Dunning's Spring Park — Attraction in Decorah

Our family visit to Dunning’s Spring Park in Decorah, Iowa, left us genuinely enchanted by its natural beauty and peaceful simplicity. After parking in the small gravel lot, we followed a short paved path that quickly brought us to a picturesque limestone bridge spanning the creek. The sight and sound of the waterfall—cascading over mossy rocks and framed by rugged limestone walls—created an immediate sense of tranquility and escape.

Getting a closer look at the falls was easy, thanks to the stone steps that lead up to a scenic overlook. The walk was brief but rewarding, offering a broader view of the spring’s source and the surrounding wooded landscape. The main trail is mostly gentle and easy to navigate, though the stone steps and bridge require a little caution, especially if you’re visiting with young children or anyone who might be unsteady on uneven ground. For those feeling adventurous, there’s a steeper connector trail that links to the larger Ice Cave Hill Park trail system, though we opted to enjoy the falls and relax by the water instead.

What makes Dunning’s Spring especially appealing is its unstructured, natural feel. There are no crowded facilities or commercial distractions—just a quiet, shaded forest and the soothing sound of running water. We found a comfortable spot on the rocks near the water’s edge, let the kids dip their toes in the creek, and enjoyed a peaceful break from the road. There are no restrooms or picnic shelters at the spring itself, so we were glad to have packed a small backpack with water, snacks, and a picnic blanket. The parking lot is close enough for convenience but can fill up quickly, especially on weekends or in peak season, so arriving early made the visit more relaxed.

A few practical recommendations: bring sturdy, closed-toe shoes for the paths and bridge; a child carrier can be useful if you plan to hike the steeper trail; and carry any food, drinks, or supplies you might want, since amenities are minimal. The area around the waterfall is stroller-friendly, but the stone steps to the overlook require extra attention.

Overall, Dunning’s Spring Park offers an easy, refreshing family outing in Iowa’s Driftless region. The waterfall’s gentle cascade, surrounded by cliffs and forest, provides a sense of discovery and calm that appealed to everyone in our group. Its simplicity is its greatest strength, making it a perfect half-day stop for anyone passing through Decorah or seeking a bit of...

Dunning's Spring Park located in Decorah has a beautiful waterfall and Ice Cave. It's a small walk to see an amazing waterfall nestled into what looks to be an historic home area. Small parking area that holds maybe 10 to 12 cars. It has a nicely built stone brings that crosses over the springs that leads to a set of stairs to view the grand waterfall at the top. The best pictures are most definitely taken from the bottom when you see all the natural beauty and it's rapids.

We decided to take the river trail Hudrahs loop/ River Trail to see if we could see the ice cave. At the start of the trail it was a very small foot trail with tall weeds. What I wasn't expecting was seeing so many Giant Hogweed plants along the trail (very toxic very poisonous invasive plant) growing along on both sides of this trail. We got to a small section where it was one person passage and then a bike zoomed by, it is a shared trail. The thicket was dense along and one small tree had fallen covering part of the trail and we continued on. There were not that many people on the trail when we went however when we got back to the parking area it was packed and with people parking outside along the drive.

Best advice get there early to beat the crowds 9am to 11am is when we got there and left. Also maybe think about wearing long sleeve and pants to keep your skin a barrier just in case that hogweed gets further out into...

Good day, everyone! Last weekend, I went to Dunning Springs in Decorah, IA. It is about 30 minutes south of Harmony MN & 41 minutes south of Lanesboro, MN.

This location was suggested to me by a friend. I did my research first. I reviewed others' photos and comments. They were all positive, and the park appeared to be larger on than what i found. By all the photos listed on Google for this site, I thought the location would be bigger. Quite deceiving. I drove 3.5 hours and got their only to realize it wasn't as big. It was quite frustrating. My personal frustrations aside, the town reminded me a lot of Redwing, Minnesota. By that, I mean it's a larger small town. Lots of bike paths, I saw many people out riding ebikes.

The Ice Cave, is located on the same road as Dunning Springs. The problem is the road is closed. So youll have to go to Dunning Springs then walk 🚶‍♂️ the path from Dunning Springs to the ice cave .5 miles away.

There are other attractions, water trickles down into a river and there a tubing location nearby as I saw few people floating past...