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News

Hiking the Western Skies Scenic Byway: Shelby County

3/17/2023

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Western Skies Scenic Byway between Harlan and Woodbine (photo © 2016 Kenneth West)
This week's Hiking the Byways installment takes us to Shelby County on the Western Skies Scenic Byway, which offers travelers several easy opportunities to venture off the beaten path.

HIghway 44 is the main route of Western Skies Scenic Byway through Shelby County. A loop past Panama and through Westphalia via County Highway F-32 and Highway 59 reconnects with Highway 44 in Harlan. 

​Shelby County Conservation manages eight areas open to hiking, while Prairie Rose State Park is managed by the Iowa DNR. Read about them below.
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Dinesen Prairie State Preserve

Manager: Shelby CCB
Location: 41.70884, -95.28142
Acres: 20
Trails: No official trails but hiking is allowed
Camping: No
Amenities: None
Dogs: Yes, just no interfering with nesting birds from May to June.
Hunting: No
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No map is available
Derald W. Dinesen Prairie is a 20-acre remnant of native tallgrass prairie. It is located six miles northeast of Harlan in northeastern Shelby County. Derald Dinesen purchased the area in 1943, realizing that the Iowa prairie was nearly a thing of the past. It was dedicated in 1977 as a biological state preserve. He told reporters at the dedication, “I guess the reason I set aside the land was based on instinct. The instinct to leave something behind for posterity of what you believe in. I just wanted to see and have others see the beauty of the land as it existed years ago when the Indians roamed [the land].”​
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Dinesen Prairie State Preserve

Elk Horn Creek Recreation Area

Manager: Shelby CCB
Location: 41.56973, -95.08927
Acres: 90
Trails: Yes
Camping: Yes
Amenities: Picnic facilities, ADA-accessible restrooms, water
Dogs: Yes, just no dog training/interfering with nesting birds in May-June.
Hunting: Archery only
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No map is available
The Elkhorn Creek Recreation Area is a multiple use area, and is the ideal setting for a family on an outing, or for a person looking for solitude. With it's groomed trails and unique wildlife, the adventures are never ending. The upper picnic area contains what is believed to be the original site of the pioneer village of Elk Horn. Many building foundation blocks remain to mark the site. Petersen Preserve is roughly 32 acres and also part of the park; it has many grass walking trails. ​
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Elkhorn Creek Recreation Area

Manteno Park

Manager: Shelby CCB
GPS: 41.85683, -95.46155​
Acres: 110
Trails: Yes
Camping: Yes
Amenities: Restrooms, water
Dogs: Yes, just no interfering with nesting birds in May-June.
Hunting: No
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No park map is available
Set in the hills of Grove township is Manteno Park, Shelby County Conservation Board's most popular area. Located northwest of Earling, it contains a 12-acre lake and includes hiking trails. Manteno is known for its shaded picnic areas and calm atmosphere. A 40-acre tract of timber adjacent to the park was purchased in 1994 and made into a nature area.
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Manteno Park

Nishna Bend Recreation Area

Manager: Shelby CCB
GPS: 41.56957, -95.33064
Acres: 80
Trails: Yes
Camping: Yes
Amenities: Restrooms, shower house
Dogs: Yes, just no interfering with nesting birds in May-June.
Hunting: Yes
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Click for a larger version
The 80-acre Nishna Bend Recreation Area contains over 30 acres of wetland created from past gravel mining operations and is located southeast of Corley. Its acquisition was partially funded with grants from Duck Unlimited and Pheasants Forever. The ponds left from past mining operations contain bass, crappie, catfish, bluegill and bullhead to delight any angler. The other features include camping, a camping cabin, hiking trails, river access, an arboretum, a planting of tall grass, shortgrass prairie with many species of wildflowers, and a nature learning center.
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Nishna Bend Recreation Area

Oak Ridge Habitat Area

Manager: Shelby CCB
Location
: 41.578361, -95.243513​
Acres: 94
Trails: Mowed trails
Other users: Bikers
Camping: No
Amenities: None
Dogs: Yes, just no interfering with nesting birds in May-June.
Hunting: Yes

​Oak Ridge Habitat Area is approx. 94 acres of timber and prairie.  This is a public hunting area that is managed for wildlife habitat.
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No map is available
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Oak Ridge Habitat Area

Prairie Rose State Park

Manager: Iowa DNR
Location: 41.60532, -95.21860​
Acres: 422

Trails: 7 miles of multi-purpose trails
Camping: Yes
Amenities: Shelters, restrooms, water
Dogs: Yes, on leash
Hunting: No

​
Prairie Rose State Park is nestled in the scenic hills of southwest Iowa. The park is named after the small town which was once located near the park’s current location. The lake is the focal point of the park, and visitors enjoy a variety of recreational opportunities from hiking to boating, along with ice fishing in the winter.
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Click to download the PDF map
Approximately 7 miles of trails weave throughout the park. All the trails are open for hiking, biking, snowmobiling and cross-country skiing. An interpretive trail starts in the northwest corner of the park and winds along the shoreline. The trails are great places to observe a variety of plants and wildlife. There are several areas of restored prairie along the trails.
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Prairie Rose State Park

Rosenow Timber

Manager: Shelby CCB
Location: 41.810704, -95.498675​
Acres: 120
Trails: No
Camping: No
Amenities: None
Dogs: Yes, just no interfering with nesting birds in May-June.
Hunting: Yes
Rosenow Timber is owned by the Iowa Department of Natural Resources and managed by the Shelby County Conservation Board. This 120 acres of virgin timber is a public hunting area that abounds with deer, turkey, squirrels, and many woodland plants.
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Six Bee Tree Timber

​Manager: Shelby CCB
Location
: 41.855796, -95.459858​
Acres: 40
Trails: Mowed trails
Camping: No
Amenities: None
Dogs: Yes, just no interfering with nesting birds in May-June.
Hunting: Yes

​Six Bee Tree Timber is 40 acres of timber located directly across the road to the east of Manteno Park.  This is a public hunting area that is archery only allowed with a mowed trail loop going through it.

Upper Nish Habitat Area

Manager: Shelby CCB
Location
: 41.801018, -95.189460
​Acres: 18
Trails: Mowed trails
Camping: No
Amenities: None
Dogs: Yes, just no interfering with nesting birds in May-June.
Hunting: Yes

​Upper Nish is approximately 3 miles of old railroad right of way that starts just 1/2 mile northeast of Irwin and is open to public hiking and hunting.

​Hiking the Byways is a regular series by Golden Hills RC&D that features publicly accessible lands open to hiking on the three scenic byways in western Iowa that Golden Hills RC&D coordinates: Glacial Trail Scenic Byway, Loess Hills National Scenic Byway, and Western Skies Scenic Byway. Each Friday a blog post covers hiking areas in one county on one of the aforementioned byways. For questions about hiking on the byways, contact Seth Brooks (seth.brooks@goldenhillsrcd.org).
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