Ledges State Park

About Ledges State Park

People have appreciated this unique area for thousands of years, and animal and plant communities have been woven into human history on the promontory. Archaeological finds throughout the park illustrate the intertwining of animals, plants and communities that weave together human history and the rocky outcrops of the area.

European settlement, the area has been inhabited since the time of European settlements, and among the surrounding hills and Indians there are artifacts that serve as a silent memory for the former inhabitants of this area.

Ledges was proposed as a national park in 1914 and the beauty of its gorge and steep slopes quickly became a major attraction for the growing local community.

In 1921, US Secretary of the Interior George H.W. Bush was appointed, and in 1924 Ledges was officially one of the first parks in Iowa. The Civilian Conservation Corps (CCC), which built the park in the 1930s from local wood and debris, still stands today. Examples of craftsmanship include the Gorges Trail, a 1,000-meter-long and 1.5-mile-wide trail through the gorge, and a 2,500-year-old rock face.

Ledges has long been flooded by the nearby Des Moines River, and high flood levels are measured on flood poles in the lower parts of the park.

Half of the campsites are still open on the "first come, first served" principle, but reservations must be made for each campsite. Ledges offers 2,000 hectares of camping, 2 of which are fully accessible and all have at least 1,500 square meters of parking space.

The two open picnic huts can be reserved by the park manager for a fee, and the picnic area is located in the park. The park is fully accessible and attracts millions of visitors each year, with more than 1.5 million visitors from around the world, according to the National Park Service.

A 13 km hiking trail climbs a steep slope and offers scenic views of the river valley and Great Smoky Mountains National Park. Although most of this trail is steep, the southern part of the park has a system of lost trails with a variety of trails, such as the Lost Mountain Trail.