Date Traveled: September 6, 2021
Elk Rock State Park is only 25 minutes from my house, and thus, the perfect place to squeeze in a quick Labor Day Monday before family plans in the afternoon. It’s a small piece of the larger Red Rock Lake (the largest in Iowa, btw), and according to the Iowa DNR website, it’s very popular with equestrians.
Which Brent and I are not. And probably never will be. But that’s cool.
Lake Red Rock has plenty to do, if you’re looking to make it a day or weekend trip. There are two campgrounds just at Elk Rock, but several others around the lake as well. Fishing, boating, hiking, beaching…all of it is there for you.
But I’m here to talk about hiking/walking. There are three trails at Elk Rock…all described as “multi-use”. When you see those words, know that you are most likely looking at unpaved trails. If even, concrete paths are important to you, then this is something good to know. The trails range in mileage from 1.8 to 4.0, so there’s a manageable distance for everyone.
However, there’s some hills, some tree roots, some uneven terrain – only you know how steady and surefooted you are. Make your decisions here wisely.
Brent and I did the 4-mile trek and it was a relatively easy walk, although it did have its huffing-and-puffing moments. We found out that Brent sweats more profusely than I (good to know there are some new things we can learn about each other after 25 years!), and that not having any breakfast in your belly before you hike makes for a queasy last mile. Snacks and water are good if you’re doing the long trail.
The park is beautiful, but the trail we were on never did render a pretty lake view, despite being on a lake. However, we did experience some different mini-biomes…one minute we were walking in a forest, five minutes later, a cornfield. Always fun to experience the biodiversity Iowa has to offer.
Here’s my one complaint – and this should be directed to the DNR: Update yo’ signage. It’s hard to find trailheads and parking. Nothing is clearly marked, even on the trail. Our AllTrails app worked nicely, so we had that to direct us thither and yon.
Will we ever come back to this state park? Eh. Hard to say. Never ever is a long time. With all the other park options in the state, it’s unlikely we’ll seek this one out again. But, it’s nice that it’s close…and it might be a real treat to visit this place again when the trees begin to change colors.
Want to see my pics? Here they are. Thanks for walking along!
HN
For further reading: Elk Rock State Park, Iowa DNR