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Decorah, IA

If outdoor adventures are what you crave, look no further than Winneshiek County. The area boasts several major waterways, including the Upper Iowa River; Malanaphy Springs; Turkey River, which runs past Fort Atkinson; and North Bear and South Bear creeks near Highlandville. The county’s rich lands and bountiful waters offer an adventurer’s paradise for fishing, hunting, biking, camping, and canoeing.

The area is renowned for all kinds of hunting and fishing. The avid sportsman and the amateur outdoorsman alike can find excitement at Chase the Adventure licensed hunt and gun club, the only one of its kind northeast Iowa. After several decades of dairy farming, owners Dale and Julie Hogenson created the club on Middle Calmer Road. The preserve offers fishing, hunting, paintball, and a clay range. The 800 acres of woods and fields include six ponds for fishing and duck hunting. Overnight accommodations are available in a beautifully renovated, 117-year-old dairy barn that has been converted to a rustic but comfortable lodge with five themed bedrooms. The Hogensons can also set you up with an Alaskan fishing trip on the five acres of pristine riverfront that they own along Clear Creek outside of Talkeetna.

Hunting is a popular outdoor sport in Winneshiek County, and sportsmen with a current license can hunt in season for snow geese, turkey, deer, pheasants, quail, and more. Outdoor water activities can also be found at Walden Pond near Castalia; Lake Meyer near Calmer; Siewers Spring by the fish hatchery; and at the fishing locales of Coldwater Creek, Canoe Creek, Twin Springs, Trout River, Coon Creek, and Bohemian Creek. Trout fishing abounds in the many stocked streams of the area, and fishermen can also try their luck with small-mouth bass, walleye, and sauger. Ozzie’s Outdoors, a family-owned sporting goods store, offers equipment for archery, hunting, and fishing.

Decorah rivals many larger cities with 500 acres of parkland, more than 15 miles of off-road trails, a campground, a community swimming pool, and year-round recreation activities for all ages. The 120-acre Barbara Barnhart Van Peenen Memorial Park, a natural wildlife area, offers a freshwater spring; eight acres of tall prairie grass; and trails for hiking, mountain biking, and cross-country skiing. In addition, the 35-acre Decorah Community Prairie boasts a butterfly garden and scenic walking trails. The stunning 115-acre Dunning’s Spring Park and Ice Cave Hill provide a breathtaking view of the waterfall and stream; areas for cookouts and bonfires; and trails for hiking, mountain biking, and cross-country skiing. These same outdoor adventures can also be found at the 105-acre Palisades Park, which includes a picturesque overlook of the town. Bring the whole family to Twin Springs Park, which features a stocked trout stream, children’s fishing pond, and lots of space for hiking and picnics. Hike to Pulpit Rock and take a canoe ride along the Upper Iowa River at the Will Baker Park.

For tamer adventures, Wold Park offers playground equipment, a picnic area, a skateboard park, and the Oneota River Trail. The 2.5-acre Carl Selland Wayside Park features a butterfly garden and an ice-skating rink. Visitors can enjoy a picnic and a game of horseshoes at Mary Christopher Park, and children can play on the swing sets at Miller Park, Nordheim Park, or Phelps Park. The parks system also offers an excellent public pool with a water slide, as well as the Sand Island play area that is open from late May through late August. A swim team and swimming classes for all ages are available.

Residents can look forward to the future Trout Run Trail, which will be a 12-mile paved recreational trail in Decorah. Project completion is set for 2009, but sections of the trail are currently under construction. The trail will offer year-round recreational opportunities for anglers, bicyclists, birdwatchers, hikers, runners, in-line skaters, cross-country skiers, and walkers. Safe, non-motorized access will be provided to trout streams, the Upper Iowa River, Pulpit Rock Campground, Trout Run Park, the Decorah Fish Hatchery, and Decorah’s business sector. Whether it’s part of an exercise program or general recreation, trail use will help develop and foster health and wellness in the community. In addition, the park will offer natural beauty in the panoramas of forested limestone bluffs, rare algific talus slopes, the Oneota Valley and Upper Iowa River, and rural countryside farms.

When the weather turns cold and the snow begins to fall, hiking and bicycling trails become outstanding runs for cross-country skiing. In addition to hiking, hunting, and fishing, a variety of other outdoor adventures are available, including camping, horseback riding, canoeing, biking, and golf. In fact, Men’s Journal named mountain biking in the Decorah area as one of the “52 Great American Weekends Under $200.” The Paint Creek Riding Stables and Campground offer horseback trail rides and all types of camping, from primitive tent camping to RV electrical hook-ups. And take the opportunity to try a round of golf at the Oneota Golf and Country Club or the Silvercrest Golf and Country Club.

Winneshiek County is home to Fort Atkinson, which was established as a federal military outpost in 1840 to contain the Winnebago Indians within Neutral Ground and to prevent them from returning to their homeland in Wisconsin. The major buildings were built between 1842 and 1845 using limestone quarried nearby. The fort was abandoned in 1849, and in 1853 it was auctioned to private owners. The state acquired the fort in 1921. This portion of the northeastern Iowa landscape is part of the region classified as the Paleozoic Plateau; it has been exposed to weathering and erosion longer than any other region of the state. Because the topography at Fort Atkinson is rugged, the area is referred to popularly as “Little Switzerland.” The preserve is geologically significant as the location of the Fort Atkinson Limestone Member of the Ordovician age Maquoketa Shale. Deposits that were left about 430 million years ago when the region was part of a marine environment created these beds of sedimentary rock. A regional variation of Maquoketa Shale was identified by Samuel Calvin in 1906 and designated the “Fort Atkinson Member.”

Fort Atkinson hosts an annual “rendezvous” with buck skinners, which features 1830s-style camping and trading along with demonstrations from the Fort Atkinson Ghost battalion. Black-powder shooting events and knife and tomahawk throwing challenges occur throughout the day. Goods are displayed for trade by participating buck skinners. Visitors can tour the historic museum, which is housed in the old barracks and hospital.

Whatever flavor of adventure you may crave, you can find it all in Winneshiek County. Come for a visit and enjoy the great outdoors!