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25601 C-60                Hillview Recreation area is a 250 acre park located a mile west of Hinton on C60, and is the hub of outdoor recreation activities in Plymouth County. Hillview Recreation Area is a mixture of open grasslands, reconstructed prairie, woodlands and wildlife habitat. Year round activities include primitive and modern camping, picnicking with or without shelters, fishing, swimming, hiking, horseback riding, cross country skiing over the park wide network of trails, snow tubing, and hunting in selected areas.
Public and educational programs are are offered by the Plymouth County Conservation Board staff, including an annual Halloween Hike in October.
14241 Hwy. 12   The first county park acquired by the Conservation Board, Big Sioux continues to provide fishing, canoeing and boating access to the Big Sioux River. Located one mile north of Akron, 33 acre Big Sioux Park has undergone a recent habitat transformation due to serval major floods. Once primarily a river edge grassland, natural succession is transforming the Big Sioux Park into a riparian forest complete with maples, cottonwoods and willows. 17765 S. Birch  Silver Maple Primitive Area is a 60 acre public use area adjoining the Big Sioux River south of Akron. Giant Silver Maple trees inhabit the region along with new growth cottonwoods and willows. Canoeing and fishing access is provided to the Big Sioux River and to an adjacent county owned gravel pit. A Maple Syruping program is held here each March. 10001 Hwy. 3  Millsite Access is a 16 acre old growth river bottom Mill site. Adjoining Highway 3 at the Big Sioux River, a wide concrete boat ramp provides canoeing, boating, and fishing access to the river. Millsite is open to public in-season hunting. |
 One way to enjoy the Loess Hills is the Loess Hills Scenic Byway, a group of scenic drives that extends from northern Plymouth County to the Missouri border along and through the Loess Hills region. The spine is a hard-surfaced route, which provides a scenic alternate to interstate highway travel. Numerous side loops also exist in the counties along western Iowa. Special Loess Hills Scenic Byway signs indicate side loops and the entire byway route. Five Ridge Prairie provides a better appreciation of the Loess Hills with its mixed composition of composition and woodlands.   The Big Sioux River Corridor began with the donation of over 900 acres to the Plymouth County Conservation Board. Beginning near the Sioux County border and extending south of Westfield, the area serves to relieve flood pressure on existing dikes and to provide public use areas for hiking, hunting, bird watching and river access. The overall Big Sioux River Project extends into neighboring South Dakota and counties to the north in Iowa. Other Plymouth County Conservation Areas 11132 240th Birkley's Bend, 239 acres Boyd's Bend, 160 acres |
45597 140th  Meadow Wildlife Area is a five acre tract of re-established habitat and a small gravel pit. It's a little pocket of nature located just northeast of Remsen. 41564 310th  Southeast Wildwood Park is a small day use park located two miles northwest of Kingsley. The 36 acre park offers picnicking and fishing, and is a quiet place to enjoy the outdoors in a less crowded location. Noble & 260th   This 40-acre black soil native prairie is a remnant of of what Plymouth County was like at the time of settlement. In the heart of the farming region of Plymouth County, this Native Tall Grass prairie survived though the efforts of Erma O'Brien. Her heirs, in order to protect the prairie and make a lasting memorial, donated the prairie to the Plymouth County Conservation Board. O'Brien Prairie is open to hiking, hunting and wildlife and wildflower viewing. It is a wonderful place for photographers and native prairie enthusiasts. 260th & K-18 
The 790 acre Five Ridge Prairie, a dedicated state preserve in western Plymouth County, is a great example of the northern loess bluffs of western Iowa. You'll find a mixture of oak timbered valleys, native prairie ridge tops and west facing slopes. The Five Ridge Prairie a unique loess landform and is home to several state threatened and endangered plant and animal species. Plymouth County's original wild turkey restocking program began here in 1981. Five Ridge Prairie is open for hiking all year round, with hunting from the 3rd Saturday in September through January 31st. Spring wild turkey hunting is according to DNR seasons and regulations. Only foot traffic is allowed to protect the areas natural beauty and fragile landform. Five Ridge Prairie is managed with prairie burns to enhance the natural diversity of area. Call the Plymouth County Conservation Officer for more information and to schedule class outings. |
