Beautiful location on top of bluffs. Maneuvering around the park is a chore. Sites are very close together, so you see your neighbor as soon as you walk out of your RV. Reports from friends we were with that the showers were cool water only and the shower house was not heated either. We'd stay again, but only in certain spots We camped here in a Motorhome.
The Park is located on the bluffs overlooking the river. Although the views are spectacular from the park over the Mississippi River, the views from the campsites are of the woods or your neighbor. Rates are reasonable and campground not crowded when we arrived on a Thursday in September. But we encountered a line of 4 other RVs waiting to fill water tanks from the only water spigot. The main concern was how tightly the sites were situated: most very close to your neighbor, especially for a state park. Then the weekenders arrived at 8:00 pm on Friday creating a commotion right outside our unit till well past 11 pm quiet hours. Another annoyance was that the park requires you to reserve both Fri & Sat nights on weekends even if you want only one night. Won't stay here again. Will check out the State Park in Wisconsin south of Prairie du Chien instead. We camped here in a Fifth Wheel.
Arriving on Sunday night of a 3 day weekend, we were surprised to find an open spot. The tree-shaded sites are gravel with an additional leveled area for chairs and the picnic table. Our site 59 was almost level side to side but was not level front to back, which is to a concern to us. We enjoyed the trail to the Mississippi River and to Bridal Veil Falls, which is more impressive when the weather is not drought-like. The site 59 power was grounded properly, but the voltage was a bit under 110 volts. At 108 volts air conditioners can have major troubles. We were much more comfortable about 9 AM when the temperature outside cooled. We will need to check the power before we stay again. We camped here in a Travel Trailer.
This is a very pretty park on the Iowa/Wisconsin border. It is high up in the bluffs overlooking the Mississippi River. Very clean, quiet. Many well paved walking trails, a overlook, a shelter, and lots of wildlife. There are caves and trails to explore, and the leash laws are enforced by the wardens that came through. Very relaxing. We camped here in a Motorhome.
Review Rating
[ 8 / 10 ]
November 2010
$11
This state park is located high on a bluff above the Mississippi River. It appears to be a very popular location as was evidenced by the many campers visiting on a late October weekend, even though water had been turned off for the season. Since this is a small park, I’d suggest reservations for visits during the summer camping season. Apparently the park management has heeded comments about access made by previous reviewers as most of the sites were accessible to a moderate (35’) size motorhome. There are a number of walking trails in the park, several of which provide spectacular vistas of the river valley below. Several TV stations are available over the air and I experienced a good Verizon broadband signal. This is a convenient base for exploring northeastern Iowa and the adjacent Wisconsin area. The nightly cost shown reflects the off-season rate. We camped here in a Motorhome.
This is a delightful State Park near Effigy Monument Park. You can walk about three blocks to an overview of the River and Wisconsin on the other side. The Park was not crowded during the weekday but they accept reservations and those sites able to be reserved were all booked for the week-end. We stopped in the little town of McGregor and walked through the shops. This is an area where you can stay for several days and enjoy every minute. We camped here in a Motorhome.
This is a nice state park, but the campground sites are very rough. It is difficult, but not impossible, for a motorhome (40 ft or shorter) to get into some sites. The campground is heavily treed so don't count on satellite TV. There is a lot of hiking in the park and great views of the Mississippi River. We camped here in a Motorhome.
A very nice state park. The sites are wide however some would be hard to get into with a big rig. It was hard to get into the site I had. I would camp there again. We camped here in a Fifth Wheel.
Immaculate rest rooms and shower. Awesome view of the Mississippi and Wisconsin rivers. Great hiking trails. Some sites were awkward to get into, but we will return. Very nice place to stay. We camped here in a Motorhome.
This is a very beautiful park to camp at in October. The falls colors are everywhere up and down the Mississippi. Large rigs may have trouble with overhanging limbs and getting into most sites. We stayed three nights and had a great time in the area. We camped here in a Travel Trailer.
We went out of our way to camp in this park again. The view alone is worth stopping. Don't forget, there is no water hookup, but there is a very nice clean shower area. We camped here in a Travel Trailer.
Excellent campground. Very nice state park with great overlooks and hiking trails. There are even some mountain biking trails. Lots to see and do in Marquette, Mc Gregor and Prairie du Chien. The campground was very clean and well laid out. The restrooms & showers were incredibly clean and well maintained. The only things keeping me from awarding a "10" were: 1-The warm water showers, which may be okay in summer, were a bit cold on this cool spring week end; and 2-The campground host were not yet in residence, and no one at the concession stand seemed to know how we could buy a bundle of wood. But all in all, we had a great weekend of hiking/sight seeing, survived the cold shower and eventually flagged down a park ranger who was able to direct us on who to see about buying the firewood. This is a very nice area to see. A great clean and quiet campground. We camped here in a Travel Trailer.
There are some interesting things to do here - like hike to the interpretative center and watch the dozen hummingbirds feed at 6 feeders. They aren't too afraid of you so you can get close and take amazing photographs of them. Good hiking with views of the Mississippi. Hiking to Bridal Veil Falls is enjoyable even though there are hundred of stairs down. . . and up again. We saw several effigy mounds while hiking - interesting. However, many of the sites are not Class A friendly - too tilted or low branches. Sites were quite close together with no separating vegitation. Our "neighbor" had his porch-light on all night which shown directly in our bedroom window - yech. Site 38 was OK for our Class A. Lots of dogs in the campground and, with the sites so close, their chains didn't always keep them in their own site. Our personal preference was this was a fine place to visit and experience once, but we don't feel an urge to return soon. We camped here in a Motorhome.
This is a hidden treasure. We just happened on to it and loved it. The shower house and restroom facilities were spotless. It is a small state park so it does not have all of the extras that a private park has. It was so quiet and peaceful. In addition to the camping portion there is a separate day park area. Nice playground, several hiking paths and a wonderful overlook of the Mississippi and Wisconsin rivers.
If you are in the area check it out. We camped here in a Motorhome.
You have to find this one. Once you do, it is interesting. We did not tour the cave, but it is popular with both campers and day-trippers. It is a long,steep walk from the check in stop to the office. If you are mobility impaired, flag down one of the staff carts. They will be happy to give you a ride. The spaces are large but ill defined, We had to ask our neighbors to move their coolers, chairs, etc before we could back in. We would stay here again, but only in the middle of the week. We camped here in a Fifth Wheel.
If you don't mind no cell phone, local TV or satellite reception this would be a good place to take young children. Perhaps the sites on the road that enters the campground might get some type or reception but every one who goes in or out of the campground will drive by your campsite. The train goes right through the campground but I did not hear it during the night. For those with out children this is not a bad place for an overnight stay. We were in the are for two days to do some business. The sites were adequate size but because of side by side hook ups the picnic table/fire pits face each other. We camped here in a Motorhome.
Nightly rate based on a this was one of the worst places we've been to. The interior road was supposed to be gravel, it was a limestone dust road. The speed limit was supposed to be "5" and we all know that song and dance, especially when the help and hosts haul butt in the golf carts kicking up a big cloud. But the best was the railroad tracks through the campground. When I asked how often they come through, I got "around 4-5 times a day" and yes that includes during the night! At the entrance of the campground the tracks cross the road so of course they have to blow and blow and blow the horn and if that doesn't wake you then the weight of the train shaking the ground and everything on it will. Thankfully I didn't have to do laundry, and after opening the laundry room door there was no way I could have. The stench was so bad and the room was filthy. The Spook Cave tour will cost you another $10 per person for a 30 minute tour. It's not worth that much money. My advice skip the cave and keep on rolling. We camped here in a Motorhome.
Stayed here 10 days and loved it!! Spaces were huge with lots of trees, grass and a creek running right behind the rig. The train was a minor inconvenience now and again. Very close to Prairie Du Chein, Macgregor, Effigy Mounds and many historic sites. Quiet, even though the campground was busy with campers and folks coming to see Spook Cave. Would stay here again!! We camped here in a Motorhome.