Western Iowa's Loess Hills

almighty_tuna · Post by **almighty_tuna** » Sun Oct 09, 2005 11:51 pm

Western Iowa's Loess Hills

almighty_tuna · Post by **almighty_tuna** » Sat Oct 15, 2005 7:18 pm

I had the opportunity to ride the motorcycle all through the Loess Hills today and boy was it gorgeous! So I post this in the Photog section to say that if you're waiting for the "right time" to go take pics of the fall foliage, now is the time!

Post by **Brad** » Thu Oct 16, 2014 11:52 am

Here is an interesting road one of my co-workers showed me yesterday. The county road is on the left and then a dirt road splits off of it on the right, but parallels if or a while at different grades, they never removed the dirt in between. That section of dirt is only about 5' wide. Apparently because of the makeup of the Loess soils, the hill never erodes and just stays there.

Near Little Sioux, IA

skinzfan23 · Post by **skinzfan23** » Thu Oct 16, 2014 1:05 pm

Wow that is an interesting road.

Coyote · Post by **Coyote** » Thu Oct 16, 2014 1:11 pm

Brad, remind me to show you a road better than this today... I don't think Elmer would make it down it though...

Post by **Brad** » Thu Oct 16, 2014 1:20 pm

Coyote wrote:Brad, remind me to show you a road better than this today... I don't think Elmer would make it down it though...

Don't doubt the power of the element!

Coyote · Post by **Coyote** » Thu Oct 16, 2014 1:23 pm

Brad wrote:
Coyote wrote:Brad, remind me to show you a road better than this today... I don't think Elmer would make it down it though...
Don't doubt the power of the element! :;):

I'm sure if you tried, maybe, but you better not tell your other half

Habits76 · Post by **Habits76** » Thu Oct 16, 2014 2:19 pm

Olive Ave. which is a dirt road just past the preparation canyon entrance is very similar to this but only one lane wide. I always try and drive down this road while visiting the area, very unique and fun way to the spend the day driving around the loess hills.

Coyote · Post by **Coyote** » Thu Oct 16, 2014 2:22 pm

That's the road I was going to take Brad's Elmer!

Post by **Brad** » Thu Oct 16, 2014 2:29 pm

It sounds familiar? There are a lot of those roads that I have driven on but don't know the name. I have crisscrossed most of that area over the last decade.

Coyote · Post by **Coyote** » Thu Oct 16, 2014 10:29 pm

From today's Loess Hills trip:

I'm sure Brads will be much better...

skinzfan23 · Post by **skinzfan23** » Fri Oct 17, 2014 8:11 am

Very nice Coyote. Where was the picture with the church in it taken?

Post by **Brad** » Fri Oct 17, 2014 8:20 am

skinzfan23 wrote:Very nice Coyote. Where was the picture with the church in it taken?

41°56'17.78"N
95°55'36.51"W

About 5 miles West of Moorhead.

Coyote · Post by **Coyote** » Fri Oct 17, 2014 7:15 pm

Brad wrote:
skinzfan23 wrote:Very nice Coyote. Where was the picture with the church in it taken?
41°56'17.78"N
95°55'36.51"W

About 5 miles West of Moorhead.

Ingemann Lutheran Church. 32044 County Road E54.

The church was built in 1884 on 200 acres of land donated by John H. Johnson. An argument in 1895, caused a split, so that an Upper Danish Church was built on a hill. Ingemann Church was usually called Lower Danish Church. Church meeting is held every year on Memorial Day. In later years Upper Danish Church bldg. was torn down and Bethesda Lutheran Church in Moorhead was built. This Ingemann Church served many of the Danish families who lived in the nearby hills.

Post by **Brad** » Fri Oct 17, 2014 10:43 pm

Wow, little darker blue and a white hat and I would look like a smurf...

Post by **Brad** » Sun Oct 19, 2014 9:39 pm

Here are some of my photos from the trip Coyote and I took north last Thursday.

1. Sumac basking in the sun at Preparation Canyon State Park.

2. Nice afternoon sunlight catching the ridge at Preparation Canyon State Park.

3. The road heading north out of the park towards the danish church.

4. Danish Church

After that we headed south east and we caught a nice sunset over near Willow Lake. I am not sure that is technically in the Loess Hills or not so I posted that over in the Fall Color thread.

Coyote · Post by **Coyote** » Mon Oct 20, 2014 8:11 pm

I only got a few shots today of the Waubonsie State Park:

Post by **Brad** » Tue Oct 21, 2014 7:23 am

Looks like they had some good color down there.

nativeomahan · Post by **nativeomahan** » Fri Oct 24, 2014 9:18 pm

Great pics, Couote. I love Waubonsie Park. We may visit it this weekend.

Coyote · Post by **Coyote** » Sun Oct 11, 2015 8:18 pm

Preparation Canyon:

Oak St.:

Post by **Brad** » Tue Dec 01, 2015 11:03 am

I never knew there was a study to see if the Loess Hills should be a National Park!

Iowa Public Television:
http://www.iptv.org/exploremore/land/fe ... alpark.cfm

Unfortunately the link to the National Parks site is broken.

MTO · Post by **MTO** » Tue Dec 01, 2015 11:36 am

That would be fantastic if they got designated as a national park, I'd expect better protection for a feature that is so fragile.
I'm I little surprised that the Lewis and Clark historical munment isn't in part of the hills.

U R my Helix · Post by **U R my Helix** » Tue Dec 01, 2015 6:21 pm

MTO wrote:the Lewis and Clark historical munment isn't in part of the hills.

I do not know about the munment; but there is a monument in Sioux City in the hills. It is an obelisk for Sergeant Floyd. Every grade school child in that area had to build a replica from popcicle sticks and sugar cubes.

Coyote · Post by **Coyote** » Mon Jul 04, 2022 9:36 pm

The Loess Hills: A Visual Tour

Coyote · Post by **Coyote** » Mon Jul 04, 2022 9:37 pm

Loess Hills Wine Trail

Coyote · Post by **Coyote** » Fri May 26, 2023 3:18 pm

Trails reopen at Loess Hill State Forest after April wildfire

LITTLE SIOUX, Iowa (WOWT) - Those looking to get outside and take advantage of the warm weather have a few extra options in western Iowa. The Iowa Department of Natural Resources announced Friday that the trails at the Preparation Canyon Unit of Loess Hills State Forest have reopened. The Loess Hills State Forest is roughly an hour-long drive north of Omaha.

Coyote · Post by **Coyote** » Fri May 26, 2023 7:16 pm

Loess Trails reopen in Monona Co., IA

Portions of the Loess trail system in Monona County, Iowa have reopened following a wildfire last month.

Coyote · Post by **Coyote** » Tue Oct 17, 2023 7:34 am

Dirt bike racing causes concern for homeowners in Iowa’s Loess Hills

MILLS COUNTY, Iowa - The Loess Hills form a narrow band that borders the length of the Missouri River valley in western Iowa. They’re also home to Keith Callaway and others who are concerned about dirt bike racing that they say is damaging this fragile landform. “The Loess Hills is special because it’s a unique ecosystem,” Callaway said. “The soil is found only two places in the world: here, and in China. When they want to have dirt bike racing in the hills, they have to clear the land, clear trails, cut down a lot of the trees and it removes the protection of the soil.” Callaway is a member of the Loess Hills Residents Association. He says dirt bikes run hot and have the potential to start an environmental disaster in the area.

Coyote · Post by **Coyote** » Thu Oct 19, 2023 8:37 pm

Restoring Iowa's native prairie to the Loess Hills:
'More than 99% of the prairies are gone'

COUNCIL BLUFFS, Iowa (KMTV) — Green Hill Wildlife Management Area in Pottawattamie County is owned by the Iowa Department of Natural Resources. It’s situated in the Loess Hills approximately five miles south of Council Bluffs. Thursday evening, Golden Hills Resource, Conservation & Development — a nonprofit based in Oakland, Iowa — led a group of volunteers collecting native prairie seeds.

“Out here you can see kind of the gold color, that’s the remnant prairie,” said Golden Hills Deputy Director, Lance Brisbois as he pointed to a hillside in the distance. “In Iowa, more than 99% of the prairies are gone. They’ve primarily been plowed for agriculture but as well as urban development.” Remnant prairie is what’s left of the original prairie plants that covered the bluffs for centuries.

Coyote · Post by **Coyote** » Wed Nov 01, 2023 9:49 pm

Mills County residents upset over dirt bike races happening within the protected Loess Hills

Louie · Post by **Louie** » Wed Nov 01, 2023 11:06 pm

We have so few wilderness areas around Omaha, can't people just leave them be and enjoy them as they are?

Coyote · Post by **Coyote** » Thu Dec 07, 2023 7:53 pm

Conservation grant money available for projects in 'unique' Loess Hills

There is very little of this natural prairie left in the State of Iowa. I’m your southwest Iowa reporter, Katrina Markel and I’m at Vincent Bluff State Preserve in Council Bluffs where I spoke to Lance Brisbois about a new opportunity for communities and nonprofits hoping to preserve a little bit of Iowa’s natural prairie.

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