Kayaking, Fishing, Eagles, and Snakes: Exploring Dubuque’s Mud Lake

Labor Day weekend is the perfect time to enjoy that last gasp of freedom before school, sports, and the return of winter fully overtake our outdoor opportunities. My family made the most of it in Sageville, with a trip to do some fishing and kayaking at Mud Lake.

I've visited nearly every place in the Dubuque area offering outdoor thrills, but this was my family's first trip to this relatively long section of water that leads into the Mississippi River. There was certainly no shortage of wildlife, beautiful views, and a chance to reconnect with the kiddos before it's simply school, school, school.

Mud Lake Park sits about six miles north of Dubuque and covers 57 acres along the Mississippi River. The area offers camping, picnic shelters, restrooms, a pavilion, and a boat ramp with access to Pool 11. Anglers often make use of the backwater fishing area protected by a large dike, while visitors can also enjoy kayaking, hunting, and wildlife watching year-round.

Get our free mobile app

When I say nature, I mean it was abundant and on display at every turn: Bald Eagles, seagulls, frogs, turtles, muskrats, fish, and snakes. My family saw it all. But before all of the exploring, we sat down to a nice picnic lunch. There are several places to enjoy a meal or just some relaxation near the water's edge. There are also on-site restrooms, a fish cleaning station, and the newly placed kayak launch, of which we took full advantage.

The only drawback on our trip was the amount of duckweed that had bloomed up. The "lake" portion of the area looked like a substantially plush green carpet. You know, something like an old 70's shag carpet would resemble. The Dubuque County Conservation officer on duty even mentioned that this is about the worst he's seen it. It didn't stop our fun on the day.

The kayaking was easy and pleasant. The water was calm and smooth. The fishing wasn't half bad either. Granted, every cast we reeled in brought a healthy amount of duckweed, but it was also home to a decent population of sunfish and bluegill. We even had several northern watersnakes sunning themselves by us throughout the day. Even an immature bald eagle perched near us for the day.

We finished the day with an awesome meal at the nearby Dockside Bar & Grille. The pizza, cheese curds, and funnel cake fries were the perfect way to wrap up a fun day with the family!

Check out my family's day of adventure and plan a trip to Mud Lake for yourself, soon.

There's So Much More to Explore Near Dubuque and the Mississippi River!