Lake Red Rock is the perfect day trip for Iowa hikers

There are some places in Iowa that don't fit the stereotype many of us have about the state.

Lake Red Rock and the two parks surrounding it are far from the average Iowa landscapes of soft rolling hills and growing fields of corn and soy.

The grandeur of Iowa's largest body of water may be the the reason many come —boating, jet-skiing, fishing — but Cordova Park and Elk Rock State Park on the lake's shorelines make the area a haven for nature devotees in Iowa City, Des Moines or anywhere across the state who want a spectacular and easy day trip.

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Lake Red Rock's 15,000 acres of water make it the biggest body of water in the state, according the the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers. The lake was born in 1969 after the Army Corps finished construction of a dam along the volatile Des Moines River. Since then, the manmade lake has become a staple for nature lovers in Iowa. 

Today, the lake is surrounded by five Army Corps campsites, two Marion County Parks — Roberts Creek Park and Cordova — as well as Iowa Department of Natural Resources' Elk Rock. 

It's a bit of a drive for Iowa City folks, but nothing bad. If you take Interstate 80 west to Exit 164 near Newton, its about an hour and 40 minutes away. I prefer a more meandering route to see rural countryside — Highway 1 to Highway 92 to Highway 163 gets you to the lake — but I know most travel to get somewhere the fastest way possible. It's only 45 minutes from Des Moines, so my friends in the state capital have no excuse to miss out. 

I approached the lake from the north, so my first stop was Cordova Park, a small park that sits just west of Roberts Creek. The park has a playground, picnic shelters and beautiful lakeside cabins for rent. 

The reason you come to Cordova is the 106-foot-tall, observation tower in the middle of the park. It may take 50 cents to get to the tower — be warned, the park only takes quarters — but it's the best 50 cents you'll ever spend in Iowa. On a clear day, MyCountyParks.com says you can see for 35 miles.

When I stood up there, with a rather aggressive wind trying its best to push me around in the cage atop the tower, I saw the lake travel almost as far as my eyes could see. The bridge over the lake — one of the longest, if not the longest, in the state at just over 1 mile long — can be seen to the west, and its sheer length is impressive to see. Turn away from the lake, and it's a big-sky view of farmland for miles. 

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It's one of the few spots in Iowa I've been to that gives a true scope of Iowa farmland. It's also amazing exercise since it takes 169 steps to get to the top. I had  to pause for a breather once, maybe twice, maybe more than that. 

Nearby Roberts Creek Park is much bigger and has spots for fishing, camping and hunting. But I was here to hike, so I set off across the long lake bridge and got to Elk Rock State Park on the south side of the lake. Though other parks exist around the lake, Elk Rock is the one with extensive trails, 13 miles, according the Iowa Department of Natural Resources. 

The trails all begin near the center of the park, where there is a playground, equestrian campgrounds and the just for humans campgrounds. On the park's western edge is a boating ramp and plenty of parking. 

It was the parks near 10 miles of trails that drew me though. With a trail in the western, northern and eastern reaches of the park, I found a nice variety of trails, but I mostly stuck to the 4-mile East Loop Trail. 

Word of warning: They are shared trails, so horses with their people riding them will be on the trail. There's no way to be delicate about this: Watch out for horse poop. You'll step over some often, but the trails are worth it and I won't complain about seeing all the pretty horses. 

A lot of the east trail, and the other trails, are heavily wooded. That meant I was bathed in shade for most of the hike, which is almost necessary for hiking in Iowa summer heat and humidity. 

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After nearly 2 miles of hoofing it on the east trail, I reached a loop that ran along the rocky shores of Lake Red Rock. I had to go off trail to see the lake up close and without anyone else in sight. A few minutes of exploring led to finding a small clearing with a comparatively small ledge that was easy to walk down without jumping or falling. 

My foot hit rock, red rocks. The shoreline of this manmade lake is rocky, rocks that jet out over the water, so I could sit and dangle my feet above the lake crashing below me.  

With a body of water bigger than any other in Iowa in front of me,  red rocks in a myriad of shapes and sizes all around me, and not another soul except for boaters in the distance, it was the one part of the park that felt like I was somewhere else. This isn't what Iowa normally looks like.

This is where Elk Rock State Park shined brightest.

After sitting on the rocks for about half an hour to soak in the sun, meditate and rest my feet, I got back to the trails. Soon, the wooded trails gave way to beautiful open prairies. Then a wild turkey came running at me and ran circles around me for about a minute. So watch out for turkeys — they're crazy. 

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When I got back to my car, I realized I had spent five hours exploring the parks and nature around Lake Red Rock. As I headed back to Iowa City, I realized there was much more to do than I had time for. I could have gotten dinner and explored the beautiful Dutch town of Pella. I could have camped overnight at an Army Corps or state park campground. I could have walked along the rocky shoreline of the Lake Red Rock for another hour.

If you head out to Lake Red Rock anytime soon, I promise you'll be enthralled by something there. 

Reach Zach Berg at 319-887-5412, zberg@press-citizen.com or follow him on Twitter at @ZacharyBerg.