Best Equestrian Camping near Elkader, IA

Many different trails for hiking, biking or equestrian. Camp sites are mostly grass. Beautiful park

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 the weekend we were there. You might even want to play a round of Gulf. We have solar on our trailer so we stayed in the Six Pines campground and it was beautiful. We listened to the night animals for hours.

In Yellow River State Forest,-Very nice spacious sites for horses/riders including tie-ups, fire rings, tables at each site. Self registration, trails from/ camp including stream crossings in trout streams. Manure station with tools. Some trails are multiuser.

This campground has many things to do. This place has tent, rv and cabin camping, you can choose modern or non modern camping. Fun activities include fishing, swimming in a lake and also ground fed springs, boat rentals on the lake, hiking also horse trails, rock climbing, caves, playgrounds shelters for events and parties. I am sure there are even more things to do that I didnt have the time for.

This review is for Yellow River State Forest's Big Paint Campground which consists of sites 35 through 61. Big Paint is a couple miles from Little Paint, a larger campground with 70+ sites. There are two equestrian campgrounds (Creekside and Little Frontier with sites numbered 1 through 34) as well as hike in campgrounds for backpackers. A photo of an area map is included.

Why did we choose Big Paint instead of Little Paint?

It's smaller and that's just our personal preference. There were only 4 sites occupied early Friday afternoon and a few more were reserved. We liked site 35, the first site on the left as you enter. This site is like being in a garden with trees and flowers surrounding the site. It had rained and more rain was coming, so the gravel parking pad on #35 was appealing. Most of the sites are completely on the grass.

Activities

Stocked trout streams are an attraction for fishermen; see photo of stocking calendar. We enjoyed hiking despite the mosquitoes and humidity in August and were able to make a 5+ mile loop leaving from the campground. You can also hike from Little Paint, and there are equestrian trails. This would also be a good area for X-country skiing and snowmobiling. A photo of the trail map is included. Caution: hunting is allowed in the non-campground area of the state forest.

Amenities

Each site has a picnic table and fire ring. Other than that, you can dispose of your trash and use a vault toilet. There's water at the information center (and a camp host site) outside the campground about 100 yards to the left.

Cost

You're not getting much (and that's not a bad thing) so the $9 fee seems fair. Pay up front at the entrance station, or make a reservation online at last 2 days ahead of time (and pay a reservation fee). There are 7 non-reservable sites at Big Paint. I doubt that Big Paint fills up; just check the reservation site to see if they get crowded.

https://iowastateparks.reserveamerica.com/camping/yellow-river-state-forest/r/campsiteSearch.do?search=site&page=siteresult&contractCode=IA&parkId=610130

didn’t do much here the day we went. not sure what trail it was but one of them had a great look out spot. you can see clear over to Iowa.

This nice SP is located on the Iowa border. It was a quiet nice little get away with several trails that challenge anyone in your group. Campground was clean and well maintained.

A very nice park located close to the Iowa border. Close to Effigy Mounds & Pikes Peak! It has great trails & campsites & lots of geocaching! Come one New Years for the annual carp drop :)

Lots a hiking trails... nice trout fishing. Kids love the river crossing. Be aware of night life, the raccoons like to come and join you at the camp fire.
All been said., nice little gem in Iowa.

I have visited a lot of Iowa parks and campgrounds. Backbone is one on my favorites. Backbone is the oldest state park in Iowa. You can take your canoe out on the lake or hit some of the hiking trails. There are cabins for rent if you don't want to sleep in a tent.

Click on the following link to download the trail maps: www.iowadnr.gov/portals/idnr/uploads/parks/trailmaps/trails_backbone.pdf

This is a great place to stay but make sure you get your reservations in early if you plan on staying on the weekend. If you want it to be quiet and prefer less crowds but you still want to enjoy the park, I highly suggest taking some time off of work during the week and avoiding the weekend.

This is a special place, the facilities, the showers, the campsites, the trails, and the lake are top quality.

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, flush toilets, water. I have camped here twice, both times in my travel trailer. Overall, it is a nice campground with decent space in between campers, however, I tend to avoid it during the busier summer and fall colors seasons.

Primitive Campground: This is my favorite at Backbone for camping, especially in the autumn after the leaves have fallen off of the trees. As this campground is non-electric, there are not many people camping after it turns colder. I have spent many nights there alone in the primitive campground, watching RVs pull in and then leave after realizing that it has no hookups.

Nearby trout fishing: Backbone is home to one of the more popular trout streams in Iowa. The fishing is easy as most of the fish are stocked (April-October). Still, it is an enjoyable fishing trip as the stream itself is mostly rocks and gravel, with several deep holes. The water is cold and clear.

Other activities: Hiking is very popular in Backbone. I have also seen rock climbing and rappelling. There are some nice spots away from the trout stream for wading and a little swimming. Backbone State Park also has a small lake with a swimming area and boat rentals during the summer. Several nice cabins are available for those who do not want to camp.

Stayed here back in 2017, will be going back hopefully soon. Beautiful area! Campground is very nice, with showers and restrooms. Camp sites are far enough away from neighbors that there is some privacy. Need a state park sticker to access. Illinois Minnesota and Iowa are all short drives away. We have also snow shoes here to the ice caves in the winter. Which was fun.

Iowa tends to get a bad wrap but this particular park should be love by many. I have family in Iowa and visit often. I decided on one trip to get out exploring a bit and stumbled upon this gem. Now, while there might not be mountains and alpine lakes and such, this is a beautiful park. We decided to picnic and quick day hike, but there are opportunities to do much more. There are designated trails for mountain biking and if kayaking, canoeing, or boating is your thing this place has you covered. Fishing is available for those so inclined. While we didn't stay the night, we did spy the campsites and checked out what they have to offer. They sell bait, firewood, rent boats, have concessions, a real bathroom (and some pit toilets!) and places for your trash. There is the opportunity to go rock climbing and even swimming in the lake. There are standard campsites as well as cabins to rent. While this place is not as primitive as I generally like, and was really busy, it is one heck of a park.

This is an amazing park on the Wisconsin/Iowa border, overlooking where the Wisconsin and Mississippi rivers join. I usually try to get in at least 1 trip a year, if lucky enough 2-3. Amazing park with great views, camping, hiking, canoeing/kayaking. Very clean restrooms and showers, tent and trailer camping. If you are lucky enough to get a site on the ridge you won't be disappointed.

Came to learn more about Tenkara fly fishing. Had a ball. Visited the 3 lookouts including Iowa only Fire tower. Bird life is colorful. Lots of places to hike. Scenery is lush. I had no phone service. Campsites are well mown, have a picnic table and fire ring. Pit toilets. Easy access to water. Drink water and firewood are at the host A frame. There is no dump site. Everyone was very friendly. Helpful. Nights were quiet. Very relaxing.

Was very thankful to find a place to overnight in mid-November. Not a lot of free parking options in this part of Iowa. No water, electric, or dump station, so very much like a parking lot overnight from that perspective. However, the park is situated on the valley bottom of the Yellow River Forest with beautiful tall trees, and there are fire rings. Fee was $12. First come first served basis from November through March.

This has been one of my favorite state parks in Iowa to camp thus far. I've tent camped in April and cabin camped in October. The cabin camping was the better of the two experiences, mainly due to the unusually chilly overnight temperatures in April. During the warmer months you can rent canoes from the concession stand. Climbing/rappelling is also allowed in the park via registration at the park office.

We stayed in a family cabin that sleeps up to 4 people. You have to reserve cabins and there is a 2 night minimum stay, but the price is extremely reasonable. These cabins also offer heat and A/C. Our cabin had a common area with a kitchenette.The bathroom included a toilet and shower. The small, but cozy bedroom included a mattress - you're responsible for bringing your own linens - along with a sink. Additional amenities included stove, frig, microwave, pots and pans, and even a small coffee maker. And, the couch in the common area pulled out into a futon, providing extra sleeping space. Outdoor amenities included a fire pit and picnic bench. Bonus: The back of our cabin area looked out onto Backbone Lake.

We purchased firewood in Strawberry Point, a small town just a short drive from the park. Iowa requires that firewood be obtained within the county you're staying in due to the Emerald Ash Borer epidemic.

We fished for trout and hiked along several trails in the park. The Devil's Backbone was our favorite mainly because of the scenery along the bluff. It was the perfect way to view the changing leaves and watch the Maquoketa River flow by.

While we did have neighbors on either side of us, the noise level was minimal, and everyone was respectful of parking spaces as there is a common parking area in front of the cabins.

This is a beautiful spot to visit especially in autumn.

Wyalusing State Park is located in the Southwest corner of Wisconsin athe the Iowa border and where the Wisconsin River empties into the Mississippi River. The views are spectacular anywhere in the park, from your campsite to picnic area! This offers more than at first sight! There is an star observatory which seems to be open on Saturday's, it was not open when I was there but information is available at the park office. There are plenty of of hiking trails and picnic areas as well. The Bluff trail was my favorite of the trails and it leads you to Treasures Cave and many spectacular views along the bluff. The park has NO SWIMMING! but does offer a boat landing and fishing pier. Be prepared to walk through knee high water if you want to use the pier! The park offers many shelters for rent as well as a playground and concession building. The concession building offers ice cream treats, shirts, sweatshirts, post cards, drinks, live bait, canoe and kayak rentals and much more,. The store does accept debit cards! There is also a camp store just before the entrance of the park which sells some necessities as well as campood for $3 compared to the parks $5. If you want more conveniences and necessities you have another 20-25 min. drive to the city of Prarie du Chein. There are some restaurants as well as a Walmart. If in Prarie du Chein you might as well take a drive over to Marquette Iowa and check out the small town and shops as well. The campgrounds here are gems! There are 2 family campgrounds, an indoor group campground, and outdoor group campground. The indoor group campground is intended for organized groups. The outdoor group is your typical group campground in grassy areas and few trees. The two family campgrounds offer showers and flush toilets. A new shower and bathroom building was constructed in2018 in the Homestead Campground. The Homestead Campground is a little more secluded with no bluff views. The 244 loop offers the best sites as the are well shaded and deep as well as wide. The Wisconsin Ridge Campground is where the views are at. It is buiser and the showers and bathrooms aren't as clean and new. This is also where the concession building is located. The view of the Wisconsin River emptying into the Mississippi, the sight of watching Bald Eagles, and beautiful sunsets might be hard to pass compared to the Homestead Campground.

We stayed here two nights. That was plenty, although it's not really the park's fault. The lake was super gross, with excessive floating moss (probably a weather issue) and EXCESSIVE goose poop everywhere. The beach was basically unusable, with goose bombs everywhere. It was better when we kayaked, but still gross.

So why the five stars? 1. The bathrooms were fantastic. 2. The camp site was really nice and plenty of room. 3. The hiking was superb. Felt like we were not in Iowa. 4. The driving through the park was also really great and I will go back this fall to look at leaves. 5. There is a cave you can explore on your own. We did. It's awesome. It's muddy. It's super cool. 6. There are some decent bouldering spots. 7. Cheap, huge bundles of firewood at park entrance. 8. Really friendly at the camp store. 9. Close to Strawberry Point. Go to town to Clayton's Pharmacy and get an old fashioned soda. Fantastic. 10. Close to Edgewood and the Edgewood Locker. Go visit and stock up on meat on the way home.

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.

Danger

We stayed on the ridge and enjoyed the tremendous views. This park also has nice hiking trails, good birding, clean bathrooms, recycling drop off, great cell and tv signals and is close to Prairie du Chien. Our site on the ridge was nice. Many of the sites have something that makes set up interesting-slope, angle, tree, retaining was for example, take time to find one that’s good for you.

We stayed here for one night only, but we will be back! Many of the camp sites (including ours) were secluded in trees and felt very private, but there were some sites that are very close together, so check the map! Beautiful park, great trails, probably the nicest and cleanest shower and bathrooms we've ever seen. The only downsides are that some of the sites are very small, and there were a LOT of bugs (none seemed to bite, but they swarmed our faces). Overall, though, we will definitely return!

Third time here camping at this campground, almost any spot on the bluff over look is good, but if you want a good view, anything really in the 120s or 140s is nice. Stayed at 125 this time, it’s all gravel with little grass, we had a raccoon come within a foot of where we were sitting, he got scared when we turned on the light haha. I get LTE/5G service at the camp ground, I have us cellular. Overall, would definitely come here again.

Great site. Great view. Lots of mosquitoes so come prepared. This is a really nice campground.

We stayed in the Homestead Campground. You’re not competing for the views up on the ridge so the camp sites are spaced out more and have a little more privacy. Our site was nicely sized and the facilities were kept quite clean. Wyalusing has fantastic trails and incredible views. I would give it five stars, but our specific campsite was quite close to sites in the next loop and there was a lot of noise from those sites. I agree with other to come prepared for the bugs.

Campground sits high up on the bluffs so the views are beautiful. We stayed there in early spring so there wasn't much vegetation growing yet between sites but sites are well-spaced. Great hiking paths up and down the bluffs.