Six Pines Campground — Backbone State Park
Reviewed Sep. 27, 2020

Many different camping options

There are two campgrounds at this park (the first state park in Iowa): a primitive one and a “modern” one. The primitive one (Six Pine) only has a pit toilet and each site has a fire grate and a picnic table. The modern campground (South Lake) has 30 amp, 50 amp, and tent sites. The electric sites are very close together (too close for our liking) so we opted for a tent site. We were in a loop with about six sites, and while the site size was generous and spaced a decent distance apart, there was no delineation between sites and no specific place to park your vehicle (and you cannot park on the road). These sites were also decidedly bumpy and not level; it took us about 15 minutes of maneuvering our van around to find a reasonably level spot. 

The restrooms were six separate rooms, each complete with toilet, sink, and shower; they were clean. 

We drove around the park and saw the balanced rock (meh) and I walked the short distance to the mouth of the cave. There was good signage to find the cave but once there, no information about the cave and its safety (or not) was available so I opted not to explore its dark and wet interior! There are seven trails in the park; the East Lake trail was a treat to hike. It hugs the lake for about two miles and while you can veer off onto the Bluebird Trail, I enjoyed hiking out and back for a different view. You can also hike from the South Lake campground to the beach– about a mile but the trail does start and stop, and you have to walk on the road for a bit. You can rent kayaks, canoes, and paddleboats but we did not take advantage of this. We also did not swim so I cannot speak to the quality of the lake (other reviewers took issue with this). There is also a CCC museum, but it was not open while we were there. 

We stayed one night which was sufficient for us. It might have been nice to stay longer if we decided to rent kayaks or hike different trails.

Site33
Month of VisitAugust
  • Review photo of Six Pines Campground — Backbone State Park by Lee D., September 27, 2020
  • Review photo of Six Pines Campground — Backbone State Park by Lee D., September 27, 2020
  • Review photo of Six Pines Campground — Backbone State Park by Lee D., September 27, 2020
  • Review photo of Six Pines Campground — Backbone State Park by Lee D., September 27, 2020
  • Review photo of Six Pines Campground — Backbone State Park by Lee D., September 27, 2020
  • Review photo of Six Pines Campground — Backbone State Park by Lee D., September 27, 2020
  • Review photo of Six Pines Campground — Backbone State Park by Lee D., September 27, 2020
  • Review photo of Six Pines Campground — Backbone State Park by Lee D., September 27, 2020
  • Review photo of Six Pines Campground — Backbone State Park by Lee D., September 27, 2020
  • Review photo of Six Pines Campground — Backbone State Park by Lee D., September 27, 2020
  • Review photo of Six Pines Campground — Backbone State Park by Lee D., September 27, 2020
  • Review photo of Six Pines Campground — Backbone State Park by Lee D., September 27, 2020
  • Review photo of Six Pines Campground — Backbone State Park by Lee D., September 27, 2020
  • Review photo of Six Pines Campground — Backbone State Park by Lee D., September 27, 2020
  • Review photo of Six Pines Campground — Backbone State Park by Lee D., September 27, 2020
  • Review photo of Six Pines Campground — Backbone State Park by Lee D., September 27, 2020
  • Review photo of Six Pines Campground — Backbone State Park by Lee D., September 27, 2020