Lacey-Keosauqua State Park

About this park

Lacey-Keosauqua State Park, established in 1920 as Iowa's second state park, is also one of its largest, spanning oak-hickory forested bluffs along a dramatic horseshoe bend of the Des Moines River near the town of Keosauqua. The sweeping river bend and surrounding ridgeline give the park some of the most striking river-valley scenery in southeastern Iowa. The park holds real historical depth: ancient Native American burial mounds sit within its boundaries, and CCC-built lodges and shelters from the 1930s remain in active use, giving visitors a tangible connection to both pre-settlement history and the Depression-era conservation movement that shaped so much of Iowa's park system. Thirteen miles of hiking trails wind through the bluffs and river bottom, connecting historical sites, scenic overlooks, and the town of Keosauqua itself, which sits adjacent to the park. Camping, picnicking, and fishing on the Des Moines River round out a park that combines scale, history, and river scenery in a way few other Iowa parks match.