eBird Hotspot | IBA | Accessible | Management | Site | Directions |
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Babcock Access
| On the upper Coralville Reservoir, Hawkeye W.A., northwest Johnson Co. A few miles north of I-80, take the North Liberty/F-28 exit off I-380. Go west on F-28 about 3.5 miles to Greencastle Ave. Take Greencastle 1.5 miles north to Swan Lake Rd., just after a pond on your right. Turn right (east) on Swan Lake, a B-level road here, 0.8 mile to the Babcock entrance road on your left. Follow this to its end at a small parking area. Where the road turns left to the parking lot and boat ramp, an old road goes NE from this left turn and may be walked sometimes.
This can also be accessed from Swan Lake, going W. The road is often in better shape coming from the E. |
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Ciha Fen Preserve
| Ciha Fen, a recent Johnson County Conservation Board acquisition in the far NE corner of Johnson Co. It is an 80 acre property of botanical and geological interest, containing on of only 2 nutrient poor fens in the state of Iowa. It is underbirded.
From Iowa City, take Hgw 1 n, through Solon, continuing ~1.5 mile 145th St. [or come S from Mt Vernon on Hgw 1 for 4.25 mile] Go East for 6.45 mile. The road appears to change names. You will come to and cross the new Sutliff Br. At this point Lisbon Road continue N and White Oak Ave goes S. Take White Oak Ave S, past Sutliff, for a total of 2.37 miles. Go E for a bit less than 1.5 miles. there will be assign, a small parking area and a gate on the N side of the road. Do not block the gate on weekdays when the JCCB crews may need to get in. This is the SE corner of the property. The Ciha Fen property is divided roughly in half by an E-W fence. There is a gate at the W border to enter the N 40.
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| Federal - COE |
Coralville Lake
| The dam is located 4 miles N of Iowa City. There are numerous points of access to view the water, or to bird the woods around the reservoir. Directions for most are are below. |
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| Federal - COE |
Coralville Lake--Dam
| South of North Liberty in Johnson Co. ABOVE THE DAM(beach): Two miles north of I-80 along Dubuque St. (an Iowa City exit), or 2.5 miles south of North Liberty along Dubuque St., look for the Army Corps of Engineers sign to the dam on the east. From there follow the signs for the beach area. MORE VIEWING: At one point you have a choice of heading toward the beach/dam area (right) or the campground (left); the campground also affords viewing of the reservoir. |
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Coralville Lake--Hoosier Creek
| from the Swisher/Shueyville exit of I380, take CR F12 east about 5 miles until it ends at CR W6E or Ely Rd. Go south on Ely Rd about a mile, then turn right on 140th St. Go west on 140th St .5 miles to a gravel field driveway on the north side of the road. Just NW of the ATV Park Park there and walk North Northeast about 250 paces to a large oval shaped semi open area surrounded by large willows with dense green ground cover about 12 to 18 inches high and a half inch of standing water. |
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Coralville Lake--Sandy Beach Public Use Area
| - on the lower Coralville Reservoir north of North Liberty in Johnson Co. Take the Shueyville exit east off I-380. After about a mile turn south on Sandy Beach Rd. in Shueyville and follow this winding road, paying attention to the signs, a little more than four miles to viewing of the reservoir. |
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Coralville Lake--Scales Pointe
| access the area from the opposite side of the water (opposite from Sandy Beach) by taking highway 965 north out of North Liberty, turn right at the sign to Scales Point, follow the road toward Scales Point until the road takes a 90-degree turn to the right and there is a small parking lot with a gate. Park there, walk through the woods down to the water's edge and follow the shoreline until you find where the shorebirds are feeding.
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| Federal - COE |
Coralville Lake--Squire Point Trail
| East of Dubuque, 0.9 mile North of the West Overlook Rd and 1.8 m S of North Libery. |
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Coralville Lake--Twin View Heights
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Coralville Reservoir (Highway 965 viewing)
| the bridge area of W60 (Hwy. 965). |
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Cottage Reserve Woods
| At Lake Macbride, north of North Liberty in Johnson Co. Follow F-28 off I-380 into and through North Liberty. Turn north at Front St. in North Liberty and continue following F-28 about 4.5 miles to Cottage Reserve Rd., just over the causeway. Turn left on Cottage Reserve, and then take the next left and follow this road to Cottage Reserve Woods at its end, at the boat launch. There is a short lane on your right leading to the woods trail. |
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Curtis Bridge Rd. and boat ramp
| North of North Liberty at the lower Coralville Reservoir in Johnson Co.
VIEWING ACROSS FROM MARINA: 0.9 mile S of where Hwy. 965 from where it crosses I-380, take Meadow Rd. to the east. There is a very short distance until Curtis Bridge Rd goes off to your left. [the First Left]. Drive a short distance and park. You walk down to the Lake. In the winter, you can drive almost to the water.
This is a working marina so please respect the private property.
CURTIS BRIDGE BOAT RAMP: 0.3 south of where Hwy. 965 from crosses I-380, take Curtis Bridge Rd. to the east. Follow the road 3/4 of a mile, including an initial sharp left turn, to its end at the water. |
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F.W. Kent County Park
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Frytown Conservation
| In southwest Johnson Co. Take Hwy. 1 about eight miles west from U.S. 218 near Iowa City. The parking lot is on the north side right where Hwy. 1 bends due south. The basic walk is a wide trail that simply goes straight north into the park, ultimately to a tract of woods. In the woods you eventually come to a bridge at a stream; along the woods walk there are side spurs on the right worth walking. There are another couple of trails across the bridge and to the right which are less neatly defined. |
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Goose Lake
| It is located in the north W half of the rectangle bounded by 240th St [north], Kansas Ave and the Heartland Express facility [west], Alexander Way [east] and Nick Dr on the S. Coming into N Liberty from the I 380on F 28/Penn St, turn N on Kansas, drive a short distance to Nick Dr [<0.2 mi], turn Right and immediately turn Left on an unnamed gravel road that leads to some electrical boxes [< 0.2 mi]. As you drive in there is a small wetland on the W, a ‘Federally and Locally Protected Wetland’. To view Goose Lake from the N, continue past Kansas and turn Left on Alexander Way. Turn W on 140th [a gravel road than eventually ends at a private house]. |
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Hawkeye WMA
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Hawkeye WMA--Amana Rd
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Hawkeye WMA--Babcock
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Hawkeye WMA--Big Bend Area
| This access road runs north from Grabin Road, between Cemetery Rd. and Alpine
Rd. Grabin runs along the south side of the Hawkeye WA and also goes by
Williams Prairie. |
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Hawkeye WMA--Greencastle Causeway
| At Coralville Reservoir, Hawkeye W.A., in northwest Johnson Co. A few miles north of I-80, take the North Liberty/F-28 exit off I-380. Go west on F-28 about 3.5 miles to Greencastle Ave. Take Greencastle two miles north, crossing Swan Lake Rd. just after a pond on your right, until you’re on the dike. SHOREBIRDS: In season there is usually a population or two that can be scoped from the road, to the east. Depending on conditions, you can often leave the road and walk east for a stretch to see more pockets of shorebirds--start just north of the inlet that reaches to the road. Also, with correct water levels on the west side, shorebirds often congregate along the far shore of the bay to your right. You can walk closer to them along the north shoreline, and a little farther west through the grass here is a second inlet with shorebird habitat. In all cases, boots are recommended. |
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Hawkeye WMA--Gunclub Ponds
| In Hawkeye W.A. in northwest Johnson Co. Two fairly small wetlands straddle Greencastle Ave. directly south of Swan Lake Rd. The east side is always an open pond, and the west side is a grassy marsh with little or no open water. A few miles north of I-80, take the North Liberty/F-28 exit off I-380. Go west on F-28 about 3.5 miles to Greencastle Ave. Take Greencastle 1.5 miles north to the ponds. |
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Hawkeye WMA--Hanging Rock Woods
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Hawkeye WMA--James Avenue NW
| At the upper Coralville Reservoir in Hawkeye W.A., northwest Johnson Co. A few miles north of I-80, take the North Liberty/F-28 exit off I-380. Go west on F-28 to the first road, James Ave., and take this north 2.5 miles, including a very slight jog to the right at Swan Lake Rd., until it makes a sharp right turn. Park along here and walk the dirt lane, starting at the "Refuge Now Open" sign, west toward the reservoir. The shoreline can also be approached at the end of James, by continuing another mile. |
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Hawkeye WMA--Matson Pond
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Hawkeye WMA--Round Pond
| From I-380, turn west on F-28 until you get to Greencastle Ave. Go north on Greencastle and turn west at the first 4-way intersection. This intersection is near the Gun Club Ponds. Go west and Round Pond will be on the north side just past the power lines. |
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Hawkeye WMA--Sand Point
| In Hawkeye W.A., northwest Johnson Co., on the upper Coralville Reservoir. A few miles north of I-80, take the North Liberty/F-28 exit off I-380. Go west on F-28 to the first road, James Ave., and take this 1.5 miles north to Swan Lake Rd. Go west on Swan Lake one mile to the Sand Point parking area lane, across from Swan Lake itself. It's a 15- or 20-minute walk out to Sand Point. |
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Hawkeye WMA--Swan Lake
| - in Swan Lake S.P., at the southeast edge of Carroll in central Carroll Co. |
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Hickory Hill Park
| In Iowa City. The park is entered on Conklin Ave., to the left of St. Joseph’s Cemetery along N. Dodge. St., across from the Hy-Vee, northeast part of town, and about one mile off the Dodge St./Hwy. 1 exit from I-80. A detailed map of Hickory Hill Park's trails is found at:
http://www.jccniowa.org/~icbc/hhp/hhp2x10in100k.jpg |
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Iowa City City Park
| in Iowa City. The park is off Park Rd., which is the first light coming in from the Dubuque St. exit off I-80. The park is visible across the river from Dubuque St |
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Lake Macbride SP
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Lake Macbride SP -- Cottage Reserve area
| North of North Liberty in Johnson Co. Follow F-28 off I-380 into and through North Liberty. Turn north at Front St. in North Liberty and continue following F-28 about 4.5 miles to Cottage Reserve Rd., just over the causeway. Turn left on Cottage Reserve, proceed and then take the first right. Follow this road all the way around to the boat launch on the lake. See also Lake Macbride, north arm, Opie Rd. |
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Lake Macbride--North Arm
| On the north shore of the north arm of Lake Macbride, northern Johnson Co. Out of Solon, from Hwy. 1, take Hwy. 382 a little more than three miles west to Opie Rd. on your left. This is just over a half mile west from Ely Rd./W6E if coming from the north. Follow Opie Rd. south one half mile to a parking lot at the water; there is also a boat ramp with parking a couple of hundred yards west from here. |
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Lake McBride (Twin View Heights)
| From Solon, on US 1 turn west in center of town on Main Street which
becomes Ely Road outside of town. At the fork stay left an continue
past the golf course on the right to Twin View Heights housing
development. Enter at the gate, stay right on Meadow, pass the pond
staying right to the intersection of Lakeside and Wildwood. Here a
road goes north (right) between two houses. Pavement ends shortly.
Dirt road leads to a fork. Either way leads to a parking area. |
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Macbride Nature Recreation Area
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Matson Pond
| from exit #4 off I-380. Proceed west on F-28
about 7 3/4 mi. Go right on gravel Cemetery Rd. Follow Cemetery Rd.
about one mile. Turn right on Swan Lake Rd. This is not marked as
such, but there is a small sign that says " Wildlife Restoration."
Proceed about one mile to a 'T' intersection. Go right about 1/4 mile
to a parking lot on the right. Walk west ( right ) down into a
vegetated swale and follow to the pond. |
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Oakland Cemetery
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Redbird Farms WA
| In southwest Johnson Co. From U.S. 218 near Iowa City take Hwy. 1 west less than four miles to F-52/Black Diamond Rd., on your right. Take F-52 about 3.5 miles west to the Redbird parking area on your right, just past Hazelwood Ave. Across the road is a field tract, which is also part of Redbird. Shortly south of the parking area there, along the trail, is a marshy pond which can be productive when wet. |
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Solon-Lake Macbride Bike Trail
| Just west of Solon in northeast Johnson Co. IF COMING FROM HWY.1 - turn west on Hwy. 382, Main St. in Solon, and follow it west to the west edge of town, where there is a fork. At this point follow Main St. slightly to the left, rather than 382 slightly to the right. Quickly come to a T-intersection, Chabal St., and turn left (south). Come soon to another T-intersection, Sovers St., and turn right (west). The trailhead is at the first bend left (south), where there is a church in front of you, and a high school field to the right. IF COMING FROM NORTH OF LAKE MACBRIDE and west of Solon along Hwy. 382, look for Chabal St. on your right just at the west edge of Solon; then as above. IF COMING FROM THE LAKE MACBRIDE AREA - take Mahaffey Bridge Rd. north to 180th St., and then take 180th east (right), along the south shore of the lake's north arm, 1.7 miles to Racine Rd. Turn left (north) on Racine, and the trailhead is at the first bend to the right, where the church is. |
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Sugar Bottom WA
| In the lower Coralville Reservoir area, northeast of North Liberty in Johnson Co. Follow F-28 off I-380 into and almost through North Liberty. Turn north at Front St. and continue following F-28 about three miles to the Sugar Bottom entrance, immediately past the first causeway and on your right. There is often gull viewing on the reservoir at the campground's beach area, when it is open. |
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Swan Lake Woods
| In Hawkeye W.A., northwest Johnson Co. A few miles north of I-80, take the North Liberty/F-28 exit off I-380. Go west on F-28 to the first road, James Ave., and take this 1.5 miles north to Swan Lake Rd. Go west on Swan Lake one mile to the Sand Point parking area lane, across from Swan Lake itself, on the north side. The woods along this lane and the general area around the parking lot are locally referred to as "Swan Lake Woods." |
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Swan Lake, Hawkeye W.A.
| In Hawkeye W.A. in northwest Johnson Co. A few miles north of I-80, take the North Liberty/F-28 exit off I-380. Go west on F-28 to the first road, James Ave., and take this 1.5 miles north to Swan Lake Rd. Go west on Swan Lake one mile to the lake. |
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