I've been there! No hiking or camping, though. 1CrowdedHour and I drove down Highway 61 on my 2013 visit, and we stopped at Great River Bluffs State Park on our way farther south. We found a lovely lookout and had fabulous views. Beautiful spot.

And your stargazing description reminded me of my more recent trip to eastern Washington, which is semi-desert scablands with no haze whatsoever. Seeing the Milky Way so clearly was gobsmacking and I had trouble going back inside, too. Thank you for a wonderful trip report.