Bellevue State Park: Meadow and Quarry Trails (Blog Hike #746)

Trails: Meadow and Quarry Trails

Hike Location: Bellevue State Park

Geographic Location: south side of Bellevue, IA (42.24565, -90.42339)

Length: 2.1 miles

Difficulty: 5/10 (Moderate)

Date Hiked: May 2019

Overview: A lollipop loop exploring old quarry and meadow areas.

Park Information: https://www.iowadnr.gov/Places-to-Go/State-Parks/Iowa-State-Parks/Bellevue-State-Park

Hike Route Map: https://www.mappedometer.com/?maproute=748421
Photo Highlight:

Directions to the trailhead: From Bellevue, take US 52 south 0.7 miles to the entrance for the Nelson Unit of Bellevue State Park on the right.  Turn right to enter the park, then drive the main park road uphill to the park’s Nature Center on the right.  Park in the parking lot in front of the Nature Center.

The hike: Located just south of its namesake town, Bellevue State Park protects 770 acres of high bluffs along the west bank of the Mississippi River.  The park is divided into two units: the more developed Nelson Unit located directly south of town and the more remote Dyer Unit located a few miles further south.  The Dyer Unit offers a campground, a picnic shelter, a playground, and 3.5 miles of multiuse trails.  This hike takes place in the Nelson Unit, which is the focus of the rest of this blog entry.

Bellevue overlook

            The park’s most visited and famous attraction is its north-facing viewpoint overlooking the town of Bellevue.  This overlook is located at the end of the main park road you drove in on, and it offers a fantastic view of the town and the Mississippi River, which was very high on my visit.  In addition to the overlook, the Nelson Unit offers a boat ramp, some picnic shelters, a playground, a nature center (closed on my visit), and 4 short trails totaling about 2.5 miles.  Combining longest two of these four trails, the Meadow and Quarry Trails, forms the hike described here.

Trailhead at Nature Center

            From the Nature Center parking lot, head southwest on the concrete entrance trail that leads to the park’s butterfly garden.  At 0.15 miles, you reach the butterfly garden.  The butterfly garden features plants known to attract butterflies, but it also has some interesting metal sculptures.  I did not see any butterflies on the seasonally cool afternoon that I hiked here, but some redbuds in bloom brightened my path.  I also saw a decent number of woodland songbirds here.

Butterfly garden

            Past the butterfly garden, the concrete trail becomes a gravel two-track path as it curves right and passes a wildlife management area on the left.  This trail is called the Meadow Trail, and at 0.3 miles the Meadow Trail forks to form its loop at a signed intersection.  This description turns right to begin a mowed-grass trail and uses the gravel trail continuing straight as its return route, thus hiking the loop counterclockwise.

Hiking through an old meadow

            The mowed-grass trail curves right to begin heading north through what the park map shows as a meadow, but ash trees are quickly filling in the meadow and keeping this area rather shady.  At 0.6 miles, the Quarry Trail exits to the right at a signed intersection.  Turn right to leave the Meadow Trail and begin the Quarry Trail.

            A single-track dirt trail, the Quarry Trail descends into its namesake quarry.  The descent starts gradual, but it soon becomes moderate, and the last bit is rather steep.  An old route going left uses switchbacks to ease the grade, but that route is no longer maintained.  Overall, the elevation gain/loss on this hike is only about 200 vertical feet.

Hiking through the old quarry

            At 0.9 miles, you reach the base of the hill and a trail intersection with options going left and right.  Turn left to continue the Quarry Trail.  For the next few hundred feet the trail traces the base of the hill with the steep hillside rising to the left and Mill Creek flowing through the trees on the right.  Along the way you pass the old quarry site on the left, which is most easily identified by exposed rock and small boulders along the forest floor.

            1.1 miles into the hike, the Quarry Trail intersects a cinder bike path.  The bike path going right leads into the City of Bellevue, so you need to turn left to continue the Quarry Trail and begin the moderate climb out of the quarry.  At 1.2 miles, you reach the ruins of the lime kiln that was the destination of this quarry’s product.  The old kiln looks like a pile of rocks, and its location across the creek from the trail means you will have to hike a short distance off trail if you want to get a good look at the ruins.  As an aside, this creek also has some nice small waterfalls, but they are hard to see from the trail.

Near the lime kiln ruins

            At 1.4 miles, you reach the top of the hill and the Quarry Trail’s end at an intersection with the Meadow Trail.  Turn right to continue the Meadow Trail.  Minor undulations are encountered as the trail curves left to close the loop at 1.8 miles.  Retrace your steps along the gravel and concrete trail to the Nature Center parking lot to complete the hike.  Remember that the Bellevue city overlook located at the end of the main park road is worth a short visit either before or after your hike.

Mississippi Palisades State Park: Sentinel and Sunset Trails (Blog Hike #745)

Trails: Sentinel and Sunset Trails

Hike Location: Mississippi Palisades State Park

Geographic Location: north of Savanna, IL (42.12740, -90.15642)

Length: 2.2 miles

Difficulty: 9/10 (Difficult)

Date Hiked: May 2019

Overview: A pair of short but steep loops climbing rocky bluffs overlooking the Mississippi River.

Park Information: https://dnr.illinois.gov/parks/park.mississippipalisades.html

Hike Route Map: https://www.mappedometer.com/?maproute=940306
Photo Highlight:

Directions to the trailhead: From Savanna, take SR 84 north 2.4 miles to the south entrance for Mississippi Palisades State Park.  Turn right to enter the park, then park in the first perpendicular parking lot on the right.  This parking lot serves a picnic shelter and the trailheads for this hike.

The hike: The steep, rocky bluffs and towering stone spires that sit beside the Mississippi River near the mouth of the Apple River have been attracting visitors for centuries.  Birds migrating up and down the Mississippi River perch on these bluffs, and early settlers used some of the same routes up and down these bluffs that hikers use on the park’s trails today.  The area was designated a National Natural Landmark in 1973, the same year the 2500 acre park was established.

            The palisades’ scenic blufftop overlooks, many of which are accessible by car, form the park’s main attractions.  In terms of amenities, the park offers a 241-site campground, fishing and boating on the Mississippi River, 6 picnic shelters, rock climbing, and 15 miles of hiking trails.  The hike described here uses two short loops that start from the same picnic shelter near the park’s south entrance, and they provide a good sample of the hiking the park has to offer while passing the park’s most famous rock formation: a thin stone spire known as The Sentinel.

Trailhead for Sentinel Trail

            This hike starts with the Sentinel Trail, which begins at a signed trailhead behind the picnic shelter near the National Natural Landmark plaque.  The trail crosses a creek on a high stone and wood bridge to reach an intersection, where you need to turn left to head for the bluff.  The option going right here goes to the base of the bluffs near SR 84.

Climbing on the Sentinel Trail

            The trail climbs a wooden staircase to reach the intersection that forms the loop portion of the Sentinel Trail.  To get to The Sentinel quickly, this hike will turn right and use the left trail as its return route, thus hiking the loop counterclockwise.  The narrow trail climbs moderately with the bluff to your left and a steep drop-off to your right.  Some rocky areas need to be negotiated, so take care where you step up here.

            At 0.4 miles, you reach the platform that overlooks The Sentinel.  The Sentinel is a thin grey rock spire that stands separated from the main bluff.  The Mississippi River forms the background of this view, and it was near flood stage due to recent rains when I came here.  Birds including goldfinches and indigo bunting flew past my head, and this park would be an excellent birdwatching destination during the fall or spring migrations.  This overlook may provide the best view on this hike, so take some time here to see what you can see.

The Sentinel

The Sentinel with Mississippi River as backdrop

            The now wider trail heads away from the overlook on an eastbound course that goes directly up the spine of the ridge.  At 0.6 miles, the Sentinel Trail’s loop turns left on a narrower trail marked as “Main Shelter.”  The wider trail going straight leads to a blufftop parking lot on the main park road.

            The narrow trail winds its way downhill through a forest carpeted with ferns.  Trillium in bloom brightened my path.  A couple of downed trees need to be negotiated, but overall the trails at Mississippi Palisades are well-maintained.  At 0.85 miles, you close the loop.  Descend the wooden stairs and return to the picnic shelter to complete the Sentinel Trail.

Trailhead for Sunset Trail

            If you are getting tired or running out of time, then you can return to your car now having hiked the park’s most popular trail.  For hikers with more time and energy, the Sunset Trail can be accessed from a signed trailhead located across the road from this shelter.  The Sunset Trail starts by climbing a long wooden staircase to reach the intersection that forms its loop.  To make the climbing easier, this description turns left and uses the right trail as its return route, thus hiking the loop clockwise.

Climbing on the Sunset Trail

            The trail climbs on a gradual to moderate grade via a narrow route with a steep drop-off to the left.  Part of this climb uses some rough stone steps, so as with the Sentinel Trail you need to be careful where you step.  After a broad switchback upward through a ravine, you reach an unnamed blufftop overlook at 1.25 miles.  Although no rock spires can be seen, the view from here is broader than the view at The Sentinel, and it includes US 52’s Mississippi River bridge near Savanna and a riverside BNSF railroad track.  Enjoy the view, but be careful where you step: there are no railings at this overlook, and a fall down the bluff would be injurious if not fatal.

View downstream from unnamed overlook

            Continuing on the Sunset Trail, a few hundred more feet of hiking bring you to Lookout Point, the Sunset Trail’s main developed overlook.  A nearby parking lot ensures this overlook gets more traffic than the one you just passed, but the view is very similar.  Past Lookout Point, the trail drops on a steep grade almost all of the way to the base of the bluff before crossing a stream on a wooden footbridge, curving right, and climbing equally steeply to cross the park road that leads to the Lookout Point parking lot.  If you want to avoid these steep areas, you can simply walk up the road from Lookout Point and look for the Sunset Trail sign on the right.

View from Lookout Point

            The rest of the Sunset Trail is a gradual to moderate descent back to the picnic shelter.  Some black plastic has been buried under the trail in an attempt to stabilize the trail surface, but some of the plastic has risen to the surface and is quite slippery.  At 2.1 miles, you close the loop.  Descending the stairs and walking a short distance on the park road returns you to your car to complete the hike.  If you have more time, the park has many similar trails that wait to be explored, and the park’s roads lead to many blufftop overlooks offering similar excellent views.