Pikes Peak main parking lot, campground to undergo overhaul
Pikes Peak State Park will soon undergo a major overhaul to improve the main parking lot and campground. While the work is underway, the main entrance will be closed for a period of time. The main parking lot construction timeline should allow the park to be open by mid-summer, but the campground (shown here) will be completely closed this year. (Photo by Audrey Posten)
While the footprint of the Pikes Peak campground is expanding, the number of campsites will remain relatively the same, with more room between camp pads.
Pikes Peak State Park will soon undergo a major overhaul to improve the main parking lot and campground.
Detra Dettmann, the supervisor for state parks in northeast Iowa for the Iowa Department of Natural Resources (DNR), said this project has been in the works for quite some time.
“Initially this project was slated to be done last year,” Dettmann said, “however, due to delays in funding and design, the timeline was pushed back to this year.”
Located three miles south of McGregor, Pikes Peak State Park is one of the most photographed places in Iowa with impressive overlooks allowing visitors breathtaking views 500 feet above the confluence of the Mississippi and Wisconsin rivers. The main parking lot construction timeline should allow the park to be open during the busy autumn leaf viewing season this year.
According to Pikes Peak State Park Manager Matt Tschirgi, work on the parking lot is slated to begin April 11. Pavement will be removed and replaced, keeping the same footprint. Some broken cement in front of the concession stand will also be repaired.
“By Fourth of July weekend, they’re hoping to have it done,” Tschirgi said.
The Pikes Peak campground has one of the highest occupancy rates for state park campgrounds and has an aging electrical system that is overdue for an upgrade. While the footprint of the campground is expanding, the number of campsites will remain relatively the same, with more room between camp pads. Other improvements include roomier camp pads, the addition of multiple water hydrants throughout the campground, pull-through campsites, full hookup campsites and two dump stations.
“The new campground will fix utility problems and create more space,” said Tschirgi.
The campground was built in the 1960s, “and sites were packed in,” he added, “but campers have gotten bigger every year. This will have the same number of sites but with more elbow room.”
Tschirgi is excited the upgrades will also provide the park with several water hydrants instead of just one. Touch-ups to the shower building are in the works, and a new pit toilet will be installed this year or next. Campsites will get new fire rings and picnic tables too.
“Another addition is we’ll be one of the first parks to receive new signs,” Tschirgi mentioned. Signs will be made of aluminum and reflective, and the new look will apply to entrances, directional signs and markers.
While the work in the park is underway, the main entrance will be closed for a period of time.
“We will have signage stating the entrance is closed, as well as information on our webpage,” said Tschirgi. “Once able, we will reopen the parking lot, which will give visitors easy access to the overlook.”
In the meantime, visitors should utilize Homestead and McGregor parking to access Pikes Peak trails.
“We won’t have any modern restrooms, or restrooms at all, until the main parking lot is open,” Tschirgi warned.
For more information and to find out the current status of the closure, go to the Pikes Peak webpage at iowadnr.gov.
Along with the upgrades noted above, Tschirgi said other maintenance projects will continue at Pikes Peak this year. That includes tree planting as well as trail work to fix erosion problems. Runoff from the parking lot has also been eroding ravines, so there are plans to use rip rap from the construction project to build check dams to slow that water down.
