If you’re a Council Bluffs local, lift up your sunglasses and get to booking your summer staycation!
Our beautiful City by The Bluffs is turning heads in sustainable tourism and outdoor adventure, and you definitely don’t want to be the last to be in the know!
Keep reading to get all the details on Council Bluffs Agritourism, Pottawattamie County Conservation revitalization projects, new-to-you summer cabins, and a privately-owned Loess Hills hiking trail being monitored by the Nature Conservancy.
Pottawattamie County Ski Cabins Make the Perfect Summer Staycay
Likely you’ve heard the buzz about Pottawattamie County Conservation taking over the slopes at Mt Crescent Ski Area. And their incredible revitalization efforts are off to a roaring success! With less than a year in their palms, the slopes saw more snow, a longer season, and perhaps greater success than ever before.
But the fun isn’t over when the snow is gone. Visitors can now rent a ski cabin throughout the summer! The Crescent Ridge Cabin at Hitchcock Nature Center sits at the base of the Mt Crescent Ski Area. It’s a modern, sprawling 3 bedroom/3 bath cabin that sleeps 13 people and features full house amenities, including a huge, flatscreen TV, new kitchen appliances, a large porch and backyard with a fire pit, garage parking, a barbecue grill, and a gazebo. And the views just might be the best in Iowa! Rent it by the night, weekend, or week all year long.
Additionally, plans are underway to expand the hiking trail networks between the Mt Crescent Ski Area and the Hitchcock Nature Center. You could make history, and be among the first to forge a path along the new trails.
A Pottawattamie County Century Farm & A Viral Goat Yoga Trend
Goats and yoga in the same phrase? It’s not a misnomer, but is actually a viral trend with a heartbeat right here in CB!
What is goat yoga?
Goat Yoga is a viral trend resulting from an inspiring story that started almost seven years ago on an Oregon farm, with a special goat lady seeking practical stress relief. When she combined yoga with her love for baby goats, the whole word took note and the charming scenes have been replicated the world over.
Goat Yoga in Pottawattamie County
Now there are over 500 registered businesses globally offering goat yoga, including our very own Honey Creek Creamery in Council Bluffs. Goat Yoga sessions at the 5th generation family farm are exclusively offered during the spring season when the goats are babies. Sessions have now ended for 2023, but stay tuned for alternative goat-themed summer events coming soon, like ‘goat hikes.’ You might even get the chance to have goat milk gelato despite it recently being retired from the farm shop.
Wondering what’s so sustainable about goat yoga? It’s a form of sustainable tourism known as agritourism (agriculture tourism). It’s a branch of travel that supports local farms through tourism highlights - extra points if the farm is actually following sustainability principles like Honey Creek Creamery is!
Folsom Point is a Council Bluffs Outdoor Adventure Paradise
Perhaps one of Iowa’s most remarkable conservation stories, was born right here in Council Bluffs not that long ago. But the legends of local adventurers making it here are surprisingly few. Somehow the relevance of the Folsom Point Preserve has been missed, or hidden, or under noted. But, add it to your list this summer, for once you’ve seen it, this is a place you’ll want to tell your grandkids about someday!
What is Folsom Point?
Folsom Point is both a preserve and a trail, located about 10 miles south of Council Bluffs on Hwy 29, just east of Lake Manawa.
The nearly 300 acres were jointly purchased by the Iowa Natural Heritage Foundation and the Nature Conservancy (a global environmental charity) in 2017.
Together, the two make up the largest private conservation organizations in Iowa, and together they are ensuring that this exquisite space noted as the ‘largest remaining contiguous prairie remnants in the southern Loess Hills’ is protected.
Hiking at Folsom Point in Council Bluffs
Currently, Folsom Point is an unmanned preserve, meaning there is no visitor’s center, bathroom facilities, running water, weather shelters, camping, or rangers on site.
It’s a wild and rugged place where it’s critically important to know your limitations. Sign in at the guest log at the Folsom Point trailhead, and let someone know where you are. Carry drinking water, tick repellent, and sunscreen. Do not attempt this trail when inclement weather is imminent. Please do not start fires or camp here. Carry your trash out with you.
The official Folsom Point Trail is a 2-mile loop through well-defined, dirt prairie paths with significant elevation gains.
About Family Travel Nomads
In May, the Council Bluffs Convention & Visitors Bureau invited Family Travel Nomads to visit Council Bluffs and Pottawattamie County to explore the Loess Hills during the spring season. This blog was written and provided by them after their visit. They run an awesome Instagram page where their goal is to teach families how to plan sustainable travel in both rural and urban areas! Check them out by clicking here.
