Hawkeye Point: The Highest Natural Point in Iowa

We left Wisconsin today, hoping to beat a possible storm that could make our travel more difficult. As we passed through southwest Minnesota, I opted to take a break at Hawkeye Point, the highest natural point in the state of Iowa. It just a few miles south of the Minnesota border. Noelle and I have been to Hawkeye Point before. 

We visited in April of 2002 on our way to our seasonal park ranger jobs at Wind Cave National Park in the Black Hills. At that time the location was private property. Since then, the site has been bought by Osceola County and made into a park.

We arrived to find the driveway snow-covered. The snow didn't seem too deep though, and so I drove through it to get closer to the highpoint. Upon turning the car around, I got it stuck in a snow drift and I had to use my feet to dig the front wheels out and push while Noelle had the car in reverse. After about 10 minutes we got her out. We found a better place to park and got out to stand at the highpoint and take some photos. 

There is a really cool looking mosaic at the highpoint, but unfortunately it was covered with snow today. Besides the highpoint itself, there is a barn museum,

and an observation stand from which you can view the surrounding, relatively flat, Iowa landscape.

One of the cool things about our last visit was that the owner of the site greeted us and gave us a free keychain. 

I still had that keychain until just a few years ago, when it basically disintegrated. Interestingly, for a $1 donation, you can still get a keychain at the site. 

That's exactly what Noelle and I did before leaving the site for the rest of our drive back to Nebraska. 

A Winter Hike up Sugar Loaf Bluff

We've been in Wisconsin, visiting with family for the holidays. It's been exceptionally cold since we got here, and I've got a bad case of cabin fever. Noelle and I decided to get out and go for a short hike over in Winona, Minnesota at Sugar Loaf Bluff. We've hiked Sugar Loaf before, during MEA Weekend in 2018.

It was a nice drive across the Mississippi River and into Minnesota. It has warmed up substantially since a few days ago and a lot of the snow that had piled up and drifted on the sides of the roads has melted away. Still, I knew we would be hiking in the snow and so at the start of the hike Noelle and I each donned one of the microspikes from my pair. The trail is short, but fairly steep. Soon enough, we were approaching the trail's namesake: Sugar Loaf Bluff.

Near the base of the cliff, there's a nice view looking out over the city of Winona and the Mississippi River. We paused here for a quick break,

and then ascended the last section to the base of the Sugar Loaf.

At the base of the Sugar Loaf, there are trails that lead to views on the north and south sides. We enjoyed the vantage from both,

and then started the descent back down to the car. Along the way, I noticed a small natural window that I had overlooked on the way up.

It was a quick (and slippery) descent back down to the car and our trip to Aldi for a little shopping.