Pilot Knob State Park

Pilot Knob State Park spans 700 acres featuring glacial formations, dense forests, hiking trails, and a notable observation tower at 417 meters elevation.

Local citizens raised $7,000 in 1920 to acquire the land, leading to the park's establishment in 1923 as one of Iowa's earliest state preserves.

The Civilian Conservation Corps Company 1757 constructed multiple limestone structures in 1934, including an amphitheater, picnic shelters, and entrance portals.

The park includes a 15-acre lake for fishing and boating, campgrounds with electric hookups, modern showers, and designated trails for horseback riding.

Dead Man's Lake contains a four-acre floating sphagnum bog, representing the only example of this ecological formation in the entire state of Iowa.

Location: Hancock County

Inception: 1923

Elevation above the sea: 417 m

Website: https://iowadnr.gov/Places-to-Go/State-Parks/Iowa-State-Parks/Pilot-Knob-State-Park

GPS coordinates: 43.24889,-93.55722

Latest update: April 4, 2025 05:58