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News

Hiking the Loess Hills National Scenic Byway: Mills County

5/3/2023

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West Oak Forest (photo by Lance Brisbois)
Mills County is located amongst the Loess Hills and rivers of southwest Iowa. The county is rich in cultural history. Many cultures have resided in the Loess Hills of Mills County. Among these cultures was a prehistoric people whose earth-lodge sites have been documented throughout the Loess Hills. There are roughly 284 known earth lodge sites in Iowa, and the majority (239) of these sites occur around the Glenwood area, hence them being called the "Glenwood Culture". Hike at Glenwood Archaeological State Preserve​ to learn about these cultures or head to Folsom Point Preserve for a hike through a remnant prairie with views of the Omaha skyline. There are several other great hiking areas just a short drive from the Omaha/Council Bluffs metro.
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​Folsom Point Preserve

Manager: The Nature Conservancy
GPS: 
41.15500, -95.80338
Trails: No official trails but hiking allowed
Camping: No
Amenities: None
Dogs: No
Hunting: No
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Click for Folsom Point Preserve on All Trails
​Folsom Point Preserve protects one of the largest remaining contiguous prairie remnants in the southern Loess Hills. Purchased in 1999, the prairie provides a valuable habitat for grassland animals, particularly in an area where the prairie community has largely disappeared. The terrain is quite rugged with steep slopes. The preserve is used for research by local students; visitors should avoid flags and other markers.

There are no official trails at the preserve but there are several well-traveled footpaths that lead up to and along the ridges, allowing sweeping views of the Missouri River floodplain and the Loess Hills. The nearby factories, however, degrade the view from the ridges. A hike at Folsom Point is still enjoyable, as it is much less frequented than Hitchcock Nature Center yet about the same driving distance from the Omaha/Council Bluffs metro.
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Folsom Point Preserve (photo by Seth Brooks)

Green Hill Wildlife Area

​Manager: Iowa DNR
GPS: 
41.152340, -95.786740
Acres: 516
Trails: No official trails but hiking allowed
Camping: No
Amenities: None
Dogs: Yes
Hunting: Yes

Green Hill Wildlife Area is one of Iowa's newest public wildlife areas. The property is located east across the road from Folsom Point Preserve. Iowa DNR is restoring the property to prairie.
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Click for a larger image
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Photo by Lance Brisbois

West Oak Forest

​Manager: Mills County Conservation
GPS: 
41.075377, -95.811997
Acres: 308
Trails: 3 miles of hiking trails
Camping: No
Amenities: None
Dogs: Yes
Hunting: No

​
West Oak Forest is located in west central Mills County. The 308-acre area of Loess Hills bluffland is adjacent to and overlooking the broad Missouri River floodplain.
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Click for West Oak Forest on All Trails
This is the second largest park within the Mills County Conservation Board’s park system. It consists of forest, numerous hilltop prairie remnants, 7-acres of restored prairie, and well over 3 miles of hiking trails.

Being nestled in the west side of Iowa’s beautiful Loess Hills, the park provides a spectacular view overlooking the Missouri River floodplain. West Oak Forest is inhabited by many threatened and endangered species of the Loess Hills,  including the Yucca Moth, Western Spadefoot Toad, Ottoe Skipper, Northern Grasshopper Mouse, and various others.. The topography of the property is very steep with corrugated hills and the highest point being 1,100 feet above sea level. Heavily forested with upland hardwoods including bur oak, red oak, ironwood, basswood, scattered black walnut and shagbark hickory.
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Photo by Lance Brisbois

Pony Creek Park​

Manager: Mills County Conservation
GPS: 
41.070669, -95.788706
​Acres: 83
Trails: Yes (trail map posted at kiosk)
Camping: Yes
Amenities: Nature center, restrooms
Dogs: Yes
Hunting: No

​Pony Creek Park 
is the Mills County Conservation headquarters. There are hiking trails within the park as well as a scenic overlook platform. The park also has 1.5 acres of restored prairie as well as 4-acres of native prairie. ​An 82-acre lake is located directly across from the entrance of the park that allows fishing, canoeing, and kayaking. During fall, a wonderful image is painted upon the canvas of treetops across the lake from the park. ​
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Click for a larger image
Pony Creek is located along the Loess Hills Scenic Byway. Pony Creek Park is a National Historic Landmark. The Davis Oriole earth lodge site is located here. To protect the archaeological integrity of the site, it is not specifically marked. 
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Pony Creek Nature Center

Mile Hill Lake

​Manager: Mills County Conservation
GPS: 41.047265, -95.782418
​Acres: 39
Trails: Yes
Camping: No
Amenities: Boat dock and ramp
Dogs: Yes
Hunting: Yes
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No map is available of Mile Hill Lake
Mile Hill Lake consists of a hardwood forest, which is open to public hunting, and a 10-acre fishing lake with boat dock and ramp. ​When driving into the park you will find an interpretive panel discussing the prehistoric culture that lived in this region, and the handicap accessible Scenic Overlook, which offers an interpretive panel discussing the Loess Hills Scenic Byway. You will also see a2 acre restored prairie, and several flowerbeds which are maintained by the Mills County Co-Horts. There are various hiking trails within the park, including the most recent addition that leads through a marsh area, with a newly installed footbridge.
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Showy orchis at Mile Hill Lake

Glenwood Archaeological
​State Preserve


​Manager: Mills County Conservation
GPS: 41.028771, -95.744359
​Acres: 906
Trails: 3 miles of paved and mowed trails
Camping: No
Amenities: None
Dogs: Yes
Hunting: No

Glenwood Archaeological State Preserve is Iowa’s 96th dedicated preserve.
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Click for All Trails information
The preserve is a low impact recreation area, meaning that no public activity can impair the integrity of the site. The site hosts multi-use trails ready for running, hiking, biking and wildlife observation. Aside from the archaeological sites within the property, one can also find forest, oak savanna, native prairie, restored prairie and agricultural grounds on the site.

There are 107 recorded archaeological sites in the Glenwood Archaeological State Preserve, ranging from about 10,000 years in age to the early Euro-American settlement era, 150 years ago. Most significant are 27 earth lodge sites in the preserve that are related to the Glenwood Culture, also known as the Nebraska phase of the Central Plains tradition. Only a small fraction of the preserve has been archaeologically surveyed, so many more sites probably exist in the preserve.
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Photo by Lance Brisbois

​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 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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