Reviews

Bogdan Synowiec

Another great place to hike... this one is relatively flat and easy to do.

Shannon Lawlor

Beautiful park. Unfortunately we didn't stay very long we were just passing through. Used the RV dump facilities. It was $5 to dump our travel trailer. Then we took our kids to go see Black Hawk Statue. Next time we're in the area longer we'll try to book a spot to stay. Very nice campground.

Taylor Haile

Lowden State Park was a gorgeous place. I've never been before and have only driven across the river a couple of times in my life. I was super excited to come here and see the area. Blackhawk statue was super easy to find, everything was very well marked, maintained fantastically, clean, and beautiful. We didn't encounter anyone that worked there while we visited so I can't speak to those interactions. The campground looked nice and clean too

corrie octopus

Lowden has become my favorite camping destination the last 10 years as I have brought my now almost-10 year old here since she was a baby. We call it “the usual place” and have so many great memories at Lowden. It’s a modest park, but you’d be hard-pressed to find another campground that compares if you enjoy actually being in the woods when camping. I make the trek from Chicago so I can get some time nestled in the woods in the “class C” primitive walk-in sites several times a year. I haven’t encountered another state park with similar walk-in sites. They offer privacy and quiet that you just can’t get in a standard campground, especially for tent-campers, The walk-in sites are fairly easy to access, and we use a foldable wagon and backpacks to bring in our supplies. Though the walk-in sites can’t be reserved, I’ve never had an issue taking my pick of the sites, even on holiday weekends. Overnight you can hear owls, and then be awakened by a lovely bird symphony. It’s dog-friendly, and it’s not too hard to get to the water pump where the water tastes good! The pit toilets are well maintained and not too smelly. You can buy firewood on site that’s less expensive than at the gas station down the street. I’ve encountered many critters here, but visitors take good care of it, and I’ve never had issues with critters making a mess of our supplies. The hiking is modest but pleasant, with an easy loop on the White Oak side that connects to the other half of the park via a street crossing that is fairly easy to navigate. I’m always impressed by the biodiversity here, with so many native wildflowers, spring ephemerals, fungi, sedges, and grasses. On the main park side, there are some fun ways to get a longer hike up and down the hill that leads to the campground, and great views of the Rock River and the famous Blackhawk sculpture by Laredo Taft. They recently rehabbed that monument and haven’t replaced the placard that told more of the story of Indigenous history, and I hope that gets replaced soon. I always look forward to coming back!

nacho daddy

Nice campground close to home. Small town for your independent coffee shop fix. Dairy Queen if it's hot. Campground quiet hours are 10-7. Restrooms evenly spaced. Hike around the campground for just over a mile. Dog friendly.

Edwards Services

Nice quiet park. Lots of campsites reservable and non reservable. playground for the kiddo’s a statue and some hiking trails. restroom and shower facilities.

Michelle Slowik

Sadly in a state of disrepair. The entry road and road through the campsites is really rough. The park buildings look close to falling down, no exaggeration. The roof of one of what always to be a storage or maintenance building is falling in and has random pieces of tin making a last ditch effort to hold the building together. The "hiking trail" isn't really marked. You almost have to know about it to use it. It's too bad too, because it's a nice little trail and more people would use it if they would bother to mark the entrances and the path itself. You can connect to the other side of the park across River Road for only a few months out of the year. They mostly show preference to hunters on that side of the park vs visitors or residents who actually want to use it. The tall trees make this a great place to go to get away from the sun in the summer, and I'm sure this place was gorgeous 30 years ago. Now it looks practically abandoned, sadly

Traveling Nana

This park is super nice. Electric only. There are water spigots where you can get water and a dump station. There are plenty of trees for cover from the sun in the summer. Plenty of parking spaces. The Black Hawk Statue is located here in the park. Easy walk from the campground. Beautiful scenery.

A M

An imposing Black Hawk Statue. It's great that you can drive to the top of the hill where it is located. We walked down the almost 150 steps to the riverbank. There is a nice trail right next to the river.

Kim Gossett

Very well kept. Park. Sights are electricity only but still nice. Oregon Illinois is nearby and a very clean town. The waterfall on the rock river is nice to view. Blackhawk statue was cool but under repair.