Site Details

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Ledges SP - Boone County

GPS Coordinates: 41.9934361, -93.8877869

Management: State

Description: 1200-acre forested state park adjacent to the Des Moines River and extensive additional DNR/Corps of Engineers wildlife and recreation lands.

Habitat: Primarily hardwood forest on hills, valleys and steep canyon walls. Also has small fields of restored prairie, patches of savanna restoration adjacent to larger forest areas, willows and grassy river banks, isolated wetlands, and small rugged stream valleys. Park hosts virtually every species of Iowa's migrating and nesting warblers, vireos, woodpeckers, forest sparrows, raptors and much more. Many consider this park to be the best forest birding area anywhere in central and western Iowa.

Directions: From Highway 17, go west on Highway E52 three miles to park entrance. Or, from this entrance, turn south on P Avenue, staying on the paved road to a south entrance. Also accessible via a North entrance: take County Highway R28 south 4 miles, from junction with US Highway 30 at the south edge of city of Boone.

Important Bird Area: IBA Entry for Ledges SP