Mountain Bike Trails in Iowa State Parks
Iowa’s State Parks have many miles of multi-use trails. In most cases, these trails allow access to mountain bikes. Multi-use generally means biking, hiking, and trail running but in some [...]
2018 Iowa State Park Closures
Major renovations are being done to some of Iowa’s most popular state parks resulting in some 2018 Iowa State Park closures. The end result will be more electrical sites and [...]
Unique Signs on Iowa Trails
Part of what I like about hiking is the element of discovery and one of my favorite finds are unique signs on Iowa trails. I especially enjoy old and twisted [...]
4 Trail Types to Hike
Depending on where you live in Iowa, you may have to travel a good distance to find decent hiking trails. When you get to your destination you don’t want to [...]
3 Maquoketa Caves State Park Tips
TIP 1 — Find the gazebos. On the trails south of 98th street there are three gazebo structures that offer scenic views of the Raccoon Creek valley. The gazebos are [...]
National Trails Day 2016
The American Hiking Society is promoting National Trails Day 2016 on June 4. National Trails Day is a celebration of America’s magnificent trail systems, occurring annually on the first Saturday [...]
Maquoketa Caves State Park Trail Map
Maquoketa Caves State Park is known for its cluster of caves along the Raccoon Creek valley. The park’s modest size is what makes it so enjoyable. You can easily see [...]
3 Iowa Hikes for Mom
Mother’s Day is not only a good day to start planting but it’s a good time to start hiking. Mild temperatures and fewer bugs are good reasons to get outside [...]
Volkssport Club in Iowa
Did you know that Iowa has a walking club? The Iowa Walking Club is associated with the American Volkssport Association (AVA). The AVA is a national walking organization with clubs [...]
Scarlet Tanager
In a panic, I fumbled with my camera to snap this photo of a striking songbird in Stone State Park. I was happy to see that my hurried shot captured [...]
Double Lean-tos
This is one of the reasons why I hike. I enjoy coming across unexpected sites like these double lean-tos. I found the structure in the photo above on an unmaintained [...]
Dorothy Pecaut Nature Center
On a recent trip to Stone State Park I stopped at the Dorothy Pecaut Nature Center located in Woodbury County on the Northwest side of Sioux City. I have experience [...]
Sunset at Lake MacBride Spillway
I just got back from a weekend at Lake MacBride State Park. The storms managed to die out before hitting the Iowa City area and left an amazing sunset. I [...]
Big Creek’s Face Lift
You may have heard that Big Creek State Park has been undergoing some changes. The park has been redone in a number of ways – great ways! New gazebos, fountains, [...]
Elk Point Overlook
I spent some time hiking Stone State Park by Sioux City, Iowa on Memorial Day weekend. I was able to dodge the rain storms and get some photos, video and [...]
One Smart Ditty Bag
You don’t have to be a genius to realize the appeal of this ditty bag from Best Made. Although, I suspect a teenage Albert Einstein would have found this piece [...]
This Water Goes North
Before Bear Grylls, Cody Lundin, Les Stroud and Dave Canterbury made outdoor survival mainstream; Dennis Weidemann, Keith Kohler, Hank Kohler, and Rich Wiebke set out on an adventure that could [...]
Adam Brooks River Quest
In 2006 I stumbled across the website myriverquest.com. It belongs to native Iowan Adam Brooks who journaled about his epic solo paddle trip on the Mississippi river. Adam paddled the [...]
The Bandanna
When I was packing for my very first trip, I threw in a 22” x 22” piece of cloth, commonly known as a bandana. Every survival guide recommended it and [...]
Ledges State Park Trail Map
The Ledges State Park trail map bandanna is Iowa Parklands first product offering. I’m proud to say that it’s now available to purchase online. I personally hiked each trail with [...]
More Ducks
A couple more new ducks flew into the backyard pond last night. The five on the left are Lesser Scaups. Whatbird.com says that at one time these ducks were one [...]
Unexpected Guests
A sure sign of spring is when the Mallard ducks arrive on the park pond in my backyard. This year, a female Hooded Merganser showed up too. According to whatbird.com, [...]
New Field Office
I have had to make some decisions about the best way to go out and explore the parks around Iowa. My initial idea was to tent camp, but the amount [...]
Finishing Touches
I’m taking advantage of a warm November day to verify some final details for Iowa Parklands first product offering. A Ledges State Park trail map bandana seemed like an appropriate [...]
Fall Paddle on the Raccoon
Everything was in our favor for this fall paddle on the Middle Raccoon. Thanks Lynn Aldridge with Central Iowa Paddlers for sending out a last minute invite for this trip. [...]