The Loess Hills State Forestis located in Western Iowa with the majority of it sitting in Harrison and Monona Counties, and a small portion in Pottawattamie County.  The State of Iowa began acquiring land for the Loess Hills State Forest in the 1990's and today it has grown to over 11,600 acres, with another 8000 acres of acquisition planned in coming years. 

The majority of the forest is located on the western edge of the Loess Hills which are more rugged with radical elevation changes.  The reason for this is because when the loess was initially lifted from the Missouri River Valley and transported east by prevailing winds the largest particles of Loess were deposited on the western edge of the hills.  At one time there was only a solid mass of loess, but over the years rains have eroded the hills to their beautiful contours today, creating the peaks and valleys you see.  You'll notice if you study the hills closely using aerial photography that water flowing through the Loess has cut river valleys westward toward the Missouri River Valley. 

The forest itself is somewhat unnatural, and if you were to look at aerial photos from the 1930's only small spots of timber existed back then.  Today 80 years later much of the hills are covered in hardwood forests.  This is due to the fact that as humans settled in the hills and implemented farming in the areas they also controlled the fires that onces inhibited the growth of trees in the hills.  When trees were allowed to grow you see the result of that today in beautiful, wildlife filled forests of western Iowa.

The Loess Hills State Forest consists of 4 different units including

Little Sioux Unit -At last count the Little Sioux Unit which lies directly east of Little Sioux Iowa and west of Pisgah consisted of over 4000 acres.  The Little Sioux Unit offers great hiking opportunities and in the Northwest corner of this unit you will find Murray Hill, well known for its hike to the top and view of the Missouri River Valley.  Its hard to find a better view of the valley than from this location where you can see many miles over into Nebraska.  The Little Sioux Unit has some exceptional deer hunting and ranks second in popularity for deer hunting, second to the Preparation Canyon Unit.  Hunting this unit is fairly easy with several access roads into it including Fulton Avenue, 138th and 143rd Streets.  While deer hunting off of Fulton is popular, it can be difficult during wet times as this road is a dirt road and inaccessible while wet.  In fact, if it begins raining while you are hunting, you may be walking out as the road can quickly become impassable.

Pisgah Unit -The Pisgah Unit is located east of Pisgah, as well as Northeast and Southeast of Pisgah.  A large continious tract of timber Southeast of Pisgah remains one of the largest continuous pieces.  Access to this tract of timber can be difficult during wet times as the road on the east side, Kelsey Avenue is a dirt road, mud when its wet.  The Pisgah Unit is closing in on 3500 acres with additional land acquisitions planned for this unit.  The Pisgah Unit is a popular deer hunting location for bow hunters.  This unit is located farther east of the western edge of the hills and the elevation changes are not as extreme as some of the western faces are. 

Mondamin Unit -The Mondamin Unit of the forest is over 1000 acres of mostly timber and croplands.  This unit lies Northeast of Mondamin between Hillside Avenue and Loess Hills Trail and is somewhat triangle shaped with no roads running through it.  Access from the west side is easy with several parking lots, however access from Hillside Avenue is only possible from one parking lot on the Northeast corner of the park.  To access other locations from the east you must have permission from private landowners which has been difficult to get.  The Mondamin Unit is better known for its excellent turkey hunting, while deer hunting the unit is somewhat difficult due to the long walking distances and access issues on the east side of the unit.   The farm we live on borders the Mondamin Unit on Hillside Avenue.

Preparation Canyon Unit-Southwest of Moorhead Iowa in Monona County is the Preparation Canyon Unit and the Preparation Canyon State Park.  Often referred to in the area as Prep Canyon for short this unit consists of nearly 5000 acres of Loess Hills forest and grasslands and is one of the most scenic and virgin parts of the state forest.  The Prep Canyon State Park is a separate 340 acre park that offers hiking, overlooks, primitive camping and picnic areas.  The park has been developed for recreation and viewing of other parts of the forest.  West of the entrance of Prep Canyon State Park is a very nice overlook called Mann Hollow which offers a nice place to sit and gaze out at all of the wonder of the hills.  From this location you can also see the Missouri River Valley.  The Preparation Canyon unit is well know for deer hunting and can become a bit crowded during the rut.  If you are looking for a place to hunt the rut far away from others this may not be the best choice as you'll find you'll have plenty of company and competition for better locations.  Often you'll also find other hunters walking into you while you are hunting.  I've even found other hunters in my stands when I arrived to hunt.  There is a reason for its popularity as this unit produces trophy class deer and it is attached to 1800 acres of the most dense timber of the Little Sioux Boy Scout camp that has always acted as a sanctuary for mature bucks that have a tendency to wander during the rut. 

For maps of specific units take a look at the Iowa Department of Natural Resources website.

While many public hunting opportunities exist in western Iowa, there also exists the possibility of owning your own hunting land in the Loess Hills as well.  Owning your own piece of the Loess Hills is probably easier than you think, and at Whitetail Trophy Properties we understand your desire to own land.  Teaching new land owners about acquiring and managing land for their specific purpose is one of the greatest reward in my career.  Getting to stomp around new farms and hunting properties every day isn't bad either!  Best of luck in the field and if you are coming to the Loess Hills to do some hunting make sure you drop me a line if you have any questions.