pikes peak state park

If you are looking for a scenic place to picnic or a good hike, this is the place. There are 10+ miles of hiking trails and you can go from the top to bottom (or vice versa by parking just off River Road) and will get in a great hike.

I visited here last month as part of a Road Scholar Program tour traveling the Upper Mississippi River area. Since the Mississippi River was the focus of our tour, we had to visit this park for the wonderful views of the river. I first want to say that as a Californian, I wasn't expecting the Midwest, much less Iowa to have such beautiful bluff scenery and a high overlook of the Mississippi River valley. It was a nice surprise and one of the joys of traveling, to see the country in a different perspective than imagined. This is a very nice state park which looks well kept. Our tour group came mostly for the overlook, but we did have the chance to did walk briefly on a few of the park trails which went through a lovely forest. There are picnic areas, restrooms and a gift/snack shop. The park is located on a 500 foot bluff and the views from the platforms are simply stunning. The park system did a great job of designing and building the platforms. You can see for miles up here. To the north you can see the bridges connecting Iowa and Wisconsin and to the south you can see where the Mississippi and Wisconsin Rivers meet. You get great views of the river with all of the channels and islands. There is a bear shaped effigy mound located here and I was interested to see this, but there was no signage for the mound and it really did not look like much, hardly noticeable until it was pointed out to me by our tour leader. One of the trails goes to a waterfall which would be great to see when flowing and if there is time, which I did not have. This is a not to be missed park if you are ever in the area or want to make a destination trip here. The town of McGregor nearby is also definitely a worthy destination for its charm and beauty. Enjoy this special area!

We keep returning here year after year for the natural beauty. There is so much history in the area as well between McGregor and Prairie Du Chein that is interesting as well

Such a great park! We go every year in October to look at the leaves! Love the hiking and views! Be sure to stop if you are in the area!!

Great view of the Mississippi River. Lots of room to spread out and have a picnic, hike, let the kids run or just relax. There are signage for hiking trails. There were about 4 picnic tables in the area we stopped at. There are paved walkways to lookouts and plenty of parking. Bathrooms are modern and clean. Nice park.

Don't miss the sights from the overlook on your travel through the area! The view is always breathtaking but exceptional in the fall! The park is very clean and has a little gift shop to purchase items.

We visited tis park on a beautiful fall day. The colors on the bluffs of the Mississippi River were stunning and it is not unusual to see an eagle flying overhead or a river barge pushing its cargo upriver. The paths are well marked and easy to walk although the trails we took are not handicap accessible. A beautiful place to spend a beautiful day.

Wonderful view of the Mississippi. The trails are well maintained. Hickory Ridge is sacred space with the mounds.

We traveled the Wisconsin river road between LaCrosse and Cassville Wi on one side of the river and Guttenberg and Marquette, Iowa on the other side and this had the best views. View of the confluence of the Wisconsin and Mississippi Rivers, beautiful river bluffs, distant railroad and river bridges. Easy location with vista view easily accessible for all. Other forested hiking trails to a small waterfall, and native american burial grounds. There is a playground for children, picnic tables, drinking fountain, bathrooms and a small convenience shop. And it's free! Highly recommend this stop.

This park is a gem! And although the leaves weren't quite "ripe" enough it is always a beautiful place to see.

We found the Deer Ridge campground to be very nicely placed in the woods with cornfields observable through the trees. The park had many walking and hiking paths. Some routes consisted of boarwalks and stairs to negotiate the gully riddled terrain. The Mississippi River overlook with a view of Prairie du Chien were awesome. We enjoyed the hike to Bridal Veil Falls by way of the Crow's nest returning by way of Myotis Trail. This is on our bucket list for a longer stay the next time we are in the area. Only the area around the concession and the camp ground are wheel chair accessible.

Not sure if people know about this, but what a view and nice lookout area. Nice place to ride the motorcycles to and take some awesome photos of the Mississippi River. Definitely worth seeing!

Well kept park, easy walking to viewing platforms. Good parking, good information posting on area. Awesome and breathtaking views!

A truly beautiful spot! If you are traveling through Iowa and think it's flat, think again! The park is placed to offer easy access to spectacular views of the Mississippi River. Many additional well marked and maintained trails. You can do an 8 mile round trip hike from McGregor. No fee to this state park.

Pike's Peak was a nice quick hike, but the views weren't quite as majestic as I thought it had been made out to be. I did, however, see an owl, falcon, AND bald eagle on my hike, so it was a great hike.