Where In Iowa: Mt. Vernon
My final hike over the Labor Day weekend was on the Cedar Cliff Trail located in Mt. Vernon, Iowa within the confines of Palisades-Kepler Park. But as I researched the park’s location, I quickly found there is a lot more to do in this tiny town and surrounding area.
Mt. Vernon is a 2-hour drive from West Des Moines and I got an early start to make the most of my day. (Directions can be found at the end of my blog)
As I approached Palisades-Kepler State Park, I made a quick stop at the American Gothic barn. Now hold on, this is not the famous house that inspired one of the most iconic pieces of American art. No, the actual American Gothic house can be found in Eldon, Iowa. However, this brief stop is to admire a rather beautiful piece of art in its own right that someone painted on their barn!
The American Gothic Barn located just up the road from Palisades-Kepler State Park
Take into consideration, this is someone’s private property. Someone actually lives here so be respectful when you visit. But they are used to people stopping by to take photos and don’t seem to mind. They even placed a nice stone bench next to the barn for picture taking. Be sure to take shots from all angles as each side of the barn is painted with a beautiful mural.
The barn has beautiful murals painted on all sides!
Virtually right next to the American Gothic barn is Palisades-Kepler State Park. Established in 1922, Palisades-Kepler State Park is one of the first state parks in Iowa. Trails, roads and stone structures were constructed during the Depression by the Civilian Conservation Corps which still stand today.
The park contains 5 miles of beautiful hiking trails that wind throughout the park and along the scenic Cedar River. The longest trail in the park is the Cedar Cliff Trail at 2.1 miles.
The Cedar Cliff Trail has varying elevations providing a great workout!
To get to the Cedar Cliff Trail, you will drive all the way to the back of the park until you run out of road. Do not go toward the campground. When presented with a fork, you can either take a left down to the boat ramp or take a right and you will drive to the end into a large parking lot where the Cedar Cliff Trail begins.
As I drove thru the park, dotted along the river are picnic sites with tables and grills providing the perfect setting for a cookout. Every picnic table has an unobstructed view of the great Cedar River.
Take in the beauty of the Cedar River while you enjoy a picnic in the park
As I pulled into the parking lot, I ventured down to the massive beach to explore. Mind you, the beach isn’t really meant for sunbathing. The sand itself seems to be a mix of river sand, mud and crushed rock. But it’s great for a morning walk or trying your hand at fishing. There were a few dogs who enjoyed running up and down the expansive beach as well as morning fishermen.
The park is quite popular with bird watchers and I can easily see why. There were a lot of birds out on the water this morning. In the short time I spent on the beach, ducks floated past me while eagles and blue herons soared above.
The Cedar Cliff Trail leads up to a beautiful stone gazebo
The 840-acre park has a lot of history too! A mammoth molar tooth was once discovered here and the rocks along the Cedar River are teeming with fossils containing millions of years of history. The Indian Mounds found within the park remind us that Native Americans lived in this area as well.
The park is a popular spot for bird watchers as I spotted eagles, blue herons and ducks this morning
If you hiked the Cedar Cliff Trail without stopping, it would only take you 35 minutes one way. But I’m not sure how anyone could do that without stopping to take photos! This is a very scenic trail and the goal isn’t to see how fast you can hike it. Between hiking and stopping to take photos, I spent almost 2 hours on this trail alone.
A beautiful Sunday morning – this is my church today! Thank you God!
When you first pull up to the start of the Cedar Cliff Trail, the trail marker is just inside the barrier/fence. You won’t see it immediately from the parking lot. But as you approach the outer fence and 2 stone pillars, you will see a long wooden sign indicating Cedar Cliff Trail just inside the perimeter.
Once inside and you’ve walked about 30 feet on the trail, you will see 2 bridges. On the left side is a wooden foot bridge; to the right you will see a cement bridge that leads to an elevated trail. I took the left fork which is the lower trail that runs along the river. Actually both trails lead to the very same spot: a lovely stone gazebo. I chose the left fork initially so I could stay close to the water but on the return trip back, I took the high trail to see what else I might have missed.
Approaching the stone gazebo and the first overlook point
Dogs are allowed on the trail as long as they are leashed. There were certainly a lot of dogs out enjoying the day with their owners as I hiked along.
Once you get to the stone gazebo, you will be treated to a picturesque view of the Cedar River. The trail winds along the river but it’s mostly encased by trees so you will want to take advantage of all the overlook spots provided.
The first overlook point of the Cedar River
I met a woman named Julie who decided to skip church this morning to do her morning prayer out on the trail today (same as me). She told me that Lake MacBride which is only 5 miles west of Solon has an even prettier trail thru the bluffs than this one! I remember seeing signs to Lake MacBride on my drive up. I’m not sure I will have time today but will make a note for next time.
Once you hit the stone gazebo, don’t stop. Keep going! The trail continues til you reach the end and can’t go any further.
The hike provided plenty of beautiful photos of moss covered stone steps, wooden bridges over deep ravines, and limestone outcroppings along the river. Yes there were some bugs today but not nearly as many as the other hikes over the holiday weekend.
At the second dramatic overlook, I would have liked to have gotten a better photo of the river below but a young couple was so immersed in taking in the view and each other that I quietly left so I wouldn’t disturb them.
I hoped to enjoy the view from the second overlook point but this couple was so sweet. I enjoyed them instead!
On the way back, I did indeed take the higher trail that I had passed up and I’m certainly glad I did. It had a beautiful stone bridge that I stopped to take some notes on. And in doing so, I almost squished a giant walking stick! He was very cool. You will see lots of butterflies, insects and birds while in the park. But because there were a lot of hikers out today (it is the weekend and a holiday at that), I didn’t see much else for wildlife on the trial.
On today’s hike, I found a gigantic walking stick insect on a stone bridge
The Cedar Cliff Trail isn’t the only hiking trail here in the park. There are 5 other trails although much shorter than the Cedar Cliff Trail. One trail worth mentioning is the Cool Hollow Trail. As you drive toward the campground area, you will see the Indian Mounds located in the park. Directly across from the Indian Mounds, is the Cool Hollow Trail which is only .7 miles long but when used in combination with the other park trails, it makes a nice loop hike. While the Cool Hollow Trail is less than a mile long, it features a very unique log bridge which makes for a great backdrop to take photos and is definitely worth checking out.
A very unique log bridge can be found on the Cool Hollow Trail located within the park
Once I was done hiking the Cedar Cliff Trail and visiting the Indian Mounds, I headed down to the boat ramp. Restrooms are plentiful throughout the park as I had to make a quick pitstop. I found cement steps here leading from the bank down to the river. There is almost always easy river access anywhere in the park. I decided to go down and take another picture of the river and almost stepped on a snake that had been sunning himself on the hot steps. I think I scared him as much as he scared me! But it served as a good reminder to watch where I step!
Beautiful insects, butterflies and birds frequented my hike today
Besides hiking and picnicking, the park provides electric and non-electric sites for camping along with a modern shower house and trailer dump station.
If camping isn’t your thing but you’d like to stay longer, 4 air-conditioned cabins are available for rent. All cabins have a shower, restroom and a small kitchen with stove, microwave, and refrigerator.
Campsites or cabins can be reserved at: Palisades Kepler Park Reservations
After driving down to the boat ramp and chatting with a couple of girls about to embark on a kayak trip, it was time to think about lunch.
The boat ramp in the park is frequently used by boaters, fisherman and kayakers
But first, my new friend Julie that I had met on the trail told me to stop at the apple orchard just up the road for another colorful barn photo. She asked if I had ever seen the Statue of Liberty. I said no. This must be my lucky day. As I jumped on Highway 30 and headed back toward Mt. Vernon, I saw the signs for the Big Apple Orchard on the north side of the road just a few miles down.
A quick stop at the Big Apple Orchard to see the Statue of Liberty and make a few friends along the way
I drove up the long driveway and Julie was right. At the apple orchard was a giant barn mural of the Statue of Liberty. I also made friends with the orchard cats who lived there. It seems no matter where I go, cats always find me!
People sure know how to paint their barns in Mt. Vernon! Loved this colorful mural at the apple orchard!
After a few quick photos, I headed into Mt Vernon to grab some lunch. With a population of approximately 4,500, this quiet little town oozes charm with their main street shops and cozy dining options.
Today’s lunch is at Big’s BBQ & Brew Pub. It can be challenging to find restaurants that are open on a Sunday in small towns. Luckily Big’s was open and it was such a beautiful day, I sat out on their patio to enjoy the weather.
I had a delicious lunch today at Big’s BBQ & Brew Pub
As Big’s is a brew pub, all their beer is brewed onsite. I am not a beer drinker but I had heard good things about their Jacked Up Cider which is brought in from Dyersville. Since I was supposed to be at Dyersville this weekend to see the Field of Dreams (cancelled fishing trip), now I had to get their cider! I chose the Apple Pie Jacked Up Cider. It’s made from local fruit and honey with no manmade ingredients. It tastes like a crisp Fall morning. It was delicious!
Big’s also makes their own root beer as well. Homemade root beer floats is one of their specialties. But I had my hard cider and I was happy with that.
I ordered their brisket sandwich that came with 2 sides. I chose sides of smoked mac ‘n cheese and greens (collards and spinach with garlic and butter). The smoked mac ‘n cheese was amazing. It was so hard to choose from all the options. I really wanted to try their homemade coleslaw too. Wish granted! I received a free sample on the house. It was tasty.
Today’s lunch was a brisket sandwich, smoked mac ‘n cheese, and greens (collards & spinach) Served with a fantastic sauce for my brisket sandwich!
Speaking of free, I also received a free sample of the Chucho beer which is their Mexican Vienna Lager summer beer. The free samples of coleslaw and beer could be because I gave them my business card for my travel writing. It’s not unusual to get free things when people know I am blogging about them. But it could also just be small town Iowa. That’s what Iowa nice is all about!
On my way out of Mt. Vernon, I decided to stop at the Sutliff Bridge as I heard it is a beautiful spot. Getting to the bridge is a little tricky (see directions at the end of the blog).
The Sutliff Bridge was originally built in 1897
Sutliff is the small settlement that lies on the other side of the bridge. That’s right, it’s not even considered an actual town but called a “community” instead. The nearest town is Lisbon but from my vantage point on the other side of the river, the nearest town is Solon. It all depends on what side of the river you are on!
The historic bridge is obviously the star attraction here with scenic views of the Cedar River. Baxa’s Sutliff Store and Tavern is the main business here. The Sutliff Store has sat in a prominent position on the banks of the Cedar River next to the bridge since 1899. It seemed to be a popular spot over the holiday weekend as I could see a lot of people eating, drinking and listening to live music.
I ran into a family on the bridge who said every Sunday, they come and park their car and walk the bridge that leads to this river settlement to eat. While food is served at the tavern, it sounds like it can take quite a while to get your meal when they are very busy so I’m glad I ate in town.
I walked down below the bridge in the marshland and got some fantastic photos of the bridge by accessing a rough path that I found leading underneath the bridge.
I had the bridge all to myself today. Everyone was already on the other side eating and drinking in Sutliff.
Allen Sutliff came to the county in 1838 and launched the Sutliff Ferry to shuttle people back and forth across the river. When the Cedar River developed a sand bar making the ferry impossible to use, it became critical to build a bridge so the residents of Sutliff would not be cut off from the county seat and other towns. Thus the settlement and bridge were established that bear his name.
The original bridge was built in 1897 although it was restored after a flood in 2008 and is now added to the National Register of Historic Places.
As I crossed the expansive bridge, you could see the Cedar River for miles and all the activity in Sutliff. The river itself proved to be quite busy as I spotted several turtles sunning themselves on a log in the water.
Although the bridge has been restored since first being built, it doesn’t detract from its scenic beauty or the river it crosses
I wish I had more time. I really would have liked to have taken Julie up on her suggestion to visit Lake MacBride. Lake MacBride features 7 miles of trails including a 1.7 mile loop trail through a beautiful forest leading to MacBride Falls. I will definitely be back to explore this lake another day. As I said, there is so much to do in the surrounding area!
I had such a great time visiting Mt. Vernon and it was the perfect way to wrap up my holiday weekend. If you’re looking for a day trip getaway, consider adding it to your list!
Turtles enjoying the sun on a log below the Sutliff Bridge
Directions
Directions to Palisades-Kepler State Park: Take I-80 East. When you hit Iowa City, look for Highway 1 (take Exit 246). Go north on Hwy 1 thru Solon. When you hit the junction for Highway 30, head West on the highway for 3 miles. You will see the American Gothic Barn on your left hand side (south side of the road) Stop here for a few quick photos. Continue down the road .2 miles to see the entrance for Palisades-Kepler Park. This is a 2 hour drive from West Des Moines.
Directions to Sutliff Bridge: On your way out of Mt. Vernon, go 7 miles south on Highway 1. If you go into Solon, you’ve gone too far. On Highway 1, you will see the brown Sutliff Bridge sign. Head East 5.5 miles. There is NO sign indicating when you are at the bridge turnoff. So use your odometer here. The only sign you will see is a yellow arrow sign indicating a curve. Right at this sign, you will see a small access road that leads to a parking area next to the bridge.
