• Home
  • Blog
    • Archives
  • About
  • Disclosure
    • Privacy Policy

Family Rambling

not all destinations can be found on a map

  • Travel
    • Family Travel
      • Best Family Travel Tips
    • Adults Only
  • Blogging Biz
  • Explore the USA
  • Ireland Travel
  • #50_before50
    • The Goals
    • Herself
This site generates income via partnerships with carefully selected travel brands and/ or purchases made through links to them. See why this is important.
You are here: Home / Uncategorized / Spring Hiking at Ledges State Park

Spring Hiking at Ledges State Park

By Jody Halsted April 20, 2010

We’ve been enjoying spectacular spring weather this year- dry and warm (usually it’s cool and rainy).  The warm weather got us thinking about summer camping and we decided to check out the grounds at Ledges State Park and then take a hike.  We had a perfect day for our adventure.

Flooding at Ledges State Park in Iowa

Though the weather was dry we had quite a bit of rain- and a lot of snow melt- just a week before so the lower ledges were closed to traffic.  That didn’t stop people from hiking down to the lower areas, though some paths were closed due to the flooding.

Ledges State Park is a hikers paradise.  Trails range from leisurely to quite difficult and hiking from the bottom to the top of the Ledges can change your elevation by 280 feet!  The girls were great sports as we carefully descended steep stone steps that had been added to the hillside.

Trails at Ledges State Park, Iowa

Some of those steps are uneven and even large for me, so we were very impressed with our little hikers.  Of course they took a cue from other hikers on the paths and picked up walking sticks for the more even ground…

Hiking at Ledges State Park, Iowa

The well posted paths lead you through the park to places like the Council Ring, Lookout Point and Table Rock; the latter being a large flat outcropping of rock overlooking- and overhanging- the river below.

On Table Rock at Ledges State Park, Iowa

Another exciting feature of hiking through Ledges State Park is the creek crossings on the road.  This provides terrific shallow pools for splashing in the summer.  Of course the water was high, fast and quite cold so we did our best to stay dry and crossed on the safety barricades.

Ledges State Park, Iowa

Many structures around the park- including the stone steps- were built in the 1930’s era Civilian Conservation Corps projects.  The stone bridge is one of those projects.  I love how it looks almost like it came out of the earth as naturally as the trees and ledges.

Stone Bridge at Ledges State Park, Iowa

We are looking forward to returning this summer for a weekend of camping!

Quick Facts

Ledges State Park is located just south of Boone, Iowa.   Entry into the park is free.  There are 95 campsites; 40 electric, 42 non-electric and 13 hike-in.  Half the sites can be reserved online, the rest are first come- first served.  Be sure to book early for holiday and peak weekends!

If you need food to fuel your hike- or you’re sick of campfire food- head into Boone and take a meal at the Colorado Grill.  I recommend the Monte Cristo.

 

 

Things To Do
Boone
«
»

5 Comments · Filed Under: Uncategorized · Tagged With: camping, Hiking, Iowa, State Parks

About Jody Halsted

Jody Halsted is an award winning writer and podcaster specializing in travel, Ireland, camping, and RVing.
Based in the Midwest, Jody is a rambling soul who would love nothing more than to split her time between her RV and Ireland, but until then she ‘lives the dream’ in Iowa with her husband, two daughters, and a small menagerie of furry friends.

Award Winning Writer & Podcaster • Twitter • Instagram • Facebook • Pinterest

Comments

  1. Linda says

    April 20, 2010 at 9:41 pm

    Thanks for the post. I told Hubby today that we should come down for Farm Progress and camp at Ledges. I marked the reservation date on my calendar since you can only reserve 3 months in advance. Be sure to write about it if you camp there this summer!

    Reply
    • Jody says

      April 20, 2010 at 9:59 pm

      I actually just booked dates for camping – and you know I’ll be sure to share the details!

      Reply

Trackbacks

  1. Hometown Cookin' at the Colorado Grill in Boone, Iowa | Family Rambling: tips and destinations from a traveling family says:
    April 20, 2010 at 9:02 pm

    […] […]

    Reply
  2. Tweets that mention Spring Hiking at Ledges State Park | Family Rambling: tips and destinations from a traveling family -- Topsy.com says:
    April 21, 2010 at 10:53 pm

    […] This post was mentioned on Twitter by iatraveler, iatraveler, Dominique King, raveable, wes shand and others. wes shand said: RT @TravelJackpot: @traveljackpot RT @raveable [Featured] Spring Hiking at Ledges State Park; by @iatraveler http://bit.ly/d9EMl7 http:/ … […]

    Reply
  3. Finding More Fun: Family Travel Links, 05/11/2010 | Travels with Children by minnemom says:
    May 11, 2010 at 8:21 pm

    […] Spring Hiking at Ledges State Park (Iowa) at Family Rambling. […]

    Reply

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.

Where do you want to go?

Welcome!!!

Hi! I am so glad you’re here! My name is Jody Halsted and you’ve found my little home on the web.
Want to know a bit more about me? It's all right here....

Shopping Online?

Ebates Coupons and Cash Back

Trusted Travel Gear

Family Travel Deals

Generic_250x250

Flat $15* off on Flights with our Columbus Day Deals! Book Now!

Proud to be Featured at

Top 20 Family Blogger award
Alltop, all the cool kids (and me) 25 Best Travel Blogs

Copyright © 2019 · Design by Design Chicky

Copyright © 2019 · Sprinkle Theme on Genesis Framework · WordPress · Log in