Waubonsie State Park

About Waubonsie State Park

This equestrian campsite has had a good number of visitors over the years, but is one of the most popular campsites in the park and a great place for horse riding and hiking.

Half of the campsites are still "first come," so first - come first serve, so book this campsite before you leave.

Waubonsie is a great place for family picnics and is located in many other national parks, including the Great Smoky Mountains National Park and the Appalachian Trail.

There is an 8 km long horse riding trail that winds along a windswept ridge through ravines and valleys. Scenic open picnic huts can be reserved for a fee by the park manager.

The Sunset Ridge Interpretive Trail offers visitors the opportunity to get to know many of the park's important plants and trees and enjoy fantastic views. Riders will also enjoy the route and the opportunities to use the stables. Waubonsie offers hikers a wonderful experience, the landscape and the paths are incomparable.

Waubonsie State Park is located in the heart of the Great Smoky Mountains National Park, a short drive from New York City, on the Lewis and Clark Historical Trail.

The Riverton Wildlife Area is located 6 miles east of the park in Iowa and also offers wildlife viewing opportunities. The Lewis and Clark Historical Trail and the Great Smoky Mountains National Park are both places on the National Historic Trail.

Forney Lake is about three miles east of Wubonsie State Park in Iowa and is known nationwide as a destination for thousands of geese to stop and rest. ForneyLake is known nationwide for its beautiful views of the Great Smoky Mountains National Park and is home to the largest freshwater lake in the world, the largest of its kind.

Waubonsie is located on a land form found in the eastern part of Great Smoky Mountains National Park in eastern Iowa. The Missouri River became the source of water for the state's largest freshwater lake, a result of melting glaciers. In winter, the meltwater volume is reduced, leaving the sediment exposed to the wind. When winds hit the steep slopes and eastern valleys, strong westerly winds carry and deposit the sediments known as loess.

The topography of the Loess Mountain has several characteristics and the fineness of the soil can erode over time, especially in late summer and early autumn, due to the wind.

Almost vertically, the ground is cut into the ground, which drains off quickly, and on many western slopes, terraces known as cat stairs can be seen, caused by repeated slipping on the ground.

Today, the park, named after Chief Waubonsie of the Pottawattamie Indian tribe, is largely the same as when it was purchased in 1926. Its unique topography is similar to the badlands in the west, and yucca is usually found in drier climates.

The changing seasons complement the beauty of the landscape: spring brings blossoms and dozens of flowers and shrubs, and spring brings the bloom of dozens, if not hundreds of thousands, of yuccas and other wild flowers.

Summer attracts cool breezes from the shady glaciers, and in winter the steep slopes and ridges are sometimes beautifully covered with snow. Nowhere in Iowa is this more evident than in Wubonsie State Park, one of the most beautiful places in the state.