If you are craving a unique travel adventure, then look no further! Our visit to Maquoketa Caves State Park in Iowa ranks in my top 3 favorite experiences of all-time and I am already planning our next trip back!
So, maybe you’re like us and you’re on a quest to visit all fifty states. Maybe you’re looking for something different, or maybe you live in the Midwest. Either way, I cannot recommend a trip to this State Park enough! If you follow along already, then you know that I have set a goal to visit all 50 states with my boys. When planning our summer adventures I knew that I wanted to knock out some new states that we haven’t visited yet and so I got out my map and started making plans. Most of the states we have left to visit are not really in driving range, but Iowa looked doable. My first thought though was, “What on earth are we going to do in Iowa”? Little did I know that I would come across one of the most epic hiking trails I could ever imagine!
What makes this State Park so incredible is that it has 6 miles of hiking trails and 13 caves to explore, completely on your own. My family loves visiting caves, but usually that comes with a guided tour and a time limit on your caving experience. Not this place! You park your car and your adventure begins! There are no guides, no time limits, just a nicely marked trail system to venture at your own pace.
My boys loved this adventure just as much as I did! We started with the lower caves, so that involved walking down wooden stairs to get inside the caves. There were different places for the boys to climb and explore, and if you have kids, you know that they love to climb and explore! I could not get over all of the geologic features and was just in awe the whole time!
The caves stay the same temperature year round, but I found that they were pretty humid in August when we visited. There’s lots of water dripping throughout the caves, so wear a hat if that is something that might bother you. I also recommend wearing waterproof shoes and bringing a flashlight or headlamps. Some of the caves are really wet, some even require you to walk through shallow waters to explore!
For more information on Maquoketa Caves State Park, visit their website linked HERE! If you would like to check out videos of our hike through the caves, check out my Instagram page: road_trip_queen!
Road Trip Queen 