Backbone State Park

Backbone State Park, dedicated in 1920, is Iowa’s first state park. It is located near the villages of Lamont and Dundee in north eastern Iowa.

Backbone State Park is one of the most geographically unique locations in Iowa. A steep narrow ridge of bedrock from the Maquoketa River forms the highest point in the area- the Devil’s Backbone, which gives the park its name.

The park is divided into 2 main sections: 

a) The South Lake campground section which features Backbone Lake.

b) And the section that uses the East entrance where the Maquoketa River dominates.

Site Review:

South Campground:

There are over 100 sites in the South campground. While there is a good distance between the sites, visual privacy is poor.

There are both serviced and unserviced sites. All sites have a picnic table and a fire ring.

Restrooms at South Campground:

There are 2 buildings with flush toilets located within the South campground.

• One building is the standard setup with male and female sides and rows of toilet stalls.
• The other building has individual unisex bathrooms. Each private room is complete with a toilet, sink and shower.
• The bathrooms were clean
• The toilet paper is awful. (Maybe 1 ply in thickness- is there such a thing as 0.5 ply?) You might want to consider bringing your own.

Sanitation Dump Station:

There is an RV sanitation dump station located near the South campground entrance. It is directly across from campsites. RVs emptying their waste tanks can be a smelly/messy process, I am not sure why some parks locate their dump stations right beside where people are camping, especially in the case of state parks where there is often lots of space.

Six Pine Campground:

Six Pine Campground, near the park’s west entrance, contains non-electric sites and pit latrines.

Activities:

The Civilian Construction Corps (the CCC) was integral to constructing many of the buildings and structures within the park. You can see the effort and care made; the park is well-kept and nicely maintained. Take some time to investigate the unique masonry work of the CCC, including dams on the Maquoketa River, the rustic family cabins, the beach building and boat house, an auditorium, bridges, roads, picnic shelters, restrooms and trails. There is a  CCC Museum located near the park’s west gate. It is dedicated to providing more information and background on The CCC’s contribution to the development of  Backbone State Park. The museum is open from mid-May to mid-October, Fri, Sat, Sun from noon to 4 pm.

Swimming/Beach:

The dams built on the Maquoket River formed Backbone Lake. There is a sand beach for swimming along the south shore. A concession booth and picnic tables are located nearby, as well as a nice playground.Unfortunately, Canada geese frequent the lake.Their excrement is everywhere (no it is not dog poop). Trying to enjoy the beach becomes a challenge. The poop is on the beach, in the grass and in the water.Personally, I wouldn’t be swimming in the water. I did not see if there were any water tests posted, but I strongly believe that based on the amount of fecal matter I saw floating around the e-coli and bacteria numbers would be unsafe. Plus it is just plain gross.

A better option if you want to cool off in the water would be to venture over to the section of the park accessed by the East entrance and splash around in the Maquoket River by the bridge. The water is shallow and there is not much of a current.And it is much cleaner.

Canoeing/Kayaking:

At the end of the beach, there is a dock.There is a rental office where you can rent kayaks and pedal boats to use on Backbone Lake.There is a boat launch for small motor-powered boats.

I looked up kayaking on the Maquoketa River Trail after I saw this sign posted in the park.I found that there is a continuous water route that will take you to the town of Manchester and beyond. Click here for a full map of the route.

For access from Backbone State Park, you will focus on segment one of the route:

SEGMENT ONE: LINDSEY BRIDGE TO MANCHESTER WHITEWATER PARK This segment of the river trail starts downstream of Backbone State Park. The dam that forms Backbone Lake contributes to this segment of the river feeling smaller and more rugged as trees hug and overhang the narrower channel. Paddlers will gently meander downstream through stretches of deeply wooded areas opening into peaceful, pastoral views. The tranquillity of the upper stretch of this segment will eventually give way to more active waters as it runs into the heart of the town of Manchester, home to one of Iowa’s 3 whitewater courses. The course consists of six 18-inch drops and spans over 800 feet on the river. I wish I had seen someone running this course because I was tempted to give it a try. I didn’t have a helmet with me though so ultimately I passed. It looked like fun.

Hiking:

While visiting, take advantage of the rugged and winding 21-mile multi-use trail system. There are some nice hiking trails throughout the park. You can access West Trail from South Campground but to access the other trailheads you would have to drive and exit the park from the south entrance and re-enter the park via the east entrance. This is about a 5-minute drive.

The park’s signature trail is Backbone Trail. It is a mile-long trail with views of many features of the park. Many consider this trail mandatory to appreciate all that Backbone State Park has to offer. I think that is an oversell, but it is a nice trail. I would argue the East Lake Trail is exceptional. The 2.2-mile hike starts at the shore of Backbone Lake and continues up to the backbone itself. The entire length is picturesque, but the western half of the trail is particularly gorgeous, sandwiched between a daunting rock face and beautiful views of the lake.

Fishing:

You can fish in Backbone Lake as well as in the Maquoketa River.The river is especially popular for trout. There was at one time a hatchery.  Although the hatchery closed in 1987, visitors can still see 16 circular pools on-site, originally built for the hatchery by the CCC.There is also a wheelchair-accessible spot provided for fishing. It is located on the Maquoketa River adjacent to a parking lot near the former hatchery.An Iowa issued fishing license is required.

Biking:

The section of Backbone State Park accessed using the East, West, or North gates has paved roads. It is very scenic and suitable for cycling. It is however very hilly, so unless you have an e-bike it may not be everyone’s idea of a fun ride.

Things to Know:

1. Backbone State Park does not have a main registration building. You need to know your campsite number- which you will have confirmed at the time of booking- and then go directly to your site when you arrive at the park. If you do not have a reservation you need to check at the information board located at the entrance to the campground. It will provide you with instructions.
2. There is a concession stand at the beach where you can purchase snack items. The town of Manchester is about 20 minutes away where you can buy groceries or forgotten items.
3. Pets on a leash are welcome.
4. The grounds are well maintained and each morning of our stay the park staff were on the job with their chain-saw-sounding weed trimmers and riding lawnmowers well before 8 am making sure that folks didn’t sleep in too late on their vacation (insert eye roll here).
5. The campground hosts were helpful and informative. You can purchase firewood from them.

IMO:

Backbone State Park is a nice park. It is very lightly used. We stayed mid-week in July, and more than 3/4 of the sites were vacant. This seemed unusual, especially when the cost per night was only $25 USD for an electric site. The beach was a problem since it was covered in goose poop but the hiking was nice, and the campsites were better than average. I would recommend Backbone State Park as an RV Place to Go.