The Lewis and Clark State Park in Iowa is Excellent!
by Ironcladd - Written: Jul 06 '04
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Pros: The oxbow lake, the keelboat and pirogue replicas, visitor center, and superintendent, plus the history.
Cons: Mosquitos
The Bottom Line: If you find yourself in Western Iowa on I-29, stop by the Lewis and Clark State Park it's cool.
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| Ironcladd's Full Review: Lewis And Clark State Park |
The Lewis and Clark State Park in Iowa is Excellent!
By James Zaworski
This is the bicentennial of the Lewis and Clark Expedition’s Corps of Discovery journey. From 1804 to 1806, Captains Meriwether Lewis and William Clark were sent upon a journey to explore the vast Louisiana Purchase territory, and to find a northwest passage water route to the Pacific Ocean. The journey was fraught with danger and uncertainty from the beginning, took three whole years to complete, and was undertaken for the first half of the journey by boat: a keel boat and two pirogues, going up, up, and inexorably up the great Missouri River to its source in the Rocky Mountains. The epic and successful journey of Lewis and Clark opened up the great American wilderness, the West, to colonization by Americans.
The Lewis and Clark State Park in western Iowa sits upon an oxbow lake, a former bend in the Missouri River. The park is really in a cool part of Iowa and the setting is really nice, with cottonwood trees and the oxbow lake. The park is currently the home of two replica keel boats and two replica pirogue boats from the journey. The keelboats are about 1/2 actual size.
I just visited this park a few days ago while on vacation and I was very impressed with it.
What follows is a small table of information on the Lewis and Clark State Park followed by an overview of things to do there, and my experiences at the park.
Information on the Lewis and Clark State Park in Iowa.
Location: Extreme western Iowa near the Missouri River.
Nearby towns: Decatur, NE, Council Bluffs, IA
Nearest Interstate: Interstate 29 (the park is only 2 miles from the interstate)
Nearby attractions: The Loess Hills, DeSoto NWR, Council Bluffs, Fort Atkinson.
Camping: Yes
Fishing: Yes
Picnicking: Yes
Shelters: Yes
Lodge: Yes, sort of
Visitor Center: Yes
Gift Shop: Yes
Park Size: 30 acres
Administered by: Iowa Department of Natural Resources
Contact information for the park:
Superintendent
%Lewis and Clark State Park
21914 Park Loop
Onawa, IA 51040
ph. 712/423-2829
What to do in the Lewis and Clark State Park, Iowa.
Visitor Center/Lodge/Keelboat.
There is a new visitor center in progress, and was about 2/3’s finished when I visited this park in June of 2004. The new visitor center has a beautiful glass front overlooking the oxbow lake and keelboat and pirogue replicas.
The “old” visitor center and lodge are still there, log cabin in style. However, I believe the lodge itself is by reserve appointment only. When I visited, there was a family reunion being held in it.
There is a temporary giftshop in a tent with a nice variety of Lewis and Clark memorabilia. I bought two T-Shirts and a few postcards while there. There is also a contribution box for financial contributions that go to the upkeep of the park. I gave a buck.
Camping/Picknicking.
The park has 82 campsites, all modern and complete with electric hookups, as well as an abundance of picnic tables that have fire pits, distributed evenly on the 30 acres of the park. There is also a large picnic shelter area in case of rainy weather.
Fishing.
This oxbow lake of the Missouri River has an abundance of fish for the angler. Check state regulations and park regulations about what fish to catch, as well as catch size, etc.
My Experiences at the Lewis and Clark State Park, Iowa.
I spent a morning at the Lewis and Clark State Park. I did some hiking, but also was wanting to see the keelboats and pirogues. One of the keelboats is a private venture, the other is a park venure, as are the pirogue canoes. I took a bunch of photos, and managed to climb in and out of the ½ size keelboat, and looked at wonder at the long poles that would be used to push the keelboat upstream, against the current, of the old Missouri River on the Lewis and Clark Corps of Discovery Expedition.
After buying some souvenirs, I met the park superintendent, a Mr. Kennedy. He is a lovely older gentleman who is wonderful source of knowledge and stories. He has worked in the National Park service for 32 years, and returned to his native Iowa to work at the Lewis and Clark State Park for the Department of Natural Resourses for Iowa. I spoke at length with him about the Lewis and Clark journeys, the state of the water quality of the Missouri River, how the voyage today would be impossible (because the current is much swifter, at 9 nautical miles per hour as compared with the 3 knot current in 1804, because the Army Corps of Engineers narrowed the channel via levees and dikes and dams over the years). I asked about the “re-enactors” who are recreating the journey, and he told me they have a full scale keelboat powered by a 150-horse power outboard motor!!!!
I also discussed a lot of archaeology and anthropology with him. He was very knowledgeable about the Omaha Indians as well as the Winnebago Indians, both of these tribes have their headquarters not more than 20 miles from the park. We also discussed some geology too, especially of the Loess Hills that are all along the western border of Iowa. Apparently these hills, standing 100-150 feet high, were blown in as dust and deposited layer by layer over the past 23,000 years. Fascinating!
I wholeheartedly encourage the visitor to talk with Superintendent Kennedy on their visit to the Lewis and Clark State Park. He is an icon of the park even more than the keelboat replicas!
All in all, I enjoyed my half-day visit to the Lewis and Clark State Park immensely. Later this summer, I plan to return to it, while on yet another voyage of discovery of my own, as I traverse the American West once more with some family members.
Recommended:
Yes
Best time to go: June-August
Recommended for: Anybody
Review Topic: Overview
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