By:
Submission
Yellow River State Forest is a perfect place to explore some of Iowa's best hiking trails. Located in northeast Iowa in Allamakee County, the forest is part of the "driftless area" that escaped the glaciers during the most recent ice age. The forest consists of 8,900 acres of hardwood and coniferous forest and is comprised of 6 units.
The Paint Creek Unit is of primary interest to the recreationist, with well-kept camping areas, equestrian accommodations, fishing, hunting, and over 45 miles of trails for hiking, equestrian riding, cross-country skiing and snowmobiling.
We absolutely love going here. No cell service, we'll kept "outhouses", beautiful scenery and streams, trout fishing, and just overall relaxing. My only wish is that they'd get a shower house! 🙂 Would be helpful since we have 2 little ones that love playing in any mud/dirt they can find and also love long walks which leads to sweating in the summer time lol
Went backpacking on the main Backpacker Loop, or Paint Creek Unit Loop on Alltrails. Really great views, and was quite enjoyable even though it rained for a lot of the trip.
We camped at Big Paint campground, it was a very quiet and beautiful setting. The trees were at the peak of their colors,almost breath taking,got several pictures. Great place to fish for trout. Only negative was no electricity and showerhouses.I'm sure we'll stay there again.
Our favorite place to camp with our horses! Beautiful trails, great scenery, and the campgrounds are well kept. Be advised that there are no water or electrical hookups, but I feel that's a non-issue if you plan ahead properly. The DNR officers are visible, friendly, and very helpful every time we've interacted with them. My family and I will continue to come back for years to come!
