TL:DR - Great value, fun and easy ride, would definitely come back…read more ------------------------------------------------------------------------- Pricing was about expected for a trail ride. Booking and paying online was easy. Printed the waiver and brought it in. We arrived 15 min early as requested, but no one was in the office. Had to ask someone to get a worker, and someone finally came in 5 min after or scheduled time. A little annoying, but the rest of the trail ride was great, so water under the bridge. Brandi and Bethany helped us on our horses (Pengo and Spartan) and gave us a quick run down of how to guide the horses. The horses were very easy to ride, each with their own amusing personalities. Our trail guide was friendly, answered any questions we had (we were the only riders), and pointed out a few of the other resident horses and little tid bits about them. Also gave us some space to really just enjoy the ride, which was perfect. The trail itself was a basic trail that traversed the Galena territory, went by some houses, up and down some gentle hills. We got back after an hour and they took some photos for us. All in all, it was a great ride and we wouldn't hesitate to come back in the future.

We took a two day adult horse camp this past weekend 10am - 1. The classes were a lot of fun…read more educational, and ended with a one hour long trail ride the second day. Highly recommended!

We had fun and the course had some nice water features. BUT it was not maintained well at all…read more Debris and river rock on the greens, turf was ripped, balls got stuck in seams, lots of trip hazards. Mostly there were weeds taking over the place. It looked like no one had pulled a weed in weeks. I realize it's the middle of summer and they take over fast, but I mean, the crab grass was keeping the balls from traveling down the course! Clean up the weeds, and it will be much better.

Fun golf course, reasonably priced, well-located and easy to find. There is a sign on the course…read morethat says a second game costs $5 which is strange to me. What for? Who is watching to make sure you don't go again? Otherwise it was great.

We stopped here to check out the views of the Mississippi River on our way back to Chicagoland from…read moreGalena. There's lots of parking and a boat launch. We didn't camp here, but drove through through the campground. There are many shady spots with electric hookups and nearby water pumps and even better, river views. There's also a nice playground for campers with kids. The bathrooms are really clean and well-lit. Each includes a shower with a bench and is handicap-accessible.

I enjoyed camping at Blanding Landing over the Labor Day weekend. It was easy to make and pay for…read moreour reservation online; however, contacting them was more challenging. I wasn't sure if I was going to be able to check in before they closed and nobody answered the phone or returned my message. In the end, I decided to wing it and arrive late anyway. After all, I knew which campsite was assigned to me and I paid for it. Turns out that I did the right thing. In fact, even if you don't have a reservation, they have a procedure for accommodating you if you arrive late. There's a phone number to call to find out which sites are available and then you check in properly in the morning. There's an attendant who lives at the camp grounds as well as sheriffs and other security folks who make regular rounds. This made me feel extra safe. There are outhouse-like bathrooms as well as a proper bathhouse with showers. All of the toilets have toilet paper. Each camp site has electricity, a pump nearby for water and a fire-pit with grill. The grounds were well maintained with mowed lawns and healthy tree cover for shade. The sites were good for RVs and tent camping. Not all of the sites were good for hammock camping where the hammock is suspended between trees. I heard that there's a beach along the Mississippi River but I didn't see it myself. Instead, I saw a boat-launch area with a ramp into the water and a dock. There were also paved roads nearby that were nice for cycling. I saw a large playground for kids. The campgrounds are located about 10 miles from any town but getting there is gorgeous. The land is very hilly - so hilly that you wouldn't believe that it's Illinois. One day we drove 10 miles to Galena for breakfast and it was a very enjoyable excursion. We also drove to a vineyard and winery (Fer Ged Aboud It) which was also a great field trip. One of the only problems (and there's nothing the campsite can do about it) is that there are regular freight trains that zoom right by the campgrounds on a regular basis. They are very loud. So loud that you can't have conversation.

Great local spot for a long walk or bike ride. In the winter I have taken my snowmobile and it is a…read morenew flat trail that seems to go forever. Really looking forward to getting back on it for some riding!

We stopped at the Park that is part of this trail for a picnic lunch, walk our dogs and stretch…read moreour legs. The park has a covered picnic area and a pond where people were fishing and watching ducks. We only walked a small portion of the trail, but the part we did use was easy to handle using a wheelchair. We plan on coming back to try more after I get my off-road chair!

Steve was an amazing guide. Knowledgable, helpful, a great morning of fishing with a handful of…read morekeepers. Was a great outing and definitely will recommend to anyone and will be going again soon. Thanks Steve.

Full disclosure: this is my brother-in-law's business, but when you first talk with Steve you will…read moreimmediately know he treats all his clients like family. We fished on the Mississippi River primarily for walleye because they are fun to catch and excellent to eat. Steve is a professional walleye tournament competitor and has a lifetime of fishing knowledge and experience he shares with his clients to make their fishing trip successful. His boat is a 19-foot Ranger that has every option available to successfully fish any technique required by the conditions. Steve knows where the fish are and what to use. And if the fish aren't biting he always has another method or another spot to try. Steve's entire focus is his clients catching fish and having a fun fishing experience. He makes sure each client's rod is fully rigged and continuously positions the boat to get bait in the right spot. On this day we caught several walleye, some big ones we couldn't keep because they were in the slot (20-27 inches), and enough keepers (15-20 inches) for an excellent fish dinner. Steve filets the fish in seconds once back on the dock and beautiful slabs of tasty meat are ready for cooking. Check out his website and give Steve a call for fishing experience you will want to do over and over.

This is a small park, and blink and you'll miss it; a prairies restoration. I don't even know what…read moremade me go down this bit of road because I'm not sure there's a sign (maybe I forgot!). There are paved walking paths for folks to enjoy. I saw, possibly for the first time, a red-winged blackbird. There are some lovely views overlooking Galena. There are restrooms, but they look like slightly higher end port a potties and not washrooms. There's also a picnic table and plenty of parking.

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.

We arranged to bring a small school group here to stay for 3 days in early May 2019. We had a lot…read moreof specialty foods and diets to accommodate and I have to say that the cooking staff was stupendous!! They totally exceeded my expectations and went far above and beyond. The camp manager also was very helpful. Any requests we had were met with a smile. We had a wonderful time at this camp and would recommend to anyone. If we are ever in the area again, we will stay at Canyon Camp.