Iowa · Lake fishing · Dundee

Backbone Lake

Easy
difficulty
Apr, Jun–Oct
best months

Clear today

Weather is good · OpenWeather · checked 11 h ago

Backbone Lake is a 94-acre reservoir in Iowa, managed by the Iowa Department of Natural Resources. It sits about a mile from the town of Forestville, and the surrounding area offers a mix of hiking, climbing and paddling within a short drive. Summer is the warmest stretch for a visit. Typical averages from a nearby weather station in Manchester put July highs around 82°F with lows near 61°F, while September cools to highs in the mid-70s. Several trails start close by. East Lake Trail and Bluebird Trail are each within a quarter mile, and West Lake Trail is about half a mile away. Backbone State Park, a climbing area, is roughly a mile off.

  • Best time to go · Apr, Jun–Oct

    Best time to visit Backbone Lake

    Best months: April and June–October. Best months have typical highs of 55–85 °F, lows of 30 °F or warmer (32 °F where the station doesn't record snow), at most one snowy day and no more than 12 wet days.

    1. Jan

      26° / 8°

      9 wet · 7 snow

    2. Feb

      31° / 12°

      8 wet · 6 snow

    3. Mar

      44° / 24°

      10 wet · 4 snow

    4. Apr

      58° / 35°

      11 wet · 1 snow

    5. May

      70° / 47°

      13 wet

    6. Jun

      79° / 58°

      12 wet

    7. Jul

      82° / 61°

      10 wet

    8. Aug

      80° / 58°

      10 wet

    9. Sep

      74° / 49°

      9 wet

    10. Oct

      61° / 37°

      9 wet

    11. Nov

      45° / 26°

      8 wet · 2 snow

    12. Dec

      32° / 15°

      9 wet · 6 snow

    Typical high / low (°F) and days with rain or snow, 1991–2020. Measured at Manchester #2, IA, 10.4 mi away at 990 ft. Source: NOAA NCEI U.S. Climate Normals 1991–2020.

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