[Kohlsdorf] We begin in Yellow River State Forest where the rugged landscape tells the story of the area's geologic history.

♪♪ [Joe Vastine] What makes Yellow River Forest definitely unique is our terrain.

You don't have to go very far south of here and you're flat.

The ground is typically tilled and farm ground.

♪♪ [Joe Vastine] Up here in northeast Iowa it's the Driftless, which is northeast Iowa, southwest Wisconsin, southeast Minnesota.

It's where the glaciers did not drift.

Thousands of years ago when the glaciers traveled across continental North America, they worked kind of like a grinder or a sander and just ground everything down flat.

It missed us here and it left these beautiful valleys and ridges and Iowa's version of the Swiss Alps we're known as.

[Kohlsdorf] Adventure awaits visitors in Yellow River's nearly 9,000 acres of hardwood forest, rocky bluffs and sparkling trout streams.

♪♪ [Joe Vastine] What I love about Yellow River State Forest, there's so many things to do here, but I like the quietness.

I love to trout fish.

I love to hunt.

But when I come up here camping, sitting around a campfire at night, you can relax.

You can be as busy as you want or you can sit in a lawn chair and watch your campfire and enjoy the stars at night.

[Kohlsdorf] Horseback riders, mountain bikers and backpackers will find 48 miles of trails to explore and more than 130 campsites to rest their heads.

♪♪ [Kohlsdorf] The forest is home to the state's only fire tower, built in 1963 and added to the National Register of Historic places in 2021.

♪♪ [Kohlsdorf] The tower was soon outdated and never used in fire prevention.

This park and its rare landscape provide an outdoor experience unlike anywhere else in Iowa.

[Joe Vastine] It's so unique.

Why do people go to Colorado?

People drive a long way to go to Colorado to see that uniqueness.

Well, we've got some of that uniqueness right here at Yellow River State Forest and the Driftless Area.

You can't find it anywhere else in Iowa.