Cerro Gordo County: Nature, Trails and Culture

Prairie, marshland, riverbanks and lake areas give Cerro Gordo County many different facets. The county’s conservation system includes 37 parks, trails and wildlife areas covering a total of 3,934 acres. Visitors who want to experience the landscape on foot, by bike or from the water will find a range of options, as will travelers interested in architecture and music history.

Trails through prairie, forest and river landscapes

The Lime Creek Conservation Area and Nature Center covers 440 acres. Its landscape includes wooded uplands, open fields, restored prairie, floodplain forest and limestone bluffs; a nine-mile trail network runs through the area. At the Lime Creek Nature Center, exhibits, live and preserved animals, and a natural resources library offer additional ways to learn about nature. The landscape and a visit to the Nature Center can thus be enjoyed as different aspects of an outing.

The two longer trails also offer different highlights. The 21-mile Prairie Land Trail follows a disused railroad corridor and passes through a rural landscape where prairie flowers bloom in summer. The trail can be accessed where it crosses rural county roads. The Trolley Trail, by contrast, is a multi-use route for hiking and biking between Mason City and Clear Lake. It connects to public trails in both communities. Its length, route and connections make the differences between the trails clearer than simply choosing between two routes.

The Shellrock River Greenbelt and Preserve encompasses 590 acres of woods, meadows and ponds along the limestone bluffs of the Shellrock River. Its 7.5-mile route is open to driving, hiking, canoeing, biking and horseback riding. The preserve section also has primitive camping and a picnic area. Those looking for a smaller natural area will find a spring and limestone bluffs at the 18-acre Spring Creek Preserve, where fishing access is available on the Winnebago River.

Marshland, lakes and distinctive natural areas

Zirbel Slough is a 330-acre prairie marsh and habitat for waterfowl, shorebirds and other wildlife. Hoffman Prairie includes a prairie pothole—a shallow wetland surrounded by native tallgrass prairie. The two areas showcase different forms of wetland and prairie rather than just one type of landscape.

Blue-Bill Wildlife Area has a 40-acre lake stocked with largemouth bass, bluegill and catfish. Winnebago Oxbow connects the Winnebago River with an oxbow lake, riparian forest and restored prairie. Claybanks Forest, in eastern Cerro Gordo County, offers a different connection to nature: this 56-acre geological preserve has fossil-bearing Devonian rock outcrops. Collecting well-preserved marine fossils, hiking and hunting are permitted there. Fossil collecting is also permitted at Bird Hill, a geological preserve in the eastern part of the county.

Clear Lake: Activities and music history

At Clear Lake, Clear Lake State Park offers water activities, including canoeing, kayaking, jet skiing, windsurfing and sailing. Those who would rather see the lake on a cruise can consider the hour-and-a-half trip aboard the Lady of the Lake. Public cruises generally run from Memorial Day weekend through the end of September, almost daily except Wednesdays, weather and wind permitting. Check the current schedule before your trip. Reservations are required for the State Park campground.

Clear Lake is also connected with a landmark chapter in music history: the Surf Ballroom is designated a National Historic Landmark. On February 2, 1959, Buddy Holly, Ritchie Valens and J. P. “The Big Bopper” Richardson gave their final performances there as part of the Winter Dance Party tour. The Charles H. MacNider Art Museum offers another perspective on art and culture, with its permanent collection of American art, changing exhibitions, art classes and other programs. The museum also houses a large collection of Bil Baird hand puppets and marionettes.

Architecture, sets and local traditions

The Prairie School Architectural Tour is a self-guided walking tour through the largest group of Prairie School-style homes on a contiguous site. Music Man Square features a covered street set of River City, reconstructed from the set of Warner Bros.’ 1962 film The Music Man, as well as a Meredith Willson Museum. The Meredith Willson Boyhood Home is a restored 1895 Queen Anne house and Meredith Willson’s birthplace and childhood home. Together, these places offer different ways to explore architecture, film and the composer’s life.

The Historic Park Inn Hotel is considered the world’s last surviving hotel designed and built by Frank Lloyd Wright and is listed on the National Register of Historic Places. Those interested in railroad history will find another facet of local history at the Iowa Trolley Park Railroad Museum: it tells the story of the Chicago, Milwaukee, St. Paul and Pacific Railroad depot that served Clear Lake from 1913 to 1984. Rides on a speeder, a diesel locomotive or a historic handcar are available by appointment; confirm arrangements before your visit.

In February, the annual Color the Wind Kite Festival, held on the third Saturday, brings giant inflatable kites to Clear Lake. Kite enthusiasts from across the United States fly them. Festival dates may change from year to year, so check the dates for your travel year.

Discover more destinations: Mason City, Clear Lake, Mitchell County, Floyd County, Poweshiek County, Wapello, Sioux County, Adair County.

Back to the main travel overview: Iowa.