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.

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.

Beautiful, very nicely maintained park overlooking the confluence of the Mississippi and Wisconsin…read morerivers. Short walk to bridal veil falls along a wooden boardwalk is worth it. Lots of birds. Lovely, serene spot.

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.

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.

During our 4 day stay we experienced great camping and adventure. The camp spots are spacious,…read moremixed with some full sun and partial/full shade. The bathrooms were clean, with great water temperature/pressure, and free. The bugs were thick but manageable with a fan. The Backbone hiking trail, the cave, and the park structures were fun to explore. Iowa's oldest park did not reflect tired but instead sturdy and worthy of visitors!

We camped here on a recent road trip and the park really impressed me with its scope and beauty…read more The area is really scenic and the park boasts many different types of terrain and levels. There are ridges and ravines, valleys and peaks. It looked to be excellent for hiking. The campgrounds are nice and spacious and there are many, many campsites. I really enjoyed my stay here and could see coming back to Backbone to explore it more. I believe it is Iowa's first state park and there are many things to check out, including a seasonal CCC museum.

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.

We started on the Hiking Club Trail and took an extra loop up to the lookout trail. Well worth the…read moreextra 2m or so round trip to see a view of the valley. Trail was well marked, wide and well groomed. It took us over the creek with stepping stones to keep our feet dry. There were some bigger hills so be prepared for a climb. Much of the hiking trail is shared with horses so be prepared to watch where you step. It was also covered with soft gravel which was hard to walk in at times. This is a huge area and we saw lot of people and activity. A bridge was out so we didn't get to see the old Forestville town as we would have to detour an extra 20 minutes. Very happy we stopped here. We enjoyed the hike very much.

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

Pretty cool little excursion in LaCrosse. Easy drive up. Not a lot of signs alerting which…read moreparking lot is for the highest vantage point so my tip to you: drive through the open gates and drive until you see a parking lot with a gazebo-esque type outdoor building and that will be the highest point. Quick walk out to the edge. Some wild flowers added to the experience. It was a beautiful morning. Very clear and we were able to see the Mississippi river, Minnesota and of course Wisconsin. Worth taking the half hour to take in this view.

Nice little place to hike and just take in the scenery . I can only imagine how more beautiful it…read morewould be when the leaves change colors. Went a tad early.

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 was a grade C campground. Wildcat Mountain is so named because the locals killed a wildcat…read morethere many years ago. The campsite we stayed in, #8, was directly across from the Park Office and was not secluded at all. We did see some other campsites that were secluded, but they all seem pretty close together, so if you're looking for privacy, search elsewhere. But the place was neat and clean, and the toilets were not bad at all. Not many bugs in June, in the toilets, and the toilets did not smell bad. The good thing about camping across from the Park Office is you get to use their beautiful facilities when they are open. The staff were super friendly and helpful. Just by sheer happenstance we heard on the radio that Natural Bridge State Park was in the area and it sounded cool, so we drove over there to see it and it's so beautiful! The Overlook Point here at Wildcat is also very beautiful and easy to get to. We walked most of the Starlight trail, until it got overgrown, but it was nice and level and an easy hike. The Amphitheater...whoa. This was definitely the most rustic one I've ever seen so far. And I can't imagine one that would be more rustic than this one. It's not bad, it's just small, the seats tip forward, the stage is barely a stage, I don't see how they can possibly hold productions on it, but what do I know? I'm not in the theater--I'm sure they make it work somehow. It's very intimate and cozy, let's put it that way. We came across a gigantic moth at the base of a tree and it turned out to be a Luna Moth, which after it emerges from its cocoon doesn't have mouth parts, so it can't eat! It lives a week to breed, and then dies! All in all, it's not worth a very far drive, but if you're in the general area and want to camp, it's OK. At least it was not noisy at night. Some really nice campgrounds have lots of nice features but are super loud in the evening. This one was quiet, and you could see tons of stars.

Wildcat Mountain State Park is a beautiful but smaller gem in the Wisconsin SP system. If you're…read morelucky enough to reserve one of the only 20 campsites on a weekend, good for you! (We were not quick enough on the draw). But the campgrounds by the entrance look very nice. In 2020 it's all Do It Yourself parking passes and camp check-in. We enjoyed the lookout stop, complete with a "selfie station" to put your phone. We also did a nice, but mildly rigorous hike of the Old Settler's Trail. The 2.5 mile trail has some steep stairs and elevation changes (don't wear your fashionable high heeled boots like we saw an older lady struggling down the stairs with). Would love to see the trail marked a little better- markings seem to date back a few decades, and we got lost on a switchback. (Note: the nicer looking Hemlock Trail was closed off June 2020 due to erosion or weather.) We loved the hike and the park, and it was nice to have access to clean bathrooms. Sitting at a picnic table enjoying lunch, there was an incredible amount of great bird watching! And yes, a drive or cycle through this park is incredible.