Maquoketa Caves State Park

A truly beautiful hike filled with caves to explore! There are a total of nine caves, ranging in size from massive walk-through caverns to smaller, single-person passages. Two of the largest caves let you walk straight from one entrance to another, while one of the smaller ones requires squeezing through two tight openings before you can barely stand inside—definitely an adventure! The full hike took us about three hours at a steady pace. I’d recommend bringing a flashlight for exploring, though it’s not absolutely necessary. Between the unique caves and the gorgeous trails, this park is a gem. I’ll definitely be returning to Maquoketa Caves in the future!

Located in Eastern Iowa, Maquoketa Caves offer a very unique experience of hiking a trail of caves. Plenty of parking and no charge. Some caves require crawling into, but most do not. A flashlight or headlight would be helpful at times. There are 15 caves with intertwining paths to see each one. It took us about 3 hours and just 2.5 miles to visit nearly every one. Pick up a map at the Park Store once you've parked. I suggest going on to the first stairs down to middle Dancehall (l) and go underground, emerging across the street at Natural Bridge. Get across the Creek and go the opposite direction on the Woodland Tr. As it loops you will visit 5 caves.. The trail will bring you back to the parking lot & the store. Come over to the other side and descend the same set of stairs. This time go right. Trails on this side will take you all the remaining caves.

8-23-25 Wife wanted to visit this place after seeing videos online. From Rochester MN, it’s about 4 hour drive. We got here about 11 am and the parking lot was already full. Beautiful park. The big main attraction cave is very close by the parking lot. Easily accessible as the park is nicely maintain with stairs and pathway. We did not hike all the whole park as we did not have time. We did hike to see about 4 of the smaller caves. The hikes are easy. Some spots might be a bit steep for some people. Overall great experience. Must visit at least once. Great for kids to explore and hike around.

Bucket list! Must see! I consider this a moderate hike...Be prepared for a lot of steps...but it is so worth it! I only had 1 hour so it was a bit of a speed hike for me. Lol. The caves were so beautiful! You could definitely spend all day hiking the trails! Well maintained and marked trails/stairs/paths. I went during the day on Friday with a decent amount of parking, but I feel this would be packed on a weekend.

A must go.. super cool place to wander. Nice updated walk ways around a majority of the trails. Take a picture or grab a paper map cross them all off. Great place to make memories.

Very cool experience. The trails are well maintained and easy to follow. There are some larger caves that are easy to explore and small ones for more adventurous explorers. We were able to explore almost the whole park within 3 hours. The trails are either raised platform or packed dirt, there is a huge amount of stairs involved. Overall worth the trip to see.

Absolutely breathtaking! This is a awe-invoking experience even with small kids. For those who have a heart for adventure this place offers great and easy caves for spelunking and even more challenging cave dives. We went during a very busy time and the park is just so large that we still rarely ran into people.

Beautiful state park!! The caves are so pretty and the scenery getting to them is out of a story book. Easy, kid friendly trails for the most part, a lot of stairs leading up to some of the smaller caves but plenty to see on the flat trails. The trails are very well maintained, as are the caves. Signage is clear, campground was clean and well maintained. The free library, available firewood, and nature activity for the kids made the campground feel so welcoming. Will definitely recommend!