Cedar City, Iowa

Backbone State Park is unlike any other place in Iowa, having geological features uncommon in Iowa.

There are two campgrounds. I have camped in both:

Modern Campground: This is a large, modern campground with all of the standard amenities found in a modern campground… electric hookups,…

Electric and water only. Nice playground for young kids. Limited activities.

Great owners, loads of stuff for kids (putt putt, paddle boats, horseshoes, basketball, Gaga, trampoline, playground). Near the highway so it has truck noise

I have been to Backbone a few times, this spot is one of my friends and I’d favorite. There is no through traffic so it’s quiet. Tons of trails, specifically the spot we camped at was right by the trail so we had easy access. The sites are big so you can camp far back and keep the vehicles at the…

Great small town campground. Very quiet, especially on weekdays. Great place to take long walks with great paths and scenery. Small town Iowa with convenience store close by.

We camped with family in the group circle site. The circle group site has a nice big area for the kids to play. The playground and lake was also fun for the kids too.

Went there last weekend had to do a walk up everything else was reserved. Clean park area, bathrooms were disgusting though. Talked to the DNR he was very friendly and knowledgeable. Plenty of places to walk around and hike. Overall a good place to stay for a few days but not much to do after that

To start off, Backbone State Park is one of the most gorgeous parks I’ve ever visited. It’s so beautiful, with plenty of challenging and scenic trails and lots of wildlife. The only reason I didn’t give it five stars is the campgrounds (we stayed at Six Pines). I’ll go into more detail below.…

Backbone is a very diverse area. There are miles of trails. Is hiking your thing? What about equestrian? Maybe mountain bike trails? You can even take the family for a nice leisurely walk on the easier trails. Exploring is fun at this park because there is so much to see. The Trout stream was busy…

camped her for years and the park has lost its camp host. soooo honesty pay system is in effect. the park has a nice primitive spot along the river

Great scenery and views! Fun trails, great beach, lighthouse, boat docks, cabins, caves, and much more. Absolutely loved this place! Had a blast got lots of great pics and memories! Loved the trails but most of all the amazing views/scenery! Fun family oriented park!

Really nice. Has 3 playgrounds a volley ball pit, disk golf, fishing, basketball court, shuffle board, clean shower houses, nice size sites, dump station, not expensive. Oh and they have events and bands that play on a stage. The town has restaurants and a bar and grocery store and hardware store.…

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…

This park is perfect for families or anyone looking for plenty of activities. They have boat rentals, amazing trails, a camp store onsite, a swimming beach and super clean bathrooms. Stayed at tent site #24 in the Southlake Campground, and it was fairly quiet even on a busy holiday weekend.

I tent camped at Six Pines Campground for 3 nights in August. The park has two campgrounds and this one is non electric with pit toilets and water. Each site has a picnic table and fire ring with a really nice grill. The sites are large and flat and the ones on the outside of the loop are well…