Jester Park — Attraction in Polk City

We got out at trailhead 25 and walked down and around to 21, which gives an amazing view. There is also a trail down to a beach, also so beautiful! The fall foilage is perfect in October. You can shorten walk by starting at 23 if you want. Ours was probably a little long for the child, but he loved it! Took us awhile to figure out the map. 🤣 I brought food with us in case we would run into a picnic area, but didn't see one on our trail. There were a few benches, and I should have brought a blanket for beach...

Great place for birdwatching. Variety of woodland, prairie, and water birds. In July/August, I spotted: red-tailed hawk, great blue heron, dickcissel, northern cardinal, eastern kingbird, gray catbird, black-capped chickadee, white-breasted nuthatch, downy woodpecker, eastern wood-pewee, indigo bunting, American goldfinch, northern flicker, Baltimore oriole, and...

See Iowa flora and fauna from yesteryear. Sometimes wildlife makes you stop and look whether you want to or not. The lodge is a good mix of modern and rustic styles. They definitely didn't have great stuff like this when I...