Western Iowa's public lands

Western Iowa has many places for the public to explore and enjoy the great outdoors. These include parks, trails, wildlife areas, lakes, rivers, and more. Ownership and management of these amenities vary widely, including federal, state, county, and city governments, to nonprofits and other private owners. This post aims to help clarify some of the differences. There are many exceptions to the ‘rules,’ however, so you can always contact the local site manager before visiting if you have questions. If you aren’t sure what activities are or are not allowed at a specific site, contact the land manager directly to make sure you’re following the rules.

Iowa Department of Natural Resources is the state agency that manages state-owned conservation and recreation lands. These include:

• State Parks:
  • Most Iowans live within a short drive of an Iowa State Park. Most state parks allow low-impact activities such as hiking, birding, and picknicking, and have at least some amenities like campgrounds and restrooms. Amenities and activities can vary from park to park.
  • Hunting is not allowed in Iowa’s State Parks. 
  • Parks open at 4:00 a.m. daily and close at 10:30 p.m. Lodge and open shelter users must vacate the area prior to 10:30 p.m. All persons except registered campers, group campers, cabin renters, or yurt renters must leave the park by 10:30 p.m. Visitors in campgrounds, group camps or cabin, yurt and beach areas of parks, forests and recreation areas must leave by 10:30 p.m. 
  • Specific facilities, such as beaches, have different hours.
  • Facilities like lodges, cabins, and shelters generally require a reservation and payment in advance.
  • Lake Manawa and Waubonsie state parks charge an entrance fee for out-of-state visitors, but other Iowa State Parks do not charge entrance fees.
  • A special event permit is required for large, public events in Iowa’s state parks.
  • Iowa State Park FAQs has more information about what is allowed and prohibited in Iowa’s state parks.

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• State Recreation Areas:
  • SRAs sare similar to state parks, but hunting is generally allowed. They often have some amenities like campgrounds and restrooms.
  • SRAs are free for the public to visit and enjoy.

Download the Iowa State Park & Recreation Areas regulations.

Prairie Rose State Park in Shelby County. Owned and Managed by Iowa DNR. photo by Lance Brisbois

• ​Wildlife Management Areas 
  • WMAs are managed primarily for wildlife and are open to hunting. Hiking, wildlife viewing, and birdwatching are typically allowed. There are not official, designated trails, but WMAs often have maintenance roads, game trails, and firebreaks that can be easily hiked.
  • A few exceptions, such as Smith WIldlife Area near Council Bluffs, do not allow hunting. 
  • WMAs are free to visit. Much of their funding comes from Pittmann-Robertson excise taxes from hunters and firearms purchases. ​

Loess Hills Wildlife Area in Monona County. photo by Lance Brisbois

State Preserves:
Iowa’s state preserves “are dedicated for the permanent protection of significant natural and cultural features. Most are open to hiking and photography…Many preserves do not contain officially established trails, but an informal footpath often leads from the parking lot toward prominent features.

Dinsen Prairie State Preserve in Shelby County. photo by Lance Brisbois

• State Forests:
  • State forests like Loess Hills State Forest in Harrison & Monona counties have similar rules to WMAs. They are generally open to multiple uses, including hunting and hiking.

Little Sioux Unit of Loess HIlls State Forest in Harrison County. photo by Lance Brisbois

U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service:Desoto National Wildlife Refuge near Missouri Valley is owned and managed by the U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service.
Desoto has a daily entrance fee. By purchasing a yearly federal Duck Stamp, you can get into Desoto and all National Wildlife Refuges. ​

Waterfowl at Desoto NWR. photo by Carter Oliver

County Conservation Boards:
Iowa is unique in that each of our 99 counties has its own County Conservation Board, or CCB. Each CCB is allowed to have their own rules and regulations, so make sure you know which county you are in and learn their rules before visiting. They can vary within a county at different parks and wildlife areas–for example, hunting, camping, and dogs may be allowed in one county park but not another.

Hitchcock Nature Center. photo by Lance Brisbois

Cities: 
Similar to county conservation boards, each city and different parks within the same city may have different rules. Many smaller parks, especially in small towns, are geared towards family-friendly activities like picnicking, and have recreational fields and courts for more organized sports.

Fairmount Park, owned & maintained by the City of Council Bluffs. photo by Lance Brisbois

Land Trusts & Nonprofits: 
Several nonprofit organizations and land conservancies own and preserve wild lands in Iowa. Not all of these, however, are open to the public. 

• The Nature Conservancy - TNC is a global organization that strives to protect natural resources. Some of their lands are privately-owned and not publicly-accessible. Folsom Point Preserve and Broken Kettle Grasslands are both located in the Loess Hills and do allow some public access for hiking and wildlife viewing.
• Iowa Natural Heritage Foundation - Most of INHF’s lands are privately-owned easements, or areas that will eventually be turned over to another agency for long-term management. INHF sometimes has volunteer and education events where the public can visit their properties.
• Whiterock Conservancy - Whiterock is a 5,500-acre nonprofit land trust dedicated to providing educational and recreational opportunities for the public, improving and protecting the land through conservation, and demonstrating sustainable farming methods. Public recreation activities include hiking, biking, equestrian trails, fishing, camping, and more.

Folsom Point Preserve in Mills County, owned & managed by The Nature Conservancy. photo by Lance Brisbois

Whiterock Conservancy in Guthrie County, a privately-owned land conservancy with public access. photo by Lance Brisbois

Bike/Recreational Trails - Some trails in western Iowa are owned and managed by nonprofit organizations, and each trail has their own rules. Southwest Iowa Nature Trails, for example, maintains the Wabash Trace Nature Trail. Other trails are managed by their respective city.

Wabash Trace Nature Trail, maintained by Southwest Iowa Nature Trails. photo by Lance Brisbois

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Army Corps of Engineers:
The US Army Corps of Engineers owns some land along the Missouri River. Public access varies. In other parts of Iowa and other states, the Corps owns and manages campgrounds and trails.

Iowa Habitat & Access Program:

• IHAP is a unique program that allows hunters access to private land. The lands are not open for other activities without landowner approval.

Privately-owned IHAP ground in Harrison County with public hunting access. photo by Lance Brisbois

Public waters

• Waterways - In Iowa, the surface of streams, rivers, and lakes are considered public, but the land below and surrounding them are only public if they are classified as a meandering stream, or if the land is also publicly-owned. In other words, if you are paddling on most rivers, you need to stay on the water, because if you step onto the streambed or streambank, you are trespassing on private lands. Where rivers run through public parks, the land is also generally publicly-accessible.
  • State Water Trails typically have high-quality paddling experiences and include river accesses every few miles. The West Nishnabotna is a state-designated water trail in Pottawattamie county.
  • Paddling Routes are recommended routes that offer paddling but do not have the same designation as a water trail.
  • Check out the DNR’s Where to Paddle map to find routes and accesses.
• Private lakes, ponds, & wetlands - Many bodies of water in Iowa are privately owned and not open to the public.

Other private landowners
Most of Iowa’s land is privately owned. Many Iowans have land that they use primarily for recreation, including hunting, hiking, and fishing. These private lands are only accessible with landowner permission. Many landowners are receptive to friends and family using their land, but never try recreating on land unless you are certain that it is open to the public or you have explicit permission from the private landowner. 

Leave No Trace:
Always recreate responsibly outdoors. This includes leaving public lands and waters better than you found them. If you notice that your activity is damaging a trail, stop and come back another day. Learn about the 7 Leave No Trace Principles here.