Waubonsie State Park

Cute kids playgroundGood spots for the campers. It's quiet. The bathroom facilities are great! Nice loop for rent camping.Easy to findPrivacy is good.

We camped in a cabin for couple of nights at Waubonsie State Park near Hamburg, Iowa. It's about ten miles from Nebraska City. We had cabin #4 which at one time was part of a Girl Scout camp that got added to the existing park in the Loess Hills. For $60 a night we rented a two bedroom cabin. We could also bring our dogs. It didn't have running water or a bathroom but conveniently, a vault latrine and outdoor water pump were in close proximity. A regular bathroom with showers was a short walk away. There were two sets of bunk beds in one room and a full-sized bed in the other. Renters must provide their own bedding, pillows, towels, toiletry items, cooking utensils, pots and pans, and dinnerware. With a microwave and coffeemaker but no other appliances, some cooking was done outdoors. It did have a couch, a couple of chairs and a dinette set, as well as a picnic table outside. Waubonsie is a hikers paradise with lots of trails including equestrian trails and camping. If you're into fishing, Lake Virginia is 7 acres with largemouth bass, bluegill and channel cat. You can launch your boat (electric motor only) or peacefully canoe.Waubonsie is not for you if you like an action-filled vacation. It's a beautiful, quiet and peaceful retreat from stressful living. Not surprisingly, do watch out for ticks in the spring.

It was a gorgeous Saturday a couple of weeks ago so I decided to make the quick drive up I-29 and spend the afternoon at Waubonsie State Park. I have always been pleased with Iowa's State Parks, however this time it was not the case. I love to hike and was disappointed to find that most of the trails were overgrown and covered in spider webs. The area was very buggy and tick season was in high force so bug spray is a must if you plan to go this time of year.Not only were the trails poorly kept up, but the restroom facilities were as well. They were filled with bugs and webs making using the restroom a terrifying process! While the views of this state park were beautiful, I won't be going out of my way to go back anytime soon.

Good park with a great view at the overlook! We enjoyed hiking and being outdoors here.

The riding is fantastic! Eight miles of trails, with lots of hills to work your horse. Been coming here for years. The camping are and stalls are in very good shape. Highly recommend it for horseman who want a good work or a very nice day ride or to simply enjoy the camping and the scenery.

This was a very cool park. I needed somewhere to go and explore on Memorial day and it was rainy, but I have to admit that I caught some really cool sites. I did feel like my blue umbrella was intriguing four hawks/eagles a little too much so that was a little freaky, but also exciting. The park was fairly empty which allowed me to drive around and look closely at some areas - I just wish that I had been able to sit somewhere lol - but all the benches were wet. I will definitely go back, it was absolutely beautiful.

Waubonsie is a sweet little gem of a park set amidst Iowa's great Loess Hills.My husband and I planned a day trip down south, with Waubonsie as our first stop. The park is a little over an hour south of Council Bluffs, conveniently located to the east 5 miles off I-29.The park is free. Thanks to online guidance, we found where the trails with a view were and parked accordingly. The trail we hiked was about 2-3 miles roundtrip, with stunning views. One solid piece of the trail ran alongside the hill. Bring your camera and prepare to snap away. Admire nature and all the butterflies, birds and more.Pack a lunch, if you like; there are plenty of areas to comfortably eat.Word of advice: be wary of ticks. After arriving home, we discovered these little surprises. Clothe appropriately!

I stopped here on my first leg of the southern Iowa Loess Hills tour, and I wish I had set more time aside for this Park, and brought more information. There is a Loess Hills Visitor Center off I-29 on the other side of Hwy 2, but it was stocked with an older couple, who really were not prepared to answer too many questions, and only had a primitive map to hand out.I only stopped at the Park Office/Lookout during the peak week of 2014 color, and hope to get back to see more. The only problem with the lookout area (which has a nice picnic area) is that at mid day you are looking right into the sun, so a morning or evening visit to this spot is recommended.

While the scenery is great, this park as a whole feels like a work in progress. We have had family reunions there the last two years and camped there this Memorial Day and overall the area left us wanting. The cabin we rented was poorly maintained (broken central a/c replaced by poorly installed, very loud window a/c) as were the "trails" which were very overgrown and washed out. Fair warning, bring your own firewood as signage at the campsites states that they will not provide it due to budget cuts. They have a pool and basketball court that could be great amenities with some maintenance but as it is right now they have fallen into disrepair and sit abandoned and unused. The once lovely lake is now overgrown and choked by vegetation, again I assume due to lack of use. It's a shame, it is a lovely spot and not a bad location but many other campsites in the area offer more amenities and are much better funded/maintained.

All of the cabins are run down and no on-site park ranger. Very sad the State of Iowa has let this happen.