I’m calling this a creek walk even though only half of the hike included the creek. Peas Creek is where my son and I lingered and it made a big impression on us. The creek was at the perfect flow for a manageable walk.
We strapped on our daypacks filled with lunch and water and began our trek at the campground. A perfect fall weekend had most of the campsites full. The campground is fully shaded by the trees all around. This makes the Ledges one of my favorite trailer camping parks.
Our trail head was at a well maintained path leading to the hike-in tent sites. Walking down the trail, it was amusing to watch tent campers hauling gear into their sites with carts and arm-loads of stuff. At least they were outside enjoying the park. At 200 ft. from the trail head we came to the last tent site. The trail here becomes rugged and drops about 150 ft. in elevation down to Pea’s Creek. There are no switch backs on this trail so caution is advised due to mud, damp leaves and steep grade.
At the bottom, the trail intersects with Pea’s Creek and our intention was to follow along side the creek. The DNR map shows the trail running parallel to the creek, however, it appears heavy spring rains have erased all signs of the path. That was fine with us since the creek bed was in perfect condition to hike.
Even on this busy weekend, there was not a soul to be seen in this part of the park. We took our time scrambling and rock hopping our way towards the main park road. There were two spots where large downed trees required us to stop to determine the best way to pass. We noticed many animal tracks, minnows and water bugs. Two months earlier the mosquitoes would have been unbearable here but on this day they were not an issue at all.
Distant voices signaled the end of our hike. As we approached the road I was planning another rout for a future creek walk at the Ledges. My next hike will include the full length of Pea’s Creek and then up Davis Creek.
This hike was an unexpected surprise. We managed to stumble into a solitary creek walk on a crowded fall day at Ledges State Park.
Map
Pros:
Creek was solitary and quite, fall colors.
Cons:
Nice weather kept the park very busy.
Contact:
1515 P Ave.
Madrid, IA 50156
P: (515) 432-1852
F: (515) 432-0750
E: Ledges@dnr.iowa.gov
GPS Data:
Moving Time: 1:50:40 h:m:s
Distance: 3.80 miles
Avg. Moving Speed: 2.6 mph
Elevation Gain: +1,498/-1,717 ft
Avg. Wind Speed: SSE 12.2 mph
Links:
Gallery:
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Richard Pea, 12 months ago
These are very lovely pictures of this creek! I was researching information on one my ancestors and came across this page. Thank you for posting these awesome pictures! I now have a good visualization of the area my ancestor lived in (from 1846-1874). John Pea, who the creek was named after (the second person in Boone County), was my first cousin, 6 times removed. Thanks again and take care!
Rich Pea
Sacramento, CA
mscott, 12 months ago
That’s really amazing that you came across this post. Ledges State Park is a beautiful and unique area in the state of Iowa. I hope you can make it to this part of the country some day.
mscott, 12 months ago
@Richard: There is an old cabin just up the hill from where we hiked into the creek. It’s overgrown and way back in the woods. The only thing that is left of the cabin is the stone fireplace and foundation. I wounder if this is John Pea’s homestead? I’m sure the Park Ranger would know more about this old cabin. I could take some photos of the place and send them to you if you’re interested.
Claus, 5 months ago
That ruins is actually the Fowler Homestead.
You can read about it in this document: http://www.iowageology.org/pdf/GB48.pdf (pdf page 38).
What you, Richard, are looking for is probably not in the state park:
“John Pea and James Hull, two of the earliest European settlers in Boone Co., built their cabins at the source of Pea’s Creek (ca. 3 km northeast of the Park, now in the south part of the city of Boone) in 1846 (Anonymous 1880).”
Source (ISU libary login required):
http://www.bioone.org.proxy.lib.iastate.edu:2048/doi/full/10.2179/08-029R2.1
mscott, 5 months ago
Thanks Claus, That Iowa Geology PDF is going to be some interesting reading.