![]() One fourth of the campsites are still available for self-registration on a first-come, first-serve basis.īackbone has 21 miles of hiking and multi-use trails. Advance campsite reservations can be made through the park reservation system. The Six Pine Campground, near the west entrance of the park, contains non-electric sites and provides pit latrines. The South Lake Campground contains non-electric sites, electric sites, 2 shower buildings, a playground and a dump station. There are a plethora of camp sites located in two campgrounds. New year-round cabin at Backbone State Park. The cabins can be reserved for a fee online through the park reservation system. Renters must provide their own bedding and dinnerware. Newly renovated one bedroom style cabins are available year round. The two-bedroom cabins are available year round. ![]() The modern two-bedroom cabins and renovated one-bedroom cabins are available and are equipped with heating and air conditioning. If you have questions about the lodge or cabins contact the concessionaire, Kelly Peterman, at 31. Backbone Concessions handles the lodge operation. The lodge may be rented online at park reservation system. Several open shelters and the auditorium may be reserved online through the park reservation system.Ĭonstructed by the Civilian Conservation Corps, the stone lodge overlooking the lake may be rented for a number of events including family reunions, weddings and other large gatherings. Some of these structures are currently being restored and the effort is continuing.īackbone is a beautiful place for a family picnic. Among the projects completed at Backbone were the dams on the Maquoketa River forming Backbone Lake, a cluster of rustic family cabins, beach and boat house, an auditorium, bridges, roads, picnic shelters, rest rooms and trails. Many of Backbone's buildings were constructed by the CCC from 1933 to 1941. The Civilian Conservation Corps (CCC) was established in April, 1933 as part of the New Deal program of President Roosevelt as an effort to provide work for unemployed Americans during the Great Depression. This woodland serves as a valuable refuge for a variety of wildlife including deer, raccoon, fox, turkeys, ruffed grouse and many species of songbirds. Erosion and secular decay have carved the rocks into picturesque columns, towers, castles, battlements and flying buttresses."īackbone consists of 2,001 acres and is heavily wooded with a variety of tree species, predominantly oak and maple. "Its sides are in places precipitous, the rocky cliffs rising sheer for more than 80 feet. Nearly a hundred years ago, State Geologist Samuel Calvin wrote these words about "The Backbone": Folklore named this high ridge of rock the "Devil's Backbone". Backbone is named for its narrow and steep ridge of bedrock carved by a loop of the Maquoketa River. ![]() It was Iowa's first state park and remains one of the most significant. Backbone State Park was dedicated in 1920.
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