Here's the best Iowa state park to spend Memorial Day weekend, according to a new survey

Kate Kealey, Des Moines Register

If you are still deciding what to do this Memorial Day weekend look no further. An Iowa state park is among the best state parks for Memorial Day destinations for families.

Memorial Day weekend is the perfect time kick-start summer activities including camping, barbecuing and being outside soaking up the sun.

Where is the best Iowa state park for Memorial Day weekend?

Pikes Peak State Park in McGregor, Iowa, ranked 95th out of 125 different state parks in the country, according to MaxTour. It beat out parks in Oregon, Maine and Vermont. The best park was First Landing State Park, Virginia Beach in Virginia.

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The ranking was based on a May 2024 online survey of 3,000 Americans.

What makes Iowa's Pikes Peak State Park special?

The overlook from Pikes Peak State Park in McGregor, in northeast Iowa, is seen on Aug. 25, 2015.
The overlook from Pikes Peak State Park in McGregor, in northeast Iowa, is seen on Aug. 25, 2015.

Explore Pike Peak's 964 acres of natural landscape including a view of the confluence of the Mississippi and Wisconsin Rivers. The park's bluffs rise more than 500 feet above the rivers below. The main attraction is Point Ann Overlook, which offers visitors a panoramic of the park. There is a four-mile trail to Point Ann.

There are several campsites available at Pikes Peak, which contain both full hook-up and electric campsites, according to the Iowa Department of Natural Resources. Trails are also open to mountain bikes.

What is the Effigy Mounds?

The Effigy Mounds National Monument are seven miles north of the park. Between 800 to 1200 A.D., Native Americans of the Woodland Culture sculpted effigy mounds in the shapes of animals to honor Mother Earth, according to Pikes Peak State Park. There is a two-mile fire point trail where hikers can view more than 20 mounds, according to the Iowa Department of Natural Resources.

Kate Kealey is a general assignment reporter for the Register. Reach her at kkealey@registermedia.com or follow her on Twitter at @Kkealey17.

This article originally appeared on Des Moines Register: Pikes Peak State Park ranks among the best for Memorial Day weekend

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