An oasis lies in the eastern part of Iowa, an oasis in a desert of cornfields. A vast swath of land covered in trees and vegetation with rolling hills that steepen and give way to a river that runs through it. Palisades-Kepler Park offers much in the way of nature to the natural-starved folk of Linn County.
At the heart of the Palisades Park is the Cedar River. The river’s east bank gently slopes down to the water and is dotted with signs that read “danger, strong currents” and picnic benches and grills for park visitors. The opposite shore is a cut bank of steep cliffs that has been formed from erosion as the water slowly churns against the river bend. This western shore is part of the Palisades-Dows preserve, home of the Eastern Iowa Observatory. Throughout the Palisades Park snakes trails on which visitors may use to hike through. Access to these trails can be found alongside a main road that runs along the river, up a hill and out of the park and into a highway and into the Cornfield desert.
My first visit to Palisades was brought about because of a Geology field trip. In the spring of 2009, my intro to geology course brought myself and all the other students to the palisades to visualize rocks up close and out in the field, rather than study the dusty rocks stored on shelves on Cornell’s campus. This was the first time I had actively sought out rocks for the sake of viewing and studying rocks in the field. Something took hold of me that day in which I first fell in love with rocks which, at first, felt like a silly notion. I learned to love the limestone that covers much of the park and the petrified wood lost in the banks of the Cedar River. I would remember this place and come back to it.
The Palisades-Kepler Park originally started out as an Inn and rest stop during the 1890’s. James Sherman Minott built the Inn and later sold lots for summer cottage homes. During its earliest years, the population of Palisades was around 200 who also enjoyed a local grocery store and boat launch. During the late 1920’s, the State Board of Conservation had acquired much of Palisades from Minott and the park was formally created. Louis H. Kepler donated his estate in 1928, almost doubling the Park’s size.
The Park gained its public features from a Civilian Conservation Corps that formed in 1934. Originally just a barracks, the corps would eventually add the roads, trails and lodges that still exist today. The Corps remained in service until 1941 when the camp was shut down.
A visit to the Palisades during the winter yields a much different experience than during the fall or spring. The trails are covered in snow and ice, and only a few brave souls dare to venture on these paths at this time. During my sophomore year in Cornell, I visited the park with some friends. For the most part, the park was all ours; the only other people there were staying in a cabin. There was a faint wind blowing through the air, but it still caused our ears to chill and turn bright red. The trails were slick with ice and snow, causing us all to slip and tumble down the hills. Using the trees as support, we eventually reached the river. During this winter, an ice sheet had formed over much of the water, and we could walk almost half way out. I remember it was only a little after six in the afternoon, but it was dark. We navigated our way through the snowy landscape using the moon and other lights from the sky, illuminating the snow as a massive white glow. We trekked along the riverside for an hour until we decided to go home; a friend was getting frost bite.
The Palisades-Kepler Park presents a great opportunity for anyone who wants a taste of outdoor activity from camping, picnicking or hiking. It is an area lush with vegetation that forms an oasis in the middle of a vast expanse of farmland.
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