Out of Vegas: Trekking Iowa

Who would have thought that modern Iowa was such a great place to be outdoors?  The recent Star Trek movie shows Iowa as endless flat fields of planted corn.  But Iowa, when white men arrived, was a far different place.  The state’s eastern border is the Mississippi River and most of the state is riddled with large rivers, streams and tributaries nestled in lush woodlands.  Prairie grasses – often six-feet high — covered the rolling hills, making Iowa one of the richest natural wonderlands on the continent with more healthy biological diversity than any other region.  State resource management agencies realized the rare natural ecosystem in the early part of the last century and Iowa was a leader in establishing state parks and resource areas.  The state developed a plan for an extensive trail system that would link communities and ecosystems throughout the state, but after WWII, priorities mysteriously changed and the planned trails were dropped.  Iowa now has almost no native prairies and no mature woodlands, according to Department of Natural Resource experts.

But priorities appear to have shifted again and there is a statewide movement to restore and preserve Iowa’s rich natural heritage.  Trail systems are sprouting up throughout the state.  Although only 2 percent of the state is accessible to the general public, that 2 percent is pretty spectacular in Iowa’s modest sort of way.  You won’t find 100-foot waterfalls or Star Trek’s mile-deep canyons.  Instead, stand in a field of grass with a deer resting on the ground a football field away and listen to the song of the meadow birds calling each to each.  Stumble on a drift of wildflowers in the shadowy dappled sunlight of the woods or cross one of the numerous streams sparkling in the sun.  Iowa’s beauty isn’t spectacular, but it is amazingly lovely.

Lynn and Alexander Goya are exploring Iowa for the upcoming book, Easy Hikes Iowa City, Cedar Rapids and Cedar Falls/Waterloo, by Falcon Press, due spring 2010.

Photo courtesy of Alexander Goya