Discover Monona County

Discover Monona County through its landscape and an unusually specific cultural history. Monona County Conservation manages 17 parks, natural areas, preserves, and water recreation access points throughout the county, covering a total area of about 1,000 acres. The Loess Hills State Forest adds another 11,484 acres across four units in Harrison and Monona Counties. Together, these include both numerous designated recreational areas and a large forest as part of the region’s natural landscape.

Nature in the Loess Hills

Preparation Canyon State Park covers 344 acres in the heart of the Loess Hills. Park activities include backcountry hiking. The Preparation Canyon Unit of the Loess Hills State Forest is on a different scale: it covers 4,068 acres and has a small fishing lake and numerous hiking trails. This makes it easy to distinguish between backcountry hiking in the state park and a natural area with a fishing lake and hiking trails as you plan your visit.

The landscape also offers a route to explore: in Monona County, the Loess Hills National Scenic Byway includes the Wilderness Loop. The information about the parks and the byway shows different ways to make the Loess Hills a focus of your trip, with offerings that each have their own character.

Expedition history and regional discoveries

The Lewis and Clark State Park visitor center displays life-size replicas of the expedition’s watercraft: a keelboat, two pirogues, the iron boat, a dugout canoe, and a bull boat. The different types of boats bring the expedition’s history to life through tangible objects. A Lewis and Clark Expedition campsite is dated August 9, 1804, adding a precise date to this historical connection.

The Monona County Historical Museum displays artifacts from the 19th and 20th centuries. An exhibit also focuses on Eskimo Pie, which was invented in Onawa. The museum thus brings together historical objects and a story tied to a specific product and its place of origin. The Turin Man Archaeological Site is also associated with human remains that are 6,000 years old and were found in 1955.

The Preparation Canyon area is also tied to a settlement story from the 19th century: Charles B. Thompson settled there in 1853. This is a different historical timeframe from the expedition history at Lewis and Clark State Park or the archaeological discoveries at the Turin Man Archaeological Site.

Architecture and theater in Onawa

Onawa’s Public Library is an exceptionally well-designed example of early 20th-century library architecture. The Onawa IOOF Opera House is the city’s building most closely associated with live theater. Together, these two buildings point to different cultural interests: architecture on the one hand and the history of live theater on the other.

Visiting and planning your hotel stay

The Lewis and Clark Festival at Lewis and Clark State Park takes place every June. The Monona County Fair is one of the annual events in Onawa. If you would like to plan your trip around either event, check the dates for your travel year. The Monona County Historical Museum is scheduled to open seasonally on weekends from Memorial Day through Labor Day; group visits and visits for special events are by appointment. Before visiting, check whether these arrangements work for your travel dates.

When choosing a hotel, you can base your decision on the focus of your trip: hiking in the Loess Hills, expedition history at Lewis and Clark State Park, or architecture and events in Onawa. This way, your search starts with the experiences that matter to you.

Discover more destinations: Onawa, Clinton County, Jones County, Winneshiek County, Audubon, O'Brien County, Clarke County, Buena Vista County

For the main travel overview: Iowa.