Pikes Peak in Colorado is known as America’s Mountain. Every year, visitors from around the world marvel at its beauty and size. It is the first peak in the Rocky Mountain chain people heading West through Colorado see. Topping off at 14,110 feet above sea level, it was a rallying cry for those making their way to Colorado in 1859 with gold fever in their eyes. “Pikes Peak or Bust.” Colorado’s Pikes Peak may be the one most people think of, but it wasn’t the first one. Iowa’s Pikes Peak came first. Ours isn’t as majestic as far as height or fame goes, but it does offer a great view of the Mississippi River and the surrounding beauty of Iowa and Wisconsin.
Iowa’s Pikes Peak is dwarfed in size compared to Colorado’s peak. Our peak stands 500 feet above the floodplain of the Mississippi River and is not a mountain. It’s a bluff located in the upper Northeast section of Iowa that is sometimes referred to as the Driftless region. It sits on land that is part of the “Paleozoic Plateau” that was untouched when the last ice age settled across Iowa. While the bulk of Iowa’s landscape was being flattened and molded into farmland and rolling hills by retreating glaciers, the area where Pikes Peak is located escaped the clutches of earth grinding ice. This area contains some of the most beautiful scenery Iowa has to offer. Especially as summer begins to wither into autumn with brilliant red, golden yellow and dark orange leaves decorating trees just before they begin to fall in preparation for winter snows.
The only thing the two Pikes Peak have in common is both were discovered by the same man. Zebulon Pike discovered Iowa’s peak in 1805 while on a scouting mission commissioned by the United States government after the Louisiana Purchase. Pike was exploring the Mississippi valley to find possible locations for military forts. Iowa’s Pikes Peak turned out to be a perfect location, however, the government decided not to build a fort on the bluff and settled on another location at Prairie du Chien, Wisconsin. Colorado’s peak was discovered a year later in 1806 when Pike was sent west on an exploration mission at the request of the U.S. government to explore the southwestern section obtained in the Louisiana Purchase.
Iowa’s Pikes Peak overlooks the Mississippi in the upper Northeastern part of Iowa where the Wisconsin River runs into Old Man River. Wisconsin sits across the river. This pristine area is much the same today as when it was first discovered. Alexander McGregor established a ferry crossing across the Mississippi which became known as McGregor’s Landing. Settlers were never permitted to settle in the area and river boat crews were denied permission to cut trees to power their steam engines which has left the area around Pikes Peak relatively untouched since it was discovered. The land and peak was eventually donated to the United States government by decedents of the McGregor family and was later given by Congress back to the state of Iowa in 1935.
The Pikes Peak area is rich in geological history and native American Indian history where one can also find Effigy Mounds National Monument a short distance away. Prehistoric earthen mounds sitting atop hilltops and craved into the shape of animals and birds. These types of sculpted mounds are only found around an area spread out in Iowa, Wisconsin, Illinois and Minnesota. One mound located in Effigy Mounds was dated using radio-carbon testing and found to be 2,500 years old. The Federal Government established control of the mounds in 1949 to preserve and protect the mounds from being destroyed. More land was added to the monument in 1951 and 1961, but not before a number of mounds were destroyed before the government took over the land containing the ancient mounds in 1949.
Campers wanting to enjoy the beauty of Pikes Peak can find a total of 77 campsites which include restroom and shower facilities and 60 sites that provide electricity. Visitors can also enjoy hiking trails that provide some of the most beautiful views in Iowa. Bluffs covered in trees with trails winding down through gorgeous valleys and cliffs of limestone containing fossils from a period when the land was covered by an ancient, shallow tropical ocean. Mountain bikes are allowed on certain trails.
Iowa’s Pikes Peak may not be as famous as the one in Colorado, but we do have the distinction of being the first one even if ours isn’t as well known. The peak’s beauty, which is unique to Northeastern Iowa is just as magnificent as its taller and more famous cousin in Colorado. Make no mistake about it, we are as proud of our Pikes Peak as Coloradoans are of theirs. Come see for yourself. You won’t be disappointed.
Brian Witzke and Ray Anderson, Geology of Pikes Peak State Park, Iowa DNR
