Every year my family goes on a big camping trip, and this year we visited Governor Dodge! A first…read morefor us. Looking back, I'd say overall it was A-OK. We booked a double site as we had two RVs and multiple tents. It sure was plenty spacious! However, we all had noted it would have been great to see photos of the site when booking so we could know more that to expect. It was 100% full sun, and truly not chance for shade. Most other sites at this park had lots of tree coverage, which we would have loved and likely swapped to giving the chance. Being in a wide open space in the dead of summer can be tricky. The grounds are massive and well-kept, with tons of great hiking trails. Overall stunning views and vast green spaces. There's two large lakes with options to kayak, canoe, fish, ,etc. Concession stand with tasty ice cream, and a handful of convenience-store type items. Oh and we also definitely enjoyed the playground area with the kiddos. On the bad side: the shower-houses were pretty terrible. At least the one nearest to our site. It was to the point that half of us chose to forego showering all together just to avoid it. We also had a bummer experience at one of the beaches. We arrived around 10am and were all swimming for a few hours (along with tons of other visitors), when the rangers arrived and promptly closed the beach due to dangerous water bacteria. The closing wasn't the issue, but instead allowing 50+ folks to swim and fish in it before doing so. We'd all wished this water testing was done before the beach 'opened' for the day, as it left us fairly nervous having the quickly be rushed out. Overall, plenty of positives to this gorgeous state park - we made some great camping memories! Just hope those few shared pieces of feedback could help for future plans/changes.

What an absolute 'Sconi gem!…read more Anything other than 5-stars is insane! Awesome trail system with great views. The trails are wonderfully maintained. If you just want to laze about on a lake-beach, you can do that too! I have family that live less than an hour from here and they haven't been in 10+ years, that is CRAZY!

A truly beautiful hike filled with caves to explore! There are a total of nine caves, ranging in…read moresize from massive walk-through caverns to smaller, single-person passages. Two of the largest caves let you walk straight from one entrance to another, while one of the smaller ones requires squeezing through two tight openings before you can barely stand inside--definitely an adventure! The trails are not wheelchair accessible. The full hike took us about three hours at a steady pace. I'd recommend bringing a flashlight for exploring, though it's not absolutely necessary. Between the unique caves and the gorgeous trails, this park is a gem. I'll definitely be returning to Maquoketa Caves in the future!

There is coons but they don't attack and are mostly friendly bathrooms may have roaches but i…read morecouldn't tell it was dark because I diddent want to find the unknown light switch but if you don't think of that it's a great experience

Traveling across country & this is a great stop! Grass fields so no dirty/dusty dog for drive home!!read more

Road tripping across the country !!…read more This place is fantastic !! People and pups are nice!! Fabulous facilities!! Def worth it!!

There is no dog park, it's non-existent. There is no fenced in area, there is no area for dogs to…read moreplay.

Dog park is nice little dog area and big dog. Fun exercise equipment there too. It's quiet. It's…read morewindy so even a hot day it's not bad. Bathroom and water a plus

Best place there is in Rockford to bring a dog. It may not be that big of a park, but for dogs it's…read moreenough. Searls Dog Park is located along Central Avenue and is a part of a larger park. Has a few amenities including water and poop bags. There's a few things to do before visiting. A thing to know about using this park is that it costs money to bring a dog. It's about $30 a year for residents. Those coming from outside the city can get a daily permit. A permit is good for all the dog parks in the city. In addition, dogs need to be vaccinated from rabies. Amenities are a good thing, and there's a few for the dogs. There's a few water fountains, and poop bags can be found. Great place for a dog and their companion. It's got plenty more than just a grassy area to poop in. There's also a few trails.

Great spot to take our little guy! He loves it here. A very spacious main area with lots of trails…read morebehind it. They have water available on site, as well as many tables and a shelter to congregate with any two legged friends we may have here. We didn't realize awesome spots like this existed in Rockford before having a dog. And it's surprisingly affordable! You can either get a year-long membership ( That includes all three parks) for I think $30 or $40, or you can come once and try it out for around $3. This kind of place is just another reason to love Rockford and it's park district!

I've been to the park area a few times for family gatherings and the shelters are always very nice…read more This year my mom decided that while the whole family was home for Christmas we would go snowshoeing on the trails out at Swiss Valley Nature Center. Since we had a heat wave and the temperature broke 40 degrees it was a beautiful day to be outside but not really the best snow to snowshoe in. But in the dead of winter, you have to take warm days when you get them. The Nature Center has snowshoes to rent for free. They have two different sizes for adults and I'm guessing they weren't super high quality snowshoes but they worked fine for us. We went on a Saturday and the selection was fairly picked over and we had to have ours back in 2 hours. You can call and reserve the shoes ahead of time and I would highly recommend doing that on the weekends. The trails were well marked and there were quite a few options for trails to take. There are also cross-country ski trails that are groomed if you are into that. The woman helping us at the nature center thought you could rent cross-country skies from Kunert Sports. We picked a hilly route and although I consider myself in-shape I was huffing and puffing going up the steepest climb. The sites were beautiful and very worth it though.

A great place to hike near Dubuque. As the name suggests, the nature preserve is located in a…read morevalley just west of town. There's a nature center at the trailhead, and a campground just down the road. The trails span a variety of habitats, and are long and hilly enough to get your heart rate pumping if you so desire. A nice alternative to the Mines of Spain.

First time at the park and my dog got attacked to the point she was bleeding and there's a gash on…read moreher back. This is right outside of the park, we just got out of the car. We Paid for the permit, read all the rules, waited patiently in the car for the training section, did everything by the book. My dogs not aggressive at all, they was excited to go and meet other dogs (I have two standard poodles a 3 year old and 1 year old). Then this old dude pulled up with his husky and mutt, he saw us getting out the car, my dogs was on leashed when he decided to let his aggressive dog out of the car off leashed and attack mine, drew blood! Caused a gash on her back. Incompetent, ignorant, irresponsible, illiterate human being caused pain to my dog! We will be back and I hope and pray I see him again so I can sue him for the damages he caused. I hope the city put that aggressive dog down before that dog cause serious injury! My dog now in shock and in pain. Sometimes it's not you, but other irresponsible people! Now we got a problem.

I looked up this dog park when I first I decided to move to the area and we immediately made it…read moreinto our personal backyard. It's a HUGE fenced in space, divided into three sections - training, small dogs, and general. Plenty of space to play together or branch off by yourself. There is a gravel path that goes around the entire play area where human parents usually just walk laps to keep up with their fur babies. I've noticed about as much forgotten/missed poops as I have at other parks, but the backdrop of this one is so soothing. It's tucked back in Squaw Creek Park by the driving range, surrounded by wild grass and a community garden plot. The park is maintained by CR Parks and K9COLA, which hosts small events at the parks every so often (Halloween treat hunts?!)

Warner Dog Park offers wide open spaces for dogs to run as well as plenty of wooded areas,…read morelakeshore trails, and even a few hilly bits to make it a great workout for all. It is wildly cold and windy at the moment- so wear all your layers. So many layers. There aren't a ton of trees to buffer the wind, but some. Bring sunglasses. That snow reflects the sunlight so brightly. The dogs chased birds, met a few new friends. Great place to spend an hour on a Saturday morning.

"Be careful... two dogs got very sick from eating something at Warner Dog Park. 2/2026. The park…read morewas closed for a bit and this is under investigation.