Loess Hills State Forest

Beautiful rolling hills and nature. A great place to take a walk while enjoying nature.

First hike of the season turned into an amazing adventure! First, you will get lost unless you type a physical address you find from their website. Don't type Loess Hills State Forest in your maps. You will find an "Hills Have Eyes" or "Wrong Turn" type of atmosphere. This is after you drive by the tarp covered shed with a spray painted sign stating, "Enter Here!!!" Ohhhhhhh snap!! The State Forest is comprised of 4 sections so do some research prior to going!We found an awesome trail (close to the overlook area) which runs by two ponds and was a total of 1.8 miles. Had some steep inclines and some open fields, it worked decent for 7kids who enjoyed the adventure.The overlook observatory area has its own trails and has great views extending miles out! Hint: take a picture of the map sign- it's easy to navigate! Bathrooms were accommodated at the trailhead!

This Visitors Center sits at the Hwy 183 entrance to the 11,000 acres of the Loess Hills State Forest. It has a 3D map of the forest and interesting information on the formation of these unique hills. It is staffed on the seasonal weekends by volunteers, but is open at various hours throughout the week, as found on their website.