Resources Unlimited

Rates Stay the Same

There are no admission fees to Iowa’s State Parks. However, there are fees for camping and for reserving the shelter, which are staying the same again this year. The fee to reserve the stone shelter is $25 for the whole day.

Camping rates currently are $11 for electric sites and $6 for non-electric sites. And yes, we even had a tent in the campground anchored down in the snow just the other night! From May 1 (or when the shower facilities are turned on) through Oct. 31 the rates are $16 for electric sites and $11 for non-electric sites.

Free Camping Weekend

Once again this year the Iowa DNR is offering a Free Camping Weekend for Iowa residents. Iowans can camp for free on May 13, 14, and 15. Programs are being planned and more details will be coming soon so watch for future press releases.

The Park Store

One change that you will likely notice if you venture up to Pikes Peak this season is that the park store will be operated by park staff. The concession stand at the park has been run privately since its existence. Even before the stone structure was built in 1937, a small wooden concession stand, called the “Peak Inn”, sat in the same location back in 1920 (circa) and was operated by a local farmer. Barb and Jack Schultz have been the concessionaires at Pikes Peak for the past 25 years and made the tough decision to retire last fall. They will surely be missed by all but still plan to be involved with the park.

Notices were posted last fall inviting people to bid on the concession. Some people were interested but no one submitted a bid. Rather than keeping the store closed the Pikes Peak staff is going to make an attempt at operating it. With limited seasonal help we will likely utilize the help of volunteers some of the time to keep the store open everyday from mid-May through the end of October.

Zebulon Pike!

2005 marks the 200th anniversary of the Zebulon Pike Expedition. On Aug. 9, 1805, the United States Government sent Lieutenant Pike, then at age 26, from St. Louis to explore the Upper Mississippi River. The mission of the expedition was to look for potential sites for military forts, sign treaties with the Native Americans and find the source of the Mississippi River. Pike recognized the park site which now bears his name as an important strategic point and an excellent site for a fort. The government agreed on the vicinity but selected a prairie around Prairie du Chien for the fort.

We are currently planning interpretive programs with other agencies, including Effigy Mounds National Monument and Villa Louis Historic Site, to commemorate the anniversary of the Pike Expedition. Watch for future press releases this summer to join in on the celebration.

Pikes Peak Friends Group

Another exciting event taking place this year is the formation of the Pikes Peak friends group. A friends group will help the park by working together on park projects, raising funds and collecting donations which will go towards park improvements, providing political support, and providing a means of instilling pride and increased feeling of responsibility for stewardship of the park, its facilities and its resources. We will be holding a meeting to form the group in the coming weeks so contact park staff if you are interested in becoming a friend of Pikes Peak State Park.