Whitewater Canyon Wildlife Management Area in Dubuque County

Very big place worth exploring

Beautiful area with gorgeous wildflowers and grasses. Trails extremely well kept.

Great family hiking

Beautiful hiking, no bathroom but wonderful place to spend a day

This spot is tricky to review! On one hand, this wasnt our favorite hike..on the other hand, this opinion is 100% the result of our own actions!I pride myself on doing solid research before we take roadtrip to hike new trails. This was an area Ive heard a TON about and have looked forward to visiting.1st: check the weather. We visited early this fall when it was 80. For a lot of the hiking we were in full sun and that can wear you out fast! Theres no bathrooms or facilities because its a wildlife area, so make sure you prepare for these things before hand.2nd: Take a picture of the map board! Heres where our trip went a little wonky...We parked in the lot with only one other car there. We walked from the parking lot, straight down the trial leading to the overlook you seeing in all of the pictures. We decided to backtrack to look at the trail marker and decide there. The paths fork left or right. We chose left to see the land bride... Im not sure we ever actually did?? Im also not sure we were actually on a trail made by humans by the end. Things werent marked so we just followed the path. Eventually (like a long time laterwe ended up back up at that overlook. By this time we were hot and tired and its been a few hours so we decided NOT to go to the last trail. BIG MISTAKE. We didnt for down the path so I cant confirm for sure, but I believe in order to see the cave formations and bluffs you need to take the trail to the lower level. We will visit again someday and skip the first two trails and go straight for the lower level!

Nicely groomed trails. Easy walking and beautiful sights.

No matter what trail you take you get a different view of the park but all are cool and the outdoor exercise is great!

Beautiful trails, wonderful experience

One of our favorite places to bring the dogs. Trails are well maintained and take you to some pretty awesome spots. Pups love going in the water on the stream bottom trail!

The trails were very wide and well cleared. The hiking was wonderful. Nice mix of open grasslands and wooded areas. Very nice place to visit. It could use a few more benches and signage along the trails. A definite gem off the beaten path.

Nice hiking trails. Surprised to see terrain like this in eastern Iowa. Beautiful!

Beautiful. Easy to moderate hike. Butterflies everywhere. Nice parking area. Not crowded.

Beautiful area with well maintained trails

Lots of walking, but otherwise its fun for doggies but some paths are a little steep. I almost twisted my ankle 😂 there are no Portapottys so, therefore, you have to take a Squat.

Hidden canyons and a reasonable aerobic stroll through interesting flora.

Outstanding natural beauty! Such to explore

Nicely maintained trail and a beautiful overlook of the river.

Umm just ok...the overlook of the canyon is really neat but thats about it. We hike all over the place so have a lot to compare it to. A lot of the trails are in mowed prairie. Our kids got bored with that quickly. Nice to have stopped but there are a lot of better places to hike in Iowa.

Very nice trails!

People need to go out and experience this place. It is am amazing spot to get away for a bit.

Beautiful hiking through prairie, savanna, and hardwood forest.

Lovely, small preserve encompassing 1 of Iowas two canyons. On the short paths one passes quickly from billowing tallgrass prairie to deep, shady ravines walled by limestone bluffs. Butterflies and birds abound in the mix of prairie and riparian habitats.

Very well groomed, enjoyed doing the paths..

Great short hiking trails. Prairie, caves, creek and an overlook

One of the best places to hike in the area. Diverse landscapes and beautiful scenery ❤️

Beautiful natural setting. A hidden gem in Eastern Iowa.

Kids had a great time exploring

Very nice nature preserve area. Great for a 45 minute hike through a scenic canyon and prairie.

Great area to hike and explore. Northeast Iowas "gem."

Nice park and a lot of hiking trails. A long walk to the overlook but only a couple of spots to see from. They need to cut some trees out to open up the View more and this place would be a gem.

My hometown spot loved to go here and explore 🍄

Beautiful place

Pretty walk

Great place, kayaked and had a lot of fun, just be aware of where youre at in the stream while kayaking, as any kayaker knows.

I take the family hiking here every so often and enjoy being able to get out to nature. The wild flower fields, the woods, the creek, caves, and the overlook make for an impactful hike.

Great hiking trails and a really cool place. The bluff formations are impressive but many of them are hidden by vegetation during the summer months, so an early spring or late fall hike maybe best. The trails are also groomed for X-country skiing in the winter. Bring the big spray

Neat place for a geocaching hike. Mild weather & not too much undergrowth yet. Eight of us from 4 different states (IA, NE, IL & WIbushwhacked all over that park, twice across Whitewater Creek & up and down countless gullies & around obstacles - 9 hours, 13 miles in total - to be the last to get the 30 part Iron Man Series, a few Goat Series & an Earthcache along the way. Neat hidden outcroppings, cliffs, streams & little caves all along the deer trails. Very wild but also quite interesting once you leave the established routes. Not one restroom or bench anywhere, not even at the parking area. Guess that comes with it being only a WMA.

Peaceful and a perfect place to allow your dogs to run, play, and enjoy nature!

Great quiet place with bluffs and wooded trails!

Great place to explore

Beautiful overlook!!

Amazing views!

Streams are very sandy, not a whole lot to see here.

Great for hiking its a really neat place.

Went hiking in May. Trails were well maintained, good parking space at the start of the trail.

Nice trails

Beautiful park. We hiked the longer trail, and it was very pretty and easy going. Nice mowed path to follow. Looking forward to going back and trying the other trails.

We stopped in for a quick hike to the over look- awesome!!!

Only did a short hike this day.Going to go back better prepared for a longer hike.

Some of the most beautiful views in the state.