Iowa shares a geological twin with China — and you can walk its knife-edge ridges

It’s Earth’s second rarest landform

Western Iowa hides something that exists in only one other place on the planet.

Preparation Canyon State Park sits on 344 acres of the Loess Hills in Monona County, near the tiny town of Moorhead. The hills formed from wind-blown glacial silt piled up to 200 feet deep over thousands of years.

The only comparable formations are in China’s Shaanxi province.

The ridges here run so narrow you can see drop-offs on both sides, and the trails through them feel nothing like the flat Iowa you know.

A Mormon splinter colony that vanished by 1900

In 1853, a man named Charles B. Thompson split from the Utah-bound Mormon wagon trail and founded a settlement right here.

The town of Preparation grew to 67 houses, a school, a newspaper, a post office, a skating rink, and a blacksmith shop. It didn’t last.

A property fight between Thompson and his followers went all the way to the Iowa Supreme Court, and Thompson fled the state. By 1900, the town had faded.

Descendants sold the land to Iowa, and the Civilian Conservation Corps built trails and roads in the 1930s.

Loose "sugar clay" makes every step count

Four miles of backcountry trail wind through forested hills, deep valleys, and open prairie ridges.

The main loop covers 4.4 miles with 793 feet of elevation gain, enough to feel it in your legs.

You’ll cross flat stretches, climb steep hills, and walk exposed ridgelines where the wind hits you full on. Wear sturdy shoes.

The loess soil goes by “sugar clay” around here because it holds firm when dry but turns slick the moment rain hits it.

Ten hike-in campsites with nothing but a fire ring

Iowa’s state park system barely has any hike-in campgrounds, but Preparation Canyon runs ten of them. Each site gives you a picnic table and a fire ring.

That’s it. No bathrooms, no running water, no electricity.

You register yourself at the east parking lot, first-come, first-served, and hike in from the southeast corner of the park.

The sites sit scattered across hills and valleys with enough distance between them that you won’t hear your neighbors. Bring everything you need, especially water.

A wheelchair-accessible deck with dark skies overhead

About a mile and a half west of the park, the Loess Hills Scenic Overlook puts you on a wheelchair-accessible observation deck above the whole region.

From up there, you can see forests, prairie, Missouri River bottomlands, and the Nebraska plains stretching out flat to the west. Steps lead down from the deck to a narrow ridgetop trail that runs about half a mile.

The overlook stays open around the clock, and because it sits far from any light source, you get real dark skies for stargazing.

Yucca plants grow on dry ridgetops here

Big bluestem, little bluestem, Indiangrass, and sideoats grama cover these hills in native prairie grass.

On the protected slopes, bur oak, red oak, black walnut, basswood, and hickory fill the drainageways.

Some ridges in the surrounding state forest hold more than 100 plant species.

Wildflowers show up in spring and summer, and if you look carefully on the dry ridgetops, you’ll find yucca growing wild. These prairies rank among the largest remaining tracts of native prairie left in Iowa.

Hawks ride thermal updrafts along these bluffs

White-tailed deer, wild turkeys, rabbits, and foxes move through the park regularly, but look up. The Loess Hills sit along one of North America’s top raptor migration corridors.

Prevailing winds from the Great Plains slam into the steep western face of the hills and kick up thermals that hawks, eagles, and falcons ride south every fall.

In a single season, birders have recorded up to 20 raptor species here, from red-tailed hawks and bald eagles to peregrine falcons and ospreys. Bring binoculars, and go early morning or late afternoon.

50 miles of forest trails wrap around the park

The park sits on the northeast corner of the Preparation Canyon Unit of the Loess Hills State Forest, a 4,068-acre stretch of public land.

Across four units in Harrison and Monona counties, the state forest holds more than 50 miles of hiking trails.

Brent’s Trail alone runs eight miles along ridgetops, connecting Murray Hill Scenic Overlook to Gleason-Hubel Wildlife Area.

Iowa established the forest through land donations and purchases starting in 1986, and a visitors center in the town of Pisgah has exhibits on the region’s geology and wildlife.

A 1,776-acre Scout Ranch just joined the map

In 2025, the Iowa DNR took over the former Little Sioux Scout Ranch and folded its 1,776 acres into the Preparation Canyon Unit. The property came with more than 25 miles of established trails and a 20-acre lake.

Most of the land is old-growth oak woodland and remnant prairie on the western bluffs. Several state-listed endangered and threatened species live on it.

With this addition, you now have access to over 100 miles of connected public hiking trails through one of western Iowa’s largest contiguous forest regions.

Drive 220 miles of scenic byway along the border

The Loess Hills National Scenic Byway runs nearly 200 miles along western Iowa’s border, with a 220-mile paved main route and another 185 miles of optional loops on paved and gravel roads.

The Preparation Loop is one of those excursion routes, and it leads you straight to the state park and scenic overlook.

Along the way, you’ll pass Missouri River valley farmland, forested hills, and open grasslands that go on for miles.

Scenic overlooks with interpretive signs and parking areas sit along the route, so you can stop as often as you want.

Dogs are welcome, but cell service is not

The west side of the park gives you easy access to views without a long hike, so if you’re bringing the family for a picnic, start there. An open-air shelter and picnic tables sit ready for cookouts and day visits.

You can bring your dog as long as you keep it leashed. One thing to know before you go: cell service barely exists out here.

Download your maps ahead of time. The park opens daily at 4 a.m. and closes at 10:30 p.m.

Fall turns these hills gold, and you might have them to yourself

Preparation Canyon was kept undeveloped on purpose. The state wanted the wild character to stay, and it did.

You can spend hours here without seeing another person.

The terrain, the rare geology, the native prairie, and the old-growth forest all look much the way they did before American settlement. In fall, the hardwoods and prairie grasses turn gold and amber across the hills.

Omaha sits about two hours south, so you can make this a day trip or stretch it into a full weekend.

Hit the trails at Preparation Canyon State Park

You’ll find Preparation Canyon State Park on Preparation Canyon Road near Moorhead, Iowa 51558. Admission is free.

The Loess Hills State Forest wraps around the park with thousands of acres open for hiking, hunting, and fishing.

Stop at the Brent S. Olson Memorial Visitor Center in nearby Pisgah for exhibits on the Loess Hills and forest headquarters info. The Loess Hills National Scenic Byway runs right through the area.

Every New Year’s Day, the Friends of the Loess Hills host a free First Day Hike to kick off the year.

This article was created with AI assistance and human editing.

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