Skip to content
Backbone State Park, Dundee, IA

Photo: Kevin Schuchmann, CC BY-SA 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons. Cropped and resized.

Sports & Outdoors

Backbone State Park

Iowa's first state park, known for its narrow bedrock ridge, a 21-mile trail system, trout fishing, and Civilian Conservation Corps history.

1347 129th St, Dundee, IA 52038 · Dundee, IA

About Backbone State Park

Backbone State Park was set aside in 1920 as the first state park in Iowa. Its namesake is a steep, narrow ridge of bedrock shaped by a bend of the Maquoketa River, which is the highest point in northeast Iowa. Visitors can hike or mountain bike a 21-mile network of trails, climb the dolomite limestone cliffs with advance registration at the park office, and fish the cold, spring-fed trout stream. Boating on Backbone Lake is allowed with electric motors only, and boat, kayak, and canoe rentals are offered. Campsites, rentable cabins, a historic outdoor auditorium, and lodges make the park popular for overnight stays and gatherings. A museum near the west gate covers the work of the Civilian Conservation Corps in Iowa's state parks.

  • #state park
  • #hiking
  • #mountain biking
  • #trout fishing
  • #rock climbing

What's around here?

The closest stops to Backbone State Park, ordered by straight-line distance. A few more like it, plus some different kinds of fun so you can build a full day.

  • Sightseeing

    Cedar Rock State Park

    Check prices

    An Iowa state park centered on a Frank Lloyd Wright-designed home set on a limestone bluff above the Wapsipinicon River.

    19 mi awaySwitch it up: Sightseeing

  • Museums

    Dyer-Botsford Historical House and Doll Museum

    Under $25

    A Victorian mansion in Dyersville that holds period furnishings and a large doll collection.

    25 mi awaySwitch it up: Museums

  • Museums

    National Farm Toy Museum

    Under $25

    Iowa museum displaying farm toys, scale models, and exhibits on the history of agriculture.

    26 mi awaySwitch it up: Museums

  • Sports & Outdoors

    Pikes Peak State Park

    Check prices

    Iowa state park with bluff-top views over the Mississippi River and a network of hiking trails.

    32 mi awayMore like this

  • Sports & Outdoors
    History Buff

    Effigy Mounds National Monument

    No admission fee

    Hike trails past more than 200 prehistoric mounds, including earthworks built in the shapes of bears and birds.

    37 mi awayMore like this

  • Sports & Outdoors

    Wapsipinicon State Park

    Check prices

    Iowa state park on Anamosa's edge, known for handmade stone structures, caves, trails, and river fishing.

    40 mi awayMore like this

Near Backbone State Park

More of the same kind

Keep exploring