Outdoors: Decorah, Iowa, offers choices

Staff

Published Friday, September 28, 2007

By Tim Engstrom, managing editor

DECORAH, Iowa — There’s one or two things to do in Decorah. Or three or four or seven or 10 or 15 or how ever many. It all depends on how much time you have to spend in Decorah.

I really should say Winneskiek County. The Upper Iowa River flows through Decorah and through a region often called the Iowa Alps. It’s the hilliest part of the state, but that also affords the area several recreation choices.

Or you could just relax at your hotel and tour the downtown.

Hmm. Let’s run through some of the brochures I picked up Wednesday while in Decorah. Yes, it’s true, I didn’t actually get to spend much time there, but while I was there I gathered as much as I could and caught a glimpse of the notable attractions.

The most notable is the Vesterheim Norwegian-American Museum. They let me in even though I am mostly Swedish because the photographer was mostly Norwegian. OK, not true. Anyone can come in.

The museum has artifacts, art and displays of how life was for 19th century Norwegians. One painting reminded me of photos of the ramshackle farm near Gšteborg, Sweden, from which my great-grandfather came.

We visited the Hotel Winneshiek, a posh downtown historic hotel, and Luther College. There are spas, coffeehouses, art galleries and specialty shops. But this is the Outdoors Page, so let me tell you the outdoorsy possibilities in Decorah.

I want to take my wife and son to a well-hidden waterfall called Dunning’s Spring Park. Along with Ice Cave Hill Park, they make a 115-acre greenspace, but you wouldn’t know the park is there unless you find Ice Cave Road. The park has the falls and loads of hiking trails, many of which connect to other parks. Many are good for mountain biking, too. One is called Dead Pet for some reason.

Cyclists and pedestrians also can enjoy the Oneota Trail, a paved trail that runs along the river. The Oneota River is another name for the Upper Iowa. I always image trails leaving town for long country excursions, but like many of them this one doesn’t either.

You can drive west to Cresco or south to Spillville and ride the 20-mile Prairie Farmer Trail through the Winneshiek County countryside. The trail is covered with limestone.

Apparently canoeing the Upper Iowa River is a popular summertime activity. At the Decorah Area Chamber of Commerce downtown I picked up a large, fold-out map called the Upper Iowa River Canoe Guide. It shows several route choices. The first starts in Le Roy.

Decorah has a licensed hunting preserve that also serves as a paintball range. The river has geologic scenery called the Chimney Rocks and there apparently is a really good campground there. People who love to ride horses can check out a couple of campgrounds in the Decorah area that cater to horseback riders.

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