Dedicated in 1919, the 2,000-acre Backbone State Park is the oldest park in the state of Iowa. The park derives its name from a steep and narrow bedrock ridge beside the Maquoketa River that was originally known as the Devil’s Backbone. The park is listed on the U.S. National Register of Historic Places and is recognized as a U.S. Historic District because of several different structures and aspects found within it. Some of the things that you’ll see are a stone lodge which is now used as a museum, two sets of stone trail steps, a stunning stone barn, and a bathhouse that was built in the 1930s.

Address: 1347 129th St, Dundee, IA 52038, Phone: 563-924-2527

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