Wakonda State Park — Attraction in Quincy

1-Pets Firstly, while the park is pet friendly, they DO NOT allow pets at the swimming location. There is strictly one location in the whole park to swim at. Nowhere on the website said anything about the no-pet aspect, and I’m quite mad as I was looking forward to swimming and brought along my blue tongue skink (lizard) with his own tiny tent for him to stay in and enjoy himself. I’m sure as hell not leaving him alone at an unattended tent that gets too hot during the day. 2-Other activities (fishing, boating, hiking) Did a hike, it was fine. We were the only ones on it despite a dog walker or two. Fishing and boating is really the majority of what goes on, it seems. Especially since only one lake out of the handful can’t be fished in. Didn’t go boating/kayaking/etc but they do have rentals available. Different types of docks available at different spots. 3-Park location Pretty noisy due to the highway but other than that can be pretty quiet during the day. Nighttime you’ll definitely hear semis on the highway. 4-Campsites We had a spot at Boulder Lake (and so what follows is specific to this spot) and it felt pretty weird not being able to do much of anything with a lake that is just a few hundred feet from our tent. Campsites are small but not impractically small. If you have more than one vehicle you WILL feel cramped and you can’t park in the grass. Don’t expect people to be courteous about noise after dark—many people kept playing music loudly each night after I was already trying to sleep. You will get a pole for a line, a fire pit, and a bench. Just know: *You’ll never be more than 50 ft away from a person while at your lot if anyone has a lot next to or...

-A hidden gem-

Wakonda State Park was a last-minute plan for my party and me. We were supposed to go to a different state park but chose not to because of the forecasted rain. When checking the camp reservation website, I found that this park had many basic sites open for reservations. We chose site #45 at the end of the loop. The site was slightly sloped but had a view of the lake. All three of us had great cellular reception.

The shower house in Boulder Lake campground was clean. Park staff cleaned it twice a day to keep bugs out. I wish they cleaned it mid-day instead of the morning, though. There are only two showers in the women's section of the shower house. The bathrooms were kept clean and stocked.

The only complaint I have about this park is the highway noise. I got used to it on the third night, but it can take away from the outdoor experience. There is not much you can do about it, though.

The park staff were friendly and often patrolled the campground. Our campground host was accommodating and gave us a friendly wave when passing by.

We rented two kayaks from the park on our last full day. For the weekends, you are required to rent them for the whole day. They were reasonably priced. The kayaks were in great shape, and we got paddles and lifejackets for them.

They also have a swimming area in one of the lakes. Before entering the beach area, there are bathrooms you can use.

Overall, I am surprised that this campground is not fully booked each weekend! You are about 15 minutes away from grocery stores (in a college town), so you are not entirely in the middle of nowhere. I will...

Spent the weekend camping at Wakonda State Park in the Boulder Lake Campground. The campground was somewhat full, but not really crowded. I was in Site 12, a pull-through site towards the front of the campground. The site was rather unlevel, but was able to level using blocks and the tongue jack on my travel trailer. I noticed the back-in sites in both the Boulder Lake and Wakonda Lake campgrounds looked to be more level, in general. The restrooms were quite clean, though I did not need to use them, I did peek in and look around. There are sand volleyball courts and a playground for the kids as well. Most of the sites were at least partially shaded, and the campground was easy to maneuver. There is a well maintained but smaller swimming beach, and the state park rents single and tandem kayaks, as well as small jon boats. Boat rentals are just $5 an hour, or $20 for the whole day! I recommend the whole day option if you are camping here, as you can get out on the water multiple times and return to your site in between trips.

If you are just going for the day, the swimming beach has a large shady picnic area near it with plenty of parking, and makes for a great way to spend a lazy summer day or afternoon. Picnic tables and grills are available for use at the picnic area, and there is a covered shelter overlooking the swimming beach.

Overall this was a beautiful hidden gem of a state park that I would gladly...