June 15, 2020 ~ Decorah is a quaint college town in the bluff country of northeast Iowa. Scott’s sister and her husband live near there so we visit Decorah often. Luther College, a liberal arts college, is located in town so the downtown area hosts a variety of eateries and one of a kind shops catering to locals as well as college students. The best way to tell you about Decorah is to take you on a virtual bike ride with me around town.
Scott and I usually park our car and unload our Pedego Electric Bikes at the Decorah Fish Hatchery.
The Decorah Fish Hatchery is a state-of-the-art trout rearing facility used to breed stock for northeast Iowa’s legendary trout streams and rivers. It is the second largest trout hatchery in the state. Visitors can purchase trout food to feed the fish and are welcomed to walk around and see trout of all different sizes. It is co-located with Siewer Springs which is a great place to fish or have a picnic. There are facilities available to visitors, however they were closed due to Covid 19.
We usually start off on Trout Run Trail by going to the right. Mainly because of the treat that awaits us right around the first bend. Trout Run Trail is an 11 mile paved loop around Decorah. The trail goes through picturesque farm fields and crosses trout streams five times and includes running next to the Upper Iowa River for two miles. Some portions are significantly hilly, which is no problem for our ebikes.
Right after the first bend, we pause to look at the Decorah Eagles nest. The nest is world famous and can be viewed via a webcam. We are never the only ones there watching the eagles, and we have met some very nice eagle-loving people over the course of our visits. A surprising number of people travel from elsewhere in the country to see the nest in person. Hatching usually occurs in late March or early April and fledging the nest usually happens in mid to late June. After the young eagles leave the nest and then the area, the parents stay in Decorah year round. The current eagles nest was built by Neil Reettig and Like Arnal in 2015. They hoped the “starter nest” would encourage the eagles to make it their home and improve upon it…which they did. It is a great location for an eagles nest because it is visible from the trail yet far enough into the woods that people are discouraged from getting too close. Also, the fish hatchery has been known to provide an eagle or two with a free meal.
In the picture below, you can see the nest with a juvenile eagle perched on the left and a webcam on a branch to the right of the nest.
Here is a picture of one of the eagle parents perched on a tree by the fish hatchery.
Iowa sure is gorgeous in the summer. There is always something new and stunning to catch my eye.
There are two treasures a short detour off the Trout Run Trail. The first one is Dunning Springs Park. The park is home to a 200 foot waterfall and is the backdrop to many graduation pictures and weddings. There is groomed path up to the top of the waterfall, and braver people have been known to scale the falls by leaping from wet rock to wet rock. Not me!
There is parking at the entrance as well as a few places up at the waterfall itself. Ascending up the drive to the waterfall, the cool air generated from the falls drifts down in a welcomed greeting on a hot day. It is a great place to picnic and cool off. A lot of families bring their kids in swimsuits and play in the water.
On a REALLY hot day, Decorah holds a special treat for those willing to brave a bit of a climb…the Ice Cave State Preserve. Ice is formed in the cave when the winter air chills the interior of the cave. In Spring, surface water from melting snow seeps into the cave and freezes on the cold walls. In fact, June is when the ice reaches maximum thickness on the walls. Throughout June, July and August the cave treats it’s visitors to natural air-conditioning on a hot summer day. By Fall, the ice has melted.
To get up to the Ice Cave, one has to scale some sketchy looking steps. It is a shame that this place is not better maintained.
At the top, the warning sign takes on new importance as you get your first glimpse into the cave.
The cave is blocked at about 10 feet in for safety purposes. That is about as far as I would venture anyways. The air in the cave is very cold but the sketchiness of the overhanging boulders cause me not to linger too long. The air is nicely cooled outside the entrance, and it seems a lot safer there!
We end our ride back at the car parked at the Fish Hatchery. Sometimes we do the loop twice, and sometimes we decide we would rather go grab a beer…which brings me to a few other things about Decorah worth mentioning. Those are Seed Savers Exchange, Nordic Fest, and breweries.
Seed Savers Exchange is a non-profit organization that works to preserve heirloom seeds. It is one of the largest non-governmental seed banks in the US. You can buy seeds from their catalog online or in their gift store. Their test garden is stunning and open to the public. They have a large parcel of land with meadows, test plots, and orchards. A trout stream runs through the property and anglers are welcomed. There are a few hiking trails also. I don’t have any pictures as they were closed to visitors due to Covid-19. If you like to garden, I strongly suggest you check out their website for their many articles and tips on growing. If you don’t garden now, you will want to start if you go to their website…beware of the gardening bug!
NordicFest is a celebration of Scandinavian heritage, culture and food held every year in July. Well okay, not in 2020 due to Covid-19…but get ready for 2021! It is a multi-day street party with a parade, free entertainment, food booths, dancing in the streets and fireworks. A local Lutheran church serves up a traditional Scandinavian meal that is worth trying.
Lastly, it is worth noting that the Decorah area has a robust beer scene worthy of going toe-to-toe with breweries anywhere. Toppling Goliath is an award winning brewery featuring a 100-barrel brewhouse, two indoor bars, an outdoor bar, restaurant, gift shop, tours and an event center. Pulpit Rock Brewing Company, a brewery on a smaller scale, is also worthy of a visit. Named after a prominent rock formation in the area, they pride themselves on their innovative brews. Their tap list is ever evolving, so there is always something new to try. Pulpit Rock Brewing is a short ride off Trout Run Trail and good for your mid-ride beer needs.
A short drive to the town of Calmar brings the beer enthusiast to Pivo Brewery…a personal favorite of Scott. The owners, Craig and Sara, are locals who returned home from an Air Force career intent on starting a brewery, Pivo, and an art studio, Blepta. The menu of beer on tap is one of the largest I have ever seen. Even more unbelievable to me is the number of absolute “winners” in terms of beer that I like. At Pivo, quality does not suffer at the hands of quantity. Scott is a die-hard fan of their Ossian IPA. I keep changing up my favorites because I can’t decide…lately I have gravitated towards their Highlandville Scottish Ale or their Cresco Cream Ale. The beers are named after local towns, giving the place a real local flavor. The taproom invites patrons to enjoy a light meal with their beer, or linger over conversation or (in non-Covid times) a board game. We just noticed that they joined Harvest Hosts, so perhaps we will do an overnight there sometime. I am not artistically inclined, but my sister-in-law is and she has come out of art classes held at Blepta Studios with some amazing creations. Pivo Brewery is accessible off another bike trail called Prairie Farmer Recreational Trail. Once we parked our car at the brewery and entered the trail from there, guaranteeing a perfect end to a bike ride.
That about wraps it up for my blog post about Decorah, IA. I always enjoy my time there. Decorah is a quaint town with plenty to do in a beautiful setting. Whew…this was a long post…wish I had a Pivo beer like in the picture above to celebrate with, lol!
Decorah is such a beautiful place to ride a bike!