Plan your visit TO THE IOWA RIVER GREENBELT
The Greenbelt offers a multitude of recreational opportunities including canoeing, hiking, biking, boating, tubing, camping, fishing, birdwatching, swimming, hunting and golfing.
Most of the Greenbelt is accessible by taking the Iowa River Greenbelt Scenic Drive, which extends from Alden to Eldora. The area is also accessible by foot, bike or boat.
Highlighted public areas
Use this map to find the public areas identified below.
(The numbers below correspond with numbers on the map. Get more detailed maps and information from the Hardin County Conservation Board.
- Bessman-Kemp Wildlife Area
- Calkins Nature Area. This nature area, also the headquarters for Hardin CCB, contains 76 acres of woodland, wetland and reconstructed native prairie. There are two miles of trails near the nature center, as well as an arboretum near the prairie. The nature center includes a wildlife exhibit with more than 80 species of animals from pheasants and deer to raptors, reptiles and amphibians. The nature center specializes in raptor rehabilitation.
- Eagle City Park
- Sand Springs Wildlife Area: This 221-acre park along the Iowa River is 1.5 miles north of Steamboat Rock. The area has heavily timbered ridges, a small wetland and many wildflowers. Along a ridge above the river lie 27 sacred Indian mounds. INHF assisted Hardin County in acquiring this land.
- Tower Rock County Park offers camping, picnicking, hiking, fishing and hunting. Exposed sandstone and limestone cliffs provide a spectacular view when passing on the river.
- At Fallen Rock Preserve, located just west of Tower Rock, the Iowa River has carved deep bluffs through sandstone bedrock. The area has white pine, yellow birch and white birch, and a large number of raptors travel through the area during fall and spring migrations.
- Wildcat Cave Area, a quarter mile north of Eldora along the Iowa River, is home to a variety of trees, an isolated prairie and a seasonal waterfall. INHF acquired two properties to help complete the Wildcat Cave project, which is now managed by Hardin County Conservation Board.
- Pine Lake State Park is a heavily wooded 585-acre state park located near Eldora. The park features rolling bluffs with 250-year-old white pine trees, two lakes (a 50-acre lower lake and 69-acre upper lake), more than 10 miles of well-established trails, campgrounds, four restored Civilian Conservation Corps cabins and a concession stand. INHF recently helped the DNR acquire a 68-acre addition to Pine Lake State Park.
- The Pine Lake and Tower Rock Trails are actually two different trails that run seamlessly together.Together, they form a 4.5-mile paved multiuse recreation trail that connects two parks and two towns. The portion of the trail within Pine Lake State Park is called the Pine Lake Trail (3 miles), while the portion from north of the park boundaries to Steamboat Rock is the Tower Rock Trail (1.5 miles).
The recreation areas and activities mentioned above are only a few of the many that can be found along the Iowa River Greenbelt. More information on these areas and those not mentioned are available through the Greenbelt communities, Hardin County Conservation Board and other resources. Check out our links page to locate web sites with more information.
