IOWA

When all the rows of corn and soybean plants are factored in there is less undeveloped land in Iowa than anywhere in America. Fewer than one percent of the original tallgrass prairie that once blanketed the state remains; all but five percent of the state's wetlands have been filled in and almost all the forests have been converted to cropland - 85% of Iowa is farmland. Surely, your dog must be asking, this can’t be a Doggie Dream Destination. But don't let the fact that there are no national parks or forests in Iowa and only one fire tower fool your dog into thinking there is no outdoor recreation here. The state is dotted with glacial lakes and there are almost 100 paw-friendly state parks and forests to be explored. In the eastern region sandstone bluffs, the best Mississippi River views to be had anywhere, the lush valleys, the verdant forests, and yes, even the waterfalls make the Driftless Area a favored doggie destination. “Driftless” because the last ice age 12,000 years ago skipped over this area and didn’t scrape the land into submission. In Central Iowa no one will mistake the 100-foot tall sandstone formations in Ledges State Park for amber waves of grain. Out by the Missouri River the Hitchcock Nature Center is the best places for your dog to experience the Hawkeye State’s largest remaining prairie remnants in the Loess Hills.

The Best Day Hike You Can Take With Your Dog In Iowa

Fire Point Trail
Effigy Mounds National Monument • Marquette

The Upper Mississippi River Valley is characterized by so many overlooking bluffs that no one is sure which is the highest. One of the best public places for your dog to look down on the Great River combines scenic views with some of America’s finest prehistoric relics.

Mound building cultures that inhabited the Mississippi region 2,500 years ago constructed mounds for religious, ceremonial, burial, and elite residential purposes. More than 200 mounds have been documented in the monument, including 31 in the shape of spirit animals, or effigies. Nowhere have more been found.

No vehicles are permitted to mar the sacred site that contains 14 miles of self-guiding trails weaving among the mounds. The Fire Point Trail is a two-mile canine hike that passes all four types of mounds: conical, linear, compound, and an effigy (Little Great Bear). Seaman will find a serious trail here as the dirt path switches to the top the bluffs. Panting tongues will recede after that.

Today the Effigy Mounds resemble an English woodland park with a grassy understory in the forest. The mounds are identified by higher grass. As the Fire Point Trail works its way to overlooks from hundreds of feet above the Mississippi there is no hurry to finish the loop. Atop the bluffs this agreeable canine hiking can continue to more scenic views and more effigies, including the Great Bear Mound Group, one of largest of its ilk.

HIKING TIME: 1-2 hours

(from the book 300 Day Hikes To Take With Your Dog Before He Tires You Out: Trails where you won’t be able to wipe the wag off your dog’s tail)