Fontana County Park — Attraction in Iowa

Fontana has been a mainstay for many years between myself, parents and my own children. Weather you are planning an extended stay and opting for camping arrangements or just visiting for an afternoon there's many options for activities while at Fontana. Plenty of hiking on the trails where you can find info posts full of interesting insight on many topics such as animals or plants that are found here, Fontana offers fishing opportunities both below and above the dam on either side of the lake, fishing jetties that stretch out past the main bank along with a small scale boat ramp to use, an open air playground, info board full of E/I on things like indigenous plants or animals (changes often to keep it interesting) a chapple complete with pulpit and benches (there are some very beautiful blooms here in the early to middle of spring, a must see!), A nature center with many activities all year (I especially enjoy watching the bees in the hive display in spring and the hummingbird feeders on warm summer afternoons) along with a "touch tank" where you can get hands on with a few verities of turtles native to the local region, many finely taxidermied critters on display and even live animal tank displays that include various types of native snakes, salamanders, frogs and more. A small scale library full of interesting field guide type books and more to read while visiting the center, don't forget to sign the guest registry while visiting the nature center! It only takes a moment if your time and greatly helps park management in a few ways. Fontana also includes many large outdoor animal enclosures where you can typically expect to see multiple types of ducks, many species of birds of prey such as bald eagle, owls, hawks and vultures. Ring neck pheasants, raccoons and In recent years Fontana has been host to a pair of red foxes as well as a bobcat too! All animals are kept here out of necessity, some for health issues, some orphaned and others are short term rehabs waiting for potential release, there have been many different and interesting animals kept here! In years past Fontana has featured many animals including bear, cougar, peacock and even a pair of wolves! Each exhibit offers educational info on the animals showcased such as their current conservation status, habitat, diet and more. Fontana also boasts a newly renovated enclosure where a small number of American Bison are kept. Currently there has been some remodeling underway and once completed will offer visitors insight to the diverse species of plants like grasses and wild flowers that make up native prairie growth which covered much of Iowa prior to being cultivated for agriculture purposes. Fontana also offers a small stretch of paved biking/walking trail to enjoy. Lots to do and see, guaranteed to provide hours of...

Currently undergoing some upgrade work for RV parking but most still accessable. The small centre is free to enter for locals and is informative for kids and adults on the wildlife in the area. The staff member on was great and interacted well with our grandkids and showed them some of the detail and explained about the animals. You can walk down to see the dam and the river that flows away under the bridge. You can walk round the lake and up the river and there are some seating areas. It was mid November when we visited so most plants had died back but it's still a pleasant walk. The parking area has a number of enclosures housing rescued animals that can't be returned to the wild, and the rear field has a number of Bison in it. Keep a eye out over head as we saw a pair of bald eagles circling. In the trees are a number of other small birds. There's a small kids play area and you can walk your dog on a lead but not near the animal enclosures. Not sure about the detail on the RV park but it's kitted out with barbeques etc. Parking is easy however not sure if there would be enough for...

Gorgeous small county park. Home to one of the few wooden suspension bridges in the country. There is a small 'zoo' of native animals that are no longer able to survive in the wild for various reasons. They've had black bears, foxes, coyotes, bald eagles and even cougars here and times. There is a old mill dam that makes for some decent fishing, but nothing spectacular. The nature center is first rate with rotating exhibits, meeting rooms, and a small nature library. Two "off the grid" cabins are available for rent year-round. These are modern cabins that use only renewable energy sources, so they do have running water, power,...