Bellevue State Park is a state park of Iowa, USA, along the banks of the Mississippi River just south of Bellevue. The park lies in two separate tracts. The Nelson Unit is at the immediate south edge of Bellevue on U.S. Route 52, atop a 300-foot limestone bluff. The Dyas Unit is 2 miles farther south on U.S. 52.
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Overlook Shelter
5.0
(2)
I like places where there's a great overlook and this park has one of the best I have seen. It would be quite a climb on foot, but in a vehicle it is a winding, memorable drive. There are several places to have a picnic and we stopped at a newly renovated unisex restroom that was clean and well designed. I was told there is a butterfly garden, but didn't have time to see for myself. The overlook is at the very end of the driveway and a short walk of maybe 150 feet. You get a breathtaking view of the Mississippi River and the lock and dam at Bellevue, Iowa. Many times Bald Eagles or other water-loving birds are present, but the day we were there the river was over flood stage and we didn't see any birds of interest. If you haven't been up to the top of this park to check out the overlook you owe it to yourself to go see it. It's right on Route 52 on the south side of Bellevue and well worth investigating. It's really worth even just a brief stop to get some...
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Of the 46 Iowa state parks I've been to, this is my second favorite, falling short of only Pilot Knob for 3 reasons. Kind of crowded The view is not panoramic (360 degrees) Less hiking opportunities than Pilot Knob
With that being said, the Nelson Unit is better than the Dyas Unit in my opinion just because the view is so much better. If you are camping, you will likely spend more time in the Dyas Unit because that is where the campground is. Its less crowded there as well which is one pro of the Dyas Unit. If you are in the Davenport or Dubuque area you should check...
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Beautiful place. Close to Galena, IL, Mines of Spain, Maquoketa caves and Dubuque. Campground was well kept and the bathrooms and shower house were clean. My only issue is we had a group put their tent 3ft from our campfire. Of course they were loud and obnoxious but with new wave of campers the DNR needs to be more observant on campers approachment of others campsites. I know the ranger saw their set up and I wished he would have said something. I did not but I will not camp again without saying something. Their tent was literally 3 ft from our fire and 5 ft into...
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