We absolutely love going to the mines of Spain! The hiking, the walks, the talks we have during the hikes! Stopping down by the river for a snack, Kayaking on Catfish Creek. Taking pictures, seeing all the nature and wildlife. Such a beautiful place to visit and a must see if you are new to the area! Always many people having picnics and enjoying their day!

Fantastic bird watching! Great interpretive center with interactive and educational stations throughout. Outdoor trails were well kept and beautiful! The animals inside had beautifully clean enclosures and were well cared for. Thanks for a wonderful day!

Great place for a small hike. The end of the trail is beautiful with some interesting history throughout.

Great hiking and interesting chapel that was built in 1860 sitting in the middle of a forest

Awesome place to take a hike, see some history, and learn about natural resources. The visitors center is a great place for kids and I highly recommend stopping there. Beautiful trails!

The interpretive center was closed when we got there, but that did not really detract from our experiece. We had a lovely little stroll on the accessible trail and were treated to some great views.Mines of Spain and Dubuque have forced me to change my terrible stereotype of the State of Iowa; it is much more than pig barns and cornfields. Awesome geology and a rolling picturesque landscape dominate this part of the state at least. Not what I expected at all. Beautiful. Some of the attached photos are from the Mines of Spain Recreation Area, which is close to the Interpretive Center.

Beautiful wooded area with a variety of views, places to run and spend time with loved ones. Bring bug repellent; some areas have a lot of mosquitos and gnats.

This place is great to come with the whole family or by yourself. Its a great place to sit and relax or go on great hikes through the trials.

A lot of interesting information on the area, its founders (both Native and European), and its natural inhabitants make this a must for anyone interested in local history and wildlife.

This is a hidden gem for the community of Dubuque,IA. The interpretive Center has a lot to offer for adults and children. DNR park manager Andy Roach, is one of Iowas own. He lags behind no other in terms of knowledge, history and willingness to go the extra mile to make visitors feel welcome. Along with numerous volunteers from the community this is a place that puts their best foot forward for all guests to enjoy some of Northeast Iowas precious Prairie lands and beautiful Timber. One is made to feel like theyre stepping back in time visiting the Pine Chapel.

Free admission, tons of parking, Helpful staff, clean bathroom, good displays, animals downstairs (turtles), interpretive displays upstairs, map of the trails.

Worth the stop, very scenic hikes

Beautiful views, cool history, and very nice hiking trails!

Beautiful New Years day hike here to start 2020! Great to see many friends out here enjoying the day! Robin and Pete

Really nice trails with some impressive high bluffs. Moderate trails with plenty of elevation but easy steps.

The mines of Spain is an excellent place to explore if u enjoy long nature walks and lots of amazing natural scenery. Ive been there many times and still have not seen the whole entire park! Its a huge and incredible place with great up keep.Make sure to bring mosquito repellant if u go in the early evenings in the late summer!

Awesome sights and trails :) a lot of fun in any season!

Scenic overlooks make this a location to visit!Tranquility everywhere you look.

Proving that Iowa’s not 100% flat

Really neat and informative place. Would recommend 10/10 (or 5 stars in this case) due to the all the neat stuff here. Seems a little off the beaten path but clearly is a well loved and maintained repository for all things nature. Would be great for kids and adults alike.

All the hills and mosquitos in Iowa in one 20 mile loop! Great fun! For good parking, playgrounds, and flush toilets, park at Louis Murphy Park and walk down to the Mines of Spain.

Such a beautiful place to visit and a must see if you are new to the area!

Its realistic. I wouldnt recommend it if u arent a fan of stuffed live animals.

One of the prettiest hikes we have ever taken .The flowers are just gorgeous. Their map could be better. Hard to find.

Natural rugged trails. Took 3 year old grandson. Able to hike pine chapel trail without difficulty. Center was closed, but we have visited here before. Excellent outdoor activity.

Free admission to this Interpretive Center with information on history, wildlife and nature. Children’s area downstairs has aquariums and live animals. Small gift shop and pop machine too. Serves as Mines of Spain park office too. All handicap accessible

Hands on activities for children and adults, and beautiful views. It makes Mines of Spain a great outing for a rainy day or fair weather. If the weather is nice, we take a hike on the trails for a short or long distance trek.

Amazing! Cant wait to return!

I have so many great memories that happened at the Mines, for being in Iowa it is a really beautiful spot. My favorite place to go kayaking

Always an awesome place for pictures! (horseshoe bluff) Easy and moderate hiking trails.

Great place to get close to Nature. Very interesting exhibits an area to watch The Birds. Knowledgeable staff watching educational stuff

We got there as they closed, the ranger was getting in his car. He saw us, got out of his car and asked if he could help. We hoped our grandkids could get their Parks Passport stamped. The ranger opened up just for our grandkids - so nice. The place is beautiful and has something for everyone.

Very nice center. Great displays!

Wonderful place to kayak gorgeous scenes to look at only complaint was bugs but can’t do much about that

Great materials! Smart top notch staff! Beautiful place learn, relax and explore.

BE CAREFUL! that is the most important thing i have to say. this place is not safe. it is not safe to leave your car unattended for too long. there have been reports of vandalism and slashed tires. there have also been people mugged and best up here. i strongly recommend not going alone. it is a pretty place and a nice hike, but you have to be prepared!

Neat place! Tons of recreational trails to explore and enjoy nature. Lots of parking by the nature center. The center itself is multi-level, and includes a kids area downstairs. Very family friendly. Perfect for the little ones to get learn about nature with hands-on activities. You could easily spend the day exploring the trails and center. There are indoor restrooms within the center that are very clean. Bring bugspray, depending on the time of year, for the trails.

The weather was not ideal for our visit to the Mines of Spain, but it was well worth it to check out the view in the fall. I will definitely plan a return trip when I have more time to check out the trails! I would highly recommend!

Its 0.6 mile to this location. Many steps along the way. It is unique, an old farm site in the woods.

I ran the Mines of Spain Half-marathon here. It was very scenic and memorable! Raw , untouched beauty that reminds me of what the natives must have enjoyed. Its very breathtaking to look out on the bluffs over the Mississippi. Be sure to bring along some bug spray as the mosquitoes can be very thick!

Grateful to have this lovely resource to visit and take my son to see.

Iowa does have good state protected wonders!

Lots of trails. Good moderate level hiking and changes in ecosystems.

Never been here til now 10/13/2018. WOW great views and so much to see. Great spot for nature lovers. Wasnt able to see it all but plan on making another trip someday.

Nice center with information on nature. Walking trails there also.

Very interesting, coming back I October to see more.

This is a beautiful place to spend time outside.

Awesome place for challenging hike.

Small place but fun and very informative! If you times your visit right for certain wildlife, its a great place indoors to see what they all would do.

One of the most well-kept Park areas in and around the city of Dubuque, offers something for almost everybody. The Nature Center here has regular programs entertaining School groups and the like with information about all sorts of natural subjects from animals to geology. Plenty of hiking trails to be found around the area including the new state trees Trail which is completely paved and as such handicapped accessible.

Fun trails. Beautiful chapel in the woods. Couldnt make it down every trail because of flooding. But lots of beautiful wild flowers and local tree varieties.

My mom has limited mobility and loves birds. There was this wonderful bird room where you could see out but birds could not see you. We saw a humming bird and serveral different woodpeckers.

Great adventure walks beautiful surroundings a must go place to see

Beautiful place to wonder around, and spend some time at

Very cool park. Definitely recommend checking out the museum inside first to learn wildlife, geology, and human history. Afterwards put on your hiking boots and trek thru their various landmarks, watch your step for wild snakes or broken glass.

If u love nature, u gotta go here.

Beautiful. Lots of trails. However when we visited things were extremely muddy so some trails were not passable.

Such a fun place to hike, learn history, and let kids play!

Nice and friendly staffs. Kids under 10 will like the facility. Need some updates for displays but generally acceptable.

Beautiful place to spend time with the family. Miles of great trails, great photography opportunities, and very nice place for the kids to learn about nature.Please bring home any trash you come in with. The number of water bottles, cans, litter I pick up here each year is sickening. Stay home if your going to destroy the place for others.

This park is spectacular! This is the Dubuques version of the Grand Canyon, with the option to hike a top the cliff overlooking the Mississippi River (for the more adventurous), or you can take a stroll through the canyon and walk down along the river. Either way is beautiful and the park is definitely worth a visit.

This is a great place to hike and to learn about the history of Dubuque. I love going when fall comes because the beauty of nature is truly brought to light.

Cool place to visit and see native iowa species.

Very disappointed. Arrived only to find a locked interpretive center along with several other carloads of people. Called only to be told they are now closed on Wed. Might want to make that more clear and visible on your website.

A wonderful park with many different trails to explore

Owl pellets are fun and a little gross

Loved it! Great visitors center and plenty for kids to do.

Absolutely loved this place! We will be able to go again and see a completely different set of trails everytime!

What a place!You could scarcely believe formations like these exist in Iowa.Cant wait to come back again.

Good relaxing place to take in some scenery for bit.

Great place to hike!

Took the kids on some of the hiking trails and we had a great time. The only thing that needs work is to repair some of the signs along the trails.

Well put together

This park is beautiful! Lots of trails to explore and a great bird room in the nature center to quietly observe a large variety of birds

Many interesting hiking trails. Well be back and bring bug repellent!

We really enjoyed our hikes. Very nice area with interesting trails and views.

Great walking trails.

Great park for a hike! There are some beautiful views of the Mississippi. You can also ride your bike on the road through the park.

Great place. I would either hike or ride my road bike through here every day in the spring, summer, and fall. Super pretty with all of the trees and few wildlife that lives here.

Fun site to see. The shot tower/ monument to Julian Dubuque is wheelchair accessible as you can drive all the way up to it and walk on the path or you can hike up to it

Great place for hiking. Beautiful scenery.

Weve always loved going to the Mines of Spain. We would hike there often when our kids were little and now its become a sort of family tradition to hike there.

Posted hours dont seem to match the public hours

Awesome place to hike in Dubuque. Great views of the Mississippi

Great area to walk the trails. Beautiful.

Beautiful hiking trails. Nice picnic areas.

Will definitely be back! Midwest hidden gem

Its a good place to take ur kids to

A local treasure. Great place to experience nature.

Fantastic place for kids, great displays and beautiful trails.

Like this place. Found it by accident.

It is a very beer beautiful place to go on a hike.

Plenty of hiking and great views of the Mississippi River

Lots of nice trails and a great scenic overlook.

Very pretty, nice walking trails, quiet.

Miles of trails to hike. Nice scenery of Mississippi River.

Beautiful park. Lots of trails.

Beautiful place to bird watch

Love the nature .....beautiful walk

Popular for a good reason, and hidden to most locals