Pike's Peak State Park...Iowa

Pike's Peak Sate Park is located a few miles south of McGregor, Iowa. The park is ideal for hiking and viewing the mighty Mississippi River.

The park is named after Zebulon Pike. In 1805, just after the Louisiana Purchase, government officials sent Pike to explore the Mississippi Valley in search of suitable sights for military posts. Pike recognized the park as an important strategic sight for such a post. Government officials agreed on the vicinity, but in the end choose flatter land on the other side of the Mississippi River which is now Prairie du Chien. Several years later, Pike was sent westward and named the more famous Pike's Peak in Colorado.

My wife and I camped in the park last Fall. The park has nice camping facilities and has easy access to the many hiking trails. The above photos were taken in late February. While over-looking the river, the sound of breaking ice boomed and echoed across the valley. The racket didn't seem to bother the deer.