Lake Macbride State Park

Well-​maintained hiking trails with some spectacular views!
There’s a huge mound at the dam between Lake Macbride and Coralville Lake — I’m definitely going back to watch the sunset from this spot! If you hopscotch your way across the dam’s rocks, you can access several more miles of trail on the other side.
Lots of wildlife — we spotted deer, woodpeckers, squirrels, rabbits, and twelve bald eagles (we’re pretty sure there were another dozen further up stream but they were too far away to be certain).
The beach is bigger than I expected and the buildings/​docks look pretty new and well-​maintained. Looking forward to bringing our tent and kayaks to spend a weekend here with friends later in the summer!

This is a beautiful lake, just west of Solon, right smack-​dab between Iowa City and Mount Vernon. I used to come here during my college days to relax on the «beach» and camp out during the Fall and Spring before the summer bugs and winter frost made it uncomfortable. I have many fond memories of trips down here just for kicks.
The facilities are well maintained, and the staff are always good about posting advisories. This reminds me, be sure to check those advisories before going into the lake, especially after significant rainfall! Iowa is known for having some serious nitrate runoff problems from all of the agriculture.
The campsite rental fees were pretty reasonable, and the views are pretty magnificent. If you time it right, you can use some of the many trails to catch the beautiful sunsets from atop the bluffs. Also, if you’re into trail-​running or cross country, there are loads of great trails here with plenty of topography and great scenery.