Discover the great outdoors in the Loess Hills Missouri River Region

Harrison County

Outdoor recreation opportunities a abundant in the Loess Hills Missouri River Region of Iowa, which includes Harrison, Pottawattamie, and Mills counties. Golden Hills recently worked with many partners to develop promotional videos highlighting some of the outdoor amenities available to locals and tourists. Visit wanderloess.com for details on attractions and amenities in the tri-county region.

Harrison County has thousands of acres of public hunting on state and county public lands plus thousands more acres of Iowa Hunting Access Program (IHAP) where private landowners allow public hunting. Dozens of miles of Loess Hills hiking trails and scenic views are available throughout the county, including Murray Hill Scenic Overlook, Brent's Trail, and Loess Hills State Forest. Camping and cabins are available at the popular Willow Lake Recreation Area. 

Mills County

The Mills County video highlights state and county public lands with hiking, biking, paddling, fishing, camping, and other summer activities. Willow Slough Wildlife Area features more than 600 acres of wetlands and is popular for hunting and fishing. Mills County Conservation Board's Mile Hill Lake offers paddling, fishing, hiking, and more, and West Oak Forest includes panoramic views from Loess Hills ridgetops with several miles of hiking trails.

The Wabash Trace Nature Trail, owned and managed by the nonprofit Southwest Iowa Nature Trails, Inc., runs diagonally through Mills County and passes through several small towns. The trail is known for bridges like the West Nishnabotna River overhead truss bridge highlighted in the video.

In summer 2020, we created two videos highlighting parks and wildlife areas in eastern Pottawattamie County. 
View the Pottawattamie County videos here

Thank you to our many partners, including:

• Iowa Tourism Office
• Harrison County Conservation Board (Scott Nelson & Mike Weis)
• Pheasants Forever - Tabitha Panas & Jamie Cook
• Sam Stivers, Dug & Sally
• Lisa Woodrow
• Adam, Carla, Marin & Greta Kucirek
• Becca Castle & Solon Olson
• Mills County Conservation Board (Jerad Getter)
• Wabash Trace Nature Trail
  
• ​Iowa Department of Natural Resources