STOP 1: River Overlook
We will start on the Mississippi River Overlook Structure
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Platform overlooking the Mississippi River at Pikes Peak State Park |
click here to check out the view from the overlook platform
Introduction to the Field Trip
The northeast Iowa area around Pikes Peak State Park is one of the most beautiful and interesting regions of Iowa.
It is rich in history, with the precipitous rock bluffs recording a geologic history beginning nearly 530 million years ago and continuing today as erosion along the Mississippi River and its tributaries continue to expose more of the rock record. Many plant and animal communities have inhabited the region, changing and evolving with climatic and cultural changes. The long history of Native American residents is symbolized by the large number of mounds on ridge tops and in the valleys on high terraces, many shaped as animal effigies. The arrival of Father Marquette and Louis Joliet in the region in 1673 opened a new phase of rich and interesting history. Hunters, trappers, and miners were the earliest historic residents. The region became a part of the United States with the purchase of the Louisiana territory in 1803, and was explored by Zebulon Pike shortly thereafter. Military forts were constructed, towns established, and roads constructed. The length of this guidebook is a testimony to the natural bounty and colorful history of this region, with articles discussing the National Fish & Wildlife Refuge, Effigy Mounds National Monument, the Corps of
Engineers construction of the Mississippi River lock and dam system, and Wisconsin’s Wyalusing State Park across the river, as well as discussions of such special are residents as Andrew Clemens and the Ringling Brothers. Since the beauty of the area is difficult to display in black and white photography, we have also included two pages with color plates in this guidebook for the first time. The authors and I hope that you find the material in this guidebook and the field trip experience to be informative and interesting. And, be careful, there are many dangers to be encountered on the way to many of the field trip stops, but enjoy yourselves.
Field Trip Leaders and ContributorsA large number of people contributed to the preparation of this field
trip and the associated guidebook. A few of the principals and
their contribution are listed below: (
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identifies field trip leaders -- click on names for e-mail )
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Quaternary Geology of the Paleozoic Plateau Region of Northeastern Iowa by Stephanie
Tassier-Surine Research Geologist, |
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INTRODUCTION Pikes Peak State Park is situated along the Mississippi River in Clayton County. The physiographic region surrounding Pikes Peak State Park is markedly different from other landform regions of Iowa. Most notably are the steep-sided cliffs, bluffs, deeply entrenched stream valleys, and karst features. In contrast to other parts of the state where glacial cover dominates, the surficial character of this area is bedrock controlled. The scarcity of glacial deposits led to the original term “Driftless Area”, indicating that the area had never been glaciated. However, later studies disproved this idea and the term “Paleozoic Plateau” was applied (Prior, 1976). Many researchers still use the term Driftless Area in their descriptions due to the limited exposures of glacial materials in this region. |
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(Click here for complete discussion of Pikes Peak Quaternary geologic history.)
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Stop 2 is over by the concession stand
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Hike to Concession Stand Area |
