back to Omaha. I had heard great things about…read morethis park, and it was defientely worth the detour! The place was amazing, surrounded by big beautiful trees. It was adjacent to a river, and perfect for kayaking. Beautiful campsites, and hiking trails. I was out on the trails for a few hours this morning, and extremely cleaned, well maintained trails! It was peaceful, and easy to navigate. I have attached pictures for gorgeous reference! Happy Trails!

When I'm in Mason City and want to get outside for a bit, my first thought is to go out to Lime…read moreCreek. They've got a nice assortment of trail loops of differing lengths that intersect so you can get whatever distance hike you want, and see the different parts of the land. There is also a nice long trail that runs along the river that has some scenic spots as well. The nature center building isn't super big, but it's nice to take a look at the fossils, taxidermy, and information about the animals. In the winter especially, the trails aren't busy and you can really just walk about and take be at peace in the environment. It would be nice if there was a bit more signage at some of the intersections of the trails, however, as there are some spots where it's not clear where you'll end up.

The visitors center is a great place to learn about the flora and fauna of Iowa. It's filled with…read moreall kinds of unique stuffed animal wildlife. Some taxidermy guy had fun. Kinda creepy, but still interesting. They also have a few aquariums with live fish. Oh..and a live turtle. Very clean and well organized. If you check out the upstairs, there's a lot of hands on exploration things to do with the kids. Remember...don't forget to go to use the restrooms before you go hiking. Yes...there are 11 hiking trails to choose from. Some are short, some are long. I chose the easy hike since it looked like a storm was coming. There are also wheel chair accessible trails. Nice place to check out if you enjoy nature.

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.