Pilot Knob State Park

Pilot Knob State Park, southeast of Forest City in northern Iowa, emerged from a local preservation drive in 1920, when area residents raised $7,000 to buy the land before the state acquired it in 1921 and dedicated the park in 1923. One of Iowa’s oldest state parks, it is especially known for Civilian Conservation Corps work completed in 1934, including a rustic observation tower, picnic shelter, amphitheater, entrance portals, and trail culverts that later gained National Register recognition. Its notable natural features include man-made Pilot Knob Lake and Dead Man’s Lake, a floating sphagnum bog described as unique in Iowa, alongside trails, camping, and other recreation.

Iowa · United States