Volga River State Recreation Area, IA

Volga River State Recreation Area is located in one of the most scenic parts of the state. Northeast Iowa is often referred to as "Little Switzerland" because of its rugged topography, rock outcroppings and forest cover - a sharp contrast to the rolling hills, farmland and scattered stands of timber found in the majority of the state. The heavily wooded, rugged area of Volga River is an exciting setting for a variety of outdoor recreation activities throughout the year.

Lake and River Activities
Frog Hollow Lake, located in the northern part of the area, is a 138-acre artificial lake with a diverse fishery. The lake's mainstay is its populations of bluegill, crappie, largemouth bass and channel catfish. Sailboating and canoeing are very popular on this lake. There is a three-lane boat ramp, a floating fishing pier, and shoreline sidewalk and jetties, all universally accessible. Any size boat motor can be operated at no wake speeds and there is no swimming in this lake.

The Volga River, which meanders through the southern portion of the recreation area, holds small mouth bass, rock bass and channel catfish. It also provides a beautiful float trip for kayaks and canoes as it travels through large tracts of timber with steep rock croppings.

Multi-use Trails
One of the major features of Volga River State Recreation Area is the 22 miles of multi-use trails. In the summer months they are heavily used by equestrian riders, mountain bikers and hikers. In the winter they provide recreation opportunities for snowmobilers and cross-country skiers. The trails are groomed for these activities and visitors should contact the park office about trail conditions and accessibility.

Hunting
Volga River is also a 5,700-acre public hunting area. Because of the various types of habitats this area has a variety of wildlife species to hunt.

Everything from waterfowl, small game, wild turkey and whitetail deer are hunted during open seasons. There is a public archery range located west of the scenic overlook past the Albany campground. The range has a trail with 20 targets for practicing your skills.

Picnicking and Shelters
Picnic areas and a small reservable shelter are located in the northern part of the park in the lake area and there is another picnic area near the Albany Campground.

Camping
The rugged beauty of Volga River provides a picturesque setting for camping. There are two campgrounds located here and campsites can be reserved in advance. The Albany Campground has equestrian and non-equestrian campsites. The equestrian campsites all have electrical hook-ups. The non-equestrian sites are non-modern with non-electric sites. There is a water hydrant for the non-equestrian campsites. There is water and vault toilets but no showers. A portion of the area is available for equestrian campers and those sites have hitching posts.

The second campground is the Lakeview Campground which has modern showers and restrooms and a sanitary dump station. There are no accommodations for equestrian campers in this area, but the sites have electricity and water or are full hook-up (electric, water, sewer).

The Volga River State Recreation Area is in Fayette County. Cedar Rapids is 70 miles south, Dubuque is 90 miles southeast and Waterloo is 55 miles southwest of the area.

Season Schedule

• General Rules