Backbone State Park

Backbone State Park
Iowa State Park
Country	United States
State	Iowa
County	Delaware

Location	Strawberry Point
- elevation	1,099 ft (335 m) ^[1]
- coordinates	42°37′59″N 91°33′42″W / 42.63306°N 91.56167°W / 42.63306; -91.56167Coordinates: 42°37′59″N 91°33′42″W / 42.63306°N 91.56167°W / 42.63306; -91.56167

Area	2,001 acres (809.8 ha)

Founded	1919
Management	Iowa Department of Natural Resources

Location of Backbone State Park in Iowa
Website: Backbone State Park

Backbone State Park is Iowa's oldest state park, dedicated in 1919. 1200 acres were initially donated by E.M. Carr of Lamont, Iowa. Located in the valley of the Maquoketa River, it is approximately three miles (5 km) south of Strawberry Point in Delaware County. Backbone Lake Dam, a relatively low dam built by the Civilian Conservation Corps in the 1930s, creates Backbone Lake. The Civilian Conservation Corps constructed a majority of trails and buildings which make up the park.

Measuring 2,001 acres (8.10 km²), the region is heavily forested, mainly in species of oak and maple. The geology of the area is particularly noteworthy. As part of the Driftless Area, it was left unglaciated during the last Ice Age, with very ancient dolomite formations dating from the Silurian period. A large ridge of rock divides the park, resembling a spine, and lends its name to the park and adjacent forest. The area is characterized by active springs, caves, sinkholes and karsts. With cliffs measuring over 80 feet in places, climbing and rappelling are popular, but both require a permit.

Twenty-one miles of multi-use trails support year-round recreational activities, including hiking as well as cross-country skiing and snowmobiling in winter. The lake is noted for its swimming, boating, and fishing. Backbone Creek is known to support both Rainbow and Brown trout, and is stocked by the Iowa Department of Natural Resources from local brood ponds. Campsites (49 electrical and 49 non-electrical) and cabins are available for rental (reservations recommended). Two shower buildings and a playground are also available.

Local wildlife abound in the park and surrounding area, including fox, turkey, and deer.

Backbone State Forest is immediately adjacent to the park. It consists of 186 acres (0.75 km²) of pine forest. Horsebackriding and hunting are permitted in this reserve, but not in the park proper.

The park's administrative headquarters are in Dundee.

Iowa Civilian Conservation Corps Museum

The Iowa Civilian Conservation Corps Museum provides exhibits about the activities of the Civilian Conservation Corps (CCC) in Iowa state parks. Backbone State Park was the site of two CCC camps, and many of the buildings and trails in the park were built by the CCC. The museum opened in 1990.

References

↑ "Backbone State Park". Geographic Names Information System. United States Geological Survey. 1979-04-30. Retrieved 2011-02-25.

External links

Backbone State Park

Protected areas of Iowa

Federal

National Monument	Effigy Mounds

National Historic Site	Herbert Hoover

National Wildlife Refuges	DeSoto Driftless Area Neal Smith Northern Tallgrass Prairie Port Louisa Union Slough Upper Mississippi River

State

State Parks	Ambrose A. Call Backbone Badger Creek Banner Lakes at Summerset Beed's Lake Bellevue Big Creek Black Hawk Brushy Creek Cedar Rock Clear Lake Dolliver Memorial Elk Rock Elinor Bedell Emerson Bay Fairport Fort Defiance Geode George Wyth Memorial Green Valley Gull Point Honey Creek Lacey-Keosauqua Lake Ahquabi Lake Anita Lake Darling Lake Keomah Lake MacBride Lake Manawa Lake of Three Fires Lake Wapello Ledges Lewis and Clark Maquoketa Caves Marble Beach McIntosh Woods Mines of Spain & E.B. Lyons Mini-Wakan Nine Eagles Okamanpedan Palisades-Kepler Pikes Peak Pikes Point Pilot Knob Pine Lake Pleasant Creek Prairie Rose Preparation Canyon Red Haw Rice Lake Rock Creek Springbrook Stone Templar Trapper's Bay Twin Lakes Union Grove Viking Lake Volga River Walnut Woods Wapsipinicon Waubonsie Wildcat Den Wilson Island

State Forests	Backbone Barkley Gifford Holst Loess Hills Pilot Mound Shimek Stephens White Pine Hollow Yellow River

State Preserves	A.F. Miller Ames High Prairie Anderson Prairie Behrens Pond and Woodlands Berry Woods Bird Hill Bixby Bluffton Fir Stand Brush Creek Canyon Brushy Creek Cameron Woods Casey's Paha Catfish Creek Cayler Prairie Cedar Bluffs Cedar Hills Sand Prairie Cheever Lake Clay Prairie Claybanks Forest Cold Water Spring Crossman Prairie Decorah Ice Cave Dinesen Prairie Doolittle Prairie Fallen Rock Fish Farm Mounds Five Ridge Prairie Fleming Woods Fort Atkinson Freda Haffner Kettlehole Gitchie Manitou Hanging Bog Hardin City Woodland Hartley Fort Hayden Prairie Hoffman Prairie Indian Bluffs Primitive Area Indian Fish Trap Iowa's State Preserves System Kalsow Kish-Ke-Kosh Prairie Lamson Woods Liska-Stanek Prairie Little Maquoketa Malanaphy Springs Malchow Mounds Manikowski Prairie Mann Wilderness Area Marietta Sand Prairie Mericle Woods Merrill A. Stainbrook Merritt Forest Montauk Mossy Glen Mount Pisgah Cemetery Mount Talbot Nestor Stiles Prairie Ocheyedan Mound Old State Quarry Palisades-Downs Pecan Grove Pellett Woods Pilot Grove Pilot Knob Retz Woods Roberts Creek Rock Creek Island Rock Island Roggman Boreal Slopes Rolling Thunder Prairie Saint James Lutheran Church Savage Woods Searryl's Cave Sheeder Prairie Silver Lake Fen Silvers-Smith Woods Slinde Mounds Starr's Cave Steele Prairie Stinson Prairie Strasser Woods Sylvan Runkel Toolesboro Mounds Turin Loess Hills Turkey River Mounds White Pine Hollow Williams Prairie Wittrock Indian Village Woodland Mounds Woodman Hollow Woodthrush

County

State Parks (Leased)	Bobwhite Cold Springs Crystal Lake Eagle Lake Echo Valley Frank A. Gotch Heery Woods Lake Cornelia Lake Icaria Kearny Margo Frankel Mill Creek Oak Grove Oakland Mills Pammel Sharon Bluffs Spring Lake Swan Lake Three Mile Lake

Iowa Department of Natural Resources

National Register of Historic Places in Delaware County, Iowa

Coggon	Robert Kirkpatrick Round Barn

Delhi	Bay Settlement Church and Monument

Dundee	Backbone State Park, Cabin-Bathing Area (Area A) Backbone State Park, Picnicking, Hiking & Camping Area (Area B) Backbone State Park, Richmond Springs (Area C)

Earlville	Ruth Suckow House

Hopkinton	Historic Lenox College

Manchester	Coffin's Grove Stagecoach House Delaware County Courthouse J.J. Hoag House Lincoln Elementary School McGee School Spring Branch Butter Factory Site

Petersburg	Saints Peter and Paul Church

Strawberry Point	Backbone State Park Historic District

See also: National Register of Historic Places listings in Delaware County, Iowa and List of National Historic Landmarks in Iowa

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