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- Pilot Knob State Park - Forest City, IA - Iowa State Parks
Pilot Knob State Park - Forest City, IA - Iowa State Parks
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Welcome to Pilot Knob State Park
Pilot Knob State Park was dedicated in 1924 and has drawn many visitors to explore its hidden treasures and historical structures. Camping, fishing, hiking, and bird watching are just a few of the activities Pilot Knob provides. The Civilian Conservation Corps constructed several structures in 1934. The entrance portals, stone shelter, three stone bridges, amphitheater and observation tower are all listed on the National Register of Historic Places. The amphitheater will seat 1,000 and is a beautiful area where many couples choose to have their weddings. The observation tower is the second highest point in Iowa at 1,450 feet above sea level. It is 30 feet tall and was supposed to be 40 feet tall but winter set in and the CCC had to stop construction. Pilot Knob is listed in the Iowa Wildlife Viewing Guide. The park is a wonderful area for bird watching, particularly during migrations. Deer and turkeys are prevalent and readily seen. Turkeys were reintroduced into the area in 1979 and have flourished.Much of the wildlife can be seen while walking the thirteen and one half miles of trail through the park.
Amenities
Within Facility
Picnicking/Shelters
Two open picnic shelters can be reserved online through the park reservation system. Picnic tables and fireplaces are plentiful in pleasantly shaded areas.
Camping
There are 62 campsites including electrical hookups, modern showers, rest room facilities and a trailer dump station. A playground is located near the campground. Advance campsite reservations can be booked through the park reservation system. One fourth of the campsites are available on a first-come, first-serve basis.
Trails
The park has excellent trails for hikers and horseback riders. In winter, a warming house with electricity and heat provides comfort for ice skaters, snowmobilers, cross-country skiers and ice fishermen.
Lakes
Hidden within the 700-acre park and enclosed by abrupt banks is Dead Man's Lake, a four-acre floating sphagnum bog, the only one of its kind in Iowa. This is a botanist's delight, bordered by native trees, shrubs and flowering plants. Waterfowl feed and breed in the tall grasses. Three species of pond lilies grow here, one found nowhere else in Iowa. Trees native to the Pilot Knob area include walnut, ash, basswood, wild cherry, burr oak, aspen, white oak and red oak. Pilot Knob's natural features are so significant, the majority of the park has been dedicated as a state preserve. A scenic 15-acre, man-made lake offers fishing and boating with the use of electric motors only. It is also a popular site for ice skating.
Recreation Area
The Pilot Knob Recreation Area, just north of Pilot Knob State Park is available for public hunting, hiking, snowmobiling and other activities. Pilot Knob State Park is one of the oldest units in the state park system. It was dedicated in 1923. Standing atop the tower on "Pilot Knob," the second highest point in Iowa, visitors have a spectacular view. From the tower built by the Civilian Conservation Corps in the 1930s, one can see great expanses of some of the most fertile farmland in the world. After glaciers leveled the prairies of north-central Iowa, they deposited the rocks and earth that formed the hills and valleys that are now Pilot Knob. In earlier times, pioneers used the Pilot Knob as a guide as they traveled west in covered wagons, thus giving the park its name. An open air amphitheater, constructed by the Civilian Conservation Corps in the 1930s, is surrounded by scenic woods.
Two open picnic shelters can be reserved online through the park reservation system. Picnic tables and fireplaces are plentiful in pleasantly shaded areas.
Camping
There are 62 campsites including electrical hookups, modern showers, rest room facilities and a trailer dump station. A playground is located near the campground. Advance campsite reservations can be booked through the park reservation system. One fourth of the campsites are available on a first-come, first-serve basis.
Trails
The park has excellent trails for hikers and horseback riders. In winter, a warming house with electricity and heat provides comfort for ice skaters, snowmobilers, cross-country skiers and ice fishermen.
Lakes
Hidden within the 700-acre park and enclosed by abrupt banks is Dead Man's Lake, a four-acre floating sphagnum bog, the only one of its kind in Iowa. This is a botanist's delight, bordered by native trees, shrubs and flowering plants. Waterfowl feed and breed in the tall grasses. Three species of pond lilies grow here, one found nowhere else in Iowa. Trees native to the Pilot Knob area include walnut, ash, basswood, wild cherry, burr oak, aspen, white oak and red oak. Pilot Knob's natural features are so significant, the majority of the park has been dedicated as a state preserve. A scenic 15-acre, man-made lake offers fishing and boating with the use of electric motors only. It is also a popular site for ice skating.
Recreation Area
The Pilot Knob Recreation Area, just north of Pilot Knob State Park is available for public hunting, hiking, snowmobiling and other activities. Pilot Knob State Park is one of the oldest units in the state park system. It was dedicated in 1923. Standing atop the tower on "Pilot Knob," the second highest point in Iowa, visitors have a spectacular view. From the tower built by the Civilian Conservation Corps in the 1930s, one can see great expanses of some of the most fertile farmland in the world. After glaciers leveled the prairies of north-central Iowa, they deposited the rocks and earth that formed the hills and valleys that are now Pilot Knob. In earlier times, pioneers used the Pilot Knob as a guide as they traveled west in covered wagons, thus giving the park its name. An open air amphitheater, constructed by the Civilian Conservation Corps in the 1930s, is surrounded by scenic woods.
Any and all photos on this listing were provided and approved by this business. Permissions were received to use these photos to promote the business.
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