Nestled Between Kansas City And Omaha Is Iowa's Scenic Midwest State Park For Hiking Trails And Camping

Iowa is well-known for its agriculture — it's the top state in the country for corn production — but there are also buzzing cities, charming small towns, and scenic areas for exploring and fun adventures. Waubonsie State Park is located in the southwest corner of the Hawkeye State, between Kansas City, Missouri, and Omaha, Nebraska (where you can visit one of the best zoos in America). Founded in 1926, Waubonsie State Park is a peaceful place to get out in nature, and it's an excellent stop while traveling the underrated Loess Hills National Scenic Byway.

Waubonsie State Park encompasses about 2,000 acres, with impressive scenery that wows visitors. The Loess Hills — bluffs formed over thousands of years by the wind moving soil after the last Ice Age — provide beautiful panoramas of the Missouri River Valley. Lake Virginia, a 7-acre lake, is a pretty spot, and it offers opportunities for fishing and paddling. You may see wildlife like white-tailed deer, red foxes, and hawks, and it is also a great spot for birdwatching, with notable sightings of red-headed woodpeckers. The park is also a stop on the Lewis and Clark National Historic Trail, an epic route covering 4,900 miles of the famed 1803-1806 expedition. Give yourself time to soak up the scenery here.

One of the best things to do in Waubonsie State Park is to hit the trail. There are 8 miles of hiking trails, as well as an additional 8 miles of multi-use trails for horseback riding, biking, or snowmobiling. The most popular walk is the Sunset Ridge Nature Trail, a 2-mile trail that can be done as a loop with the Mincer Trail (which is near the picnic area). It offers a gorgeous spot to watch the sunset and soak up the valley views. The trail is particularly beautiful for fall foliage — one AllTrails user notes it's "so beautiful in the fall with the colors." The Ridge, Bridge, and Valley trails, all located near the park office, are short trails under 1 mile, and there's also a 5-mile equestrian trail, located in the northern part of the park.

If you want to stay the night, Waubonsie State Park has a campground — with both electric and non-electric sites — which is open year-round. There are modern showers and toilets here, although there is also a primitive equestrian campground with unpowered sites and vault toilets. If you'd rather not rough it, Waubonsie offers a few cabins for campers. The three-bedroom cabin and the two-bedroom cabin both have heating and air conditioning. There are also more basic camping cabins, which have air conditioning. Campers will want to beware of raccoons eating their food, though. 

Waubonsie State Park is a short 10-minute drive from Hamburg. While there was formerly an admission fee for visitors outside of Iowa, this was lifted in early 2026. Carry on your adventure in southwestern Iowa with a visit to the pretty Hitchcock Nature Center, about an hour's drive away.