♪♪ ♪♪ [Kohlsdorf] Known for its rolling hills, dramatic rridges and prairie landscapes, the Loess Hills State Forest in Harrison and Monona Counties, offers travelers thousands of acres of breathtaking views along the Loess Hills Scenic Byway.

♪♪ [Scott Nelson] What the Loess Hills are made of is windblown silt that was silt that was deposited during the last recession of the glaciers.

The westerly winds would pick up this silt and deposit it like snow drifts on the western border of Iowa.

♪♪ [Jeff Seago] Loess Hills State Forest is classified as a wildlife management area.

It is owned by the Iowa DNR.

Our primary focus on most of the state forest is forest.

This state forest is different because we have a lot of remnant native prairie.

We actually have more acres of remnant native prairie under our management than I believe anybody else in the state has.

We do a lot of forest management, but these areas are open to public hunting.

They're open to hiking.

They're open to camping.

It's the public's.

The public comes out here and the public uses these.

It's quiet.

It's peaceful.

You hear a little bit of the Interstate traffic.

But you can get into spots out here like right now where days you just can't hear other people and it's just, it's peaceful.

♪♪ [Jeff Seago] We have over 80 miles of hiking trails.

About 60 miles of that are mowed, so maintained so it's not difficult to find those in 20 miles or on ridgetops.

You'll see those ridgetops and then that is just a worn foot path going along the ridge.

[Kohlsdorf] If you're looking for a premier hiking experience, Brent's Trail offers miles of rugged terrain and panoramic pathways for adventure seekers.

♪♪ [Scott Nelson] It's actually named after the Loess Hills State Forester Brent Olson and he passed away after a long battle with cancer.

And one of his dreams that him and I had talked about before he passed was actually creating a trail that is an Appalachian style trail where it is basically going to be unimproved, but it's going to traverse the spine of the Loess Hills going from north to south.

[Jeff Seago] One of the things that was important for me was to make all of his dreams and wishes come to fruition.

That way it can help his family.

We connected with spots that are both mowed and unmowed so you get the normal park life experience, but there's also areas where the trail goes through the woods in a goat path kind of fashion, which is exactly what Brent would have wanted.

[Scott Nelson] Anybody can hop on it and go for a hike.

You can jump off at different points.

It is a linear trail so that poses some unique challenges because if you get to the end you're going to have to either have a car down there or you're going to have to hike back.

♪♪ [Kohlsdorf] The Loess Hills State Forest provides much more than just hiking with seasonal opportunities available year-round.

♪♪ [Jeff Seago] In the early spring, you can hunt turkeys, so the whole place is open to public hunting.

You can hunt turkeys.

In the fall when it starts to get colder deer hunting is a pretty popular sport here.

We have people that show shoe.

We have people that cross country ski.

We have people that hike and camp in the wintertime.

There are people using this all times of the year.

[Kohlsdorf] If you're looking for a learning experience, there's a new nature center nestled in the hills along with a recreational area and campground.

[Scott Nelson] We're standing on the back deck of the new Willow Lake Nature Center.

That's a great exhibit hall that is in there that talks about the importance of water and not just about what it is for the environment and for the resources, but how it shaped the Loess Hills and how important it is to everyday citizens.

We've situated a facility on top of this hill overlooking the main feature of the property of the Willow Lake Recreation Area, which is the lake itself.

And so, we've got this great opportunity with a swimming beach, with cabins around and a campground that is situated on the lake.

It's a great place for families to come and just to learn and rediscover themselves.

[Kohlsdorf] The Loess Hills State Forest, a majestic stop along the Loess Hills Scenic Byway, offers a variety of opportunities for everyone to enjoy.

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