State Park · Iowa, United States
Backbone State Park
Backbone State Park is a state park in Iowa, United States, established in 1919.
Photo: Kevin Schuchmann via Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 3.0. Cropped and resized for display.
Park facts
| Park type | State Park |
|---|---|
| Location | Delaware County, Iowa, United States |
| Established | 1919 |
| Coordinates | 42.6331° N, 91.5617° W |
| Managed by | Iowa state park system |
Every fact above is taken from the sources listed below; anything no source states is left blank rather than guessed.
About Backbone State Park
Backbone State Park is Iowa's oldest state park, dedicated in 1920. Located in the valley of the Maquoketa River, it is approximately three miles (5 km) south of Strawberry Point in Delaware County. It is named for a narrow and steep ridge of bedrock carved by a loop of the Maquoketa River originally known as the Devil's Backbone. The initial 1,200 acres (490 ha) were donated by E.M. Carr of Lamont, Iowa. Backbone Lake Dam, a relatively low dam built by the Civilian Conservation Corps (CCC) in the 1930s, created Backbone Lake. The CCC constructed a majority of trails and buildings which make up the park.
Description from the park's Wikipedia article (CC BY-SA), linked in the sources below.
Planning your visit
Getting there
| Nearest town | Strawberry Point, Iowa |
|---|---|
| Getting there | about 3 miles south of Strawberry Point |
Airports near this park
The airports a visitor would actually fly into, nearest first — each link opens its profile on our sister site AirportProfiles.
- Des Moines International Airport (DSM) · Des Moines, United States · 131.6 miles away
Parks nearby
More parks in Iowa
Frequently asked questions
Where is Backbone State Park?
Backbone State Park is in Iowa, United States (42.6331° N, 91.5617° W).
When was Backbone State Park established?
Backbone State Park was established in 1919, per the source listed at the foot of this page.
How do I get to Backbone State Park?
The nearest town is Strawberry Point, Iowa. about 3 miles south of Strawberry Point.
Sources
- https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_Iowa_state_parks — Wikipedia list of Iowa state parks — park name, county/location, size, year where the table states them.
- https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Backbone_State_Park — Wikipedia article — description (CC BY-SA).