Iowa State Parks · Iowa
Backbone State Park
Iowa State Parks · Iowa, United States
- Sites
- 128
- Hookups
- 50 electric, 2 with water, 78 no hookups
- Group sites
- Yes
- Drinking water
- Yes
- Restrooms
- Yes
- Showers
- Yes
- Dump station
- Yes
- Pets
- Yes
- Elevation
- 1,050 ft
- Dark sky
- Bortle class 2
- Cell coverage
- T-Mobile weak · AT&T none · Verizon none (carriers' 4G LTE filings to the FCC, 2025-12; not measured here)
- Nearest town
- Dundee
- Address
- 1347 129th St
- Phone
- 563-924-2527
144 numbered sites are mapped one by one - open the site map to pick yours.
About
Backbone State Park is an Iowa State Park campground offering 128 sites (50 electric) near Dundee.
Fees
Peak season (May 1-Oct 15) rates per night: electric sites $24/night, nonelectric sites $16/night, youth group site $25/night. Rates include sales tax. A $4/night equestrian fee is bundled into equestrian-campground rates above where applicable (except youth group sites). A $4-$5/night surcharge applies on Memorial Day, Labor Day and July 4th holiday weekends. Off-season (Oct 16-Apr 30) rates run roughly $2-6/night lower than these May 1-Oct 15 peak-season rates for the same site type. (Iowa DNR's own official per-park camping rate schedule, iowadnr.gov, updated February 15, 2026.) Pets are allowed in Iowa state park campgrounds, subject to Iowa DNR's park regulations: "Pets shall not be left unattended in campgrounds" and "Privately owned animals shall be kept on a leash with a maximum length of six feet, or be kept confined." (iowadnr.gov's own park-use regulations.)
Weather, month by month
| Month | Typical high | Typical low | Coldest night | Hottest day | Years with a night below 32°F |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| January | 26° | 6° | -20° | 48° | 11 of 11 |
| February | 29° | 14° | -17° | 64° | 11 of 11 |
| March | 47° | 28° | 2° | 74° | 11 of 11 |
| April | 57° | 38° | 22° | 78° | 6 of 11 |
| May | 69° | 52° | 33° | 86° | 0 of 11 |
| June | 80° | 62° | 48° | 93° | 0 of 11 |
| July | 82° | 66° | 58° | 90° | 0 of 11 |
| August | 79° | 64° | 55° | 90° | 0 of 11 |
| September | 78° | 59° | 46° | 89° | 0 of 11 |
| October | 61° | 43° | 26° | 78° | 4 of 10 |
| November | 45° | 31° | 6° | 70° | 7 of 10 |
| December | 35° | 22° | -13° | 69° | 10 of 10 |
Mid-month figures from 2016–2026 of daily weather at this spot (ERA5 reanalysis via Open-Meteo, CC BY 4.0), in °F. Typical is the median; coldest and hottest are the extremes seen.
Nearby campgrounds
- Joy Springs County Park · City, County & Regional Parks · 4 mi · 5 sites
- Jakway Park · City, County & Regional Parks · 9 mi
- Motor Mill Historic Site · City, County & Regional Parks · 17 mi · 5 sites
- Fontana Park · City, County & Regional Parks · 18 mi · 23 sites
- Oelwein City Park Campground · City, County & Regional Parks · 18 mi · 42 sites
All public campgrounds in Iowa · Every state and province · Facts read from the operator 2026-08-25. Confirm fees, rules and current status with the operator before you go.