Golden Oyster, Skullcap and Pleistocene Snail: Those are the names of some of Iowa’s intriguing flora and fauna. And now, those names mark three new rock climbing routes at a crag in eastern Iowa, outside Maquoketa.
While standing below a sun-dappled bluff, which rises 60 feet from the meadow and runs 150 yards behind a screen of trees, climber Jamie Day was caught in a moment of wonder.
“Nobody would know that Iowa has this super unique landscape, and it's really cool,” he said. “It's why we named a lot of the routes after Iowa plants and animals: to shed light on how unique and special this place is.”
The place Day referred to is a dolostone cliff at the Prairie Creek Recreation Area, a 273-acre park maintained by Jackson County Conservation. On a typical day, it might host a round of disc golf or a picnic.
But beginning this summer, the park offers a new activity: rock climbing.
Jake DeGroat is president of the Iowa Climbers Coalition, a nonprofit that promotes access to the sport. Last year, he and fellow climbers began scouting new climbing areas. A chance encounter with a Jackson County ranger led them to Prairie Creek.
“We walked the park with him, and we turned the corner and we were like, ‘Oh my gosh, what the heck?’” DeGroat said. “We saw this huge bluff line of beautiful rock and perfect landings. And he was like, ‘Yeah, we've got this thing. What do you think?’ We were like, ‘This is awesome. We would love to develop it.’”
Developing a climbing area
The coalition embarked on a monthslong process to secure approvals from Jackson County and the Iowa Department of Natural Resources. It was the first time the organization had taken on such a project.
“If you had told me seven years ago, when I started climbing, that I would be developing areas like this — it wasn't something that was on my radar,” said Iowa Climbers Coalition Vice President Jake DeVolder.
Securing the approvals required they dispel what DeVolder called “an enigma around climbing in Iowa.”
“A lot of the process was helping people understand the legitimacy of the sport, and that it's growing and it's really cool, while simultaneously being very safe,” he said.
They received permission to install climbs this spring. DeGroat and DeVolder took time off work and camped at Prairie Creek. They spent two weeks scaling the cliff and drilling bolts into the rock.
“It’s pretty laborious,” DeVolder said. “You're hanging in a rope all day. Your harness gets uncomfortable; your legs go numb sometimes. You're blowing dirt out some of these pockets and it gets all over you.”
During an informal opening of the site on June 13, a few dozen dedicated climbers traveled from across eastern Iowa to break in the new routes. DeGroat said the day marked a culmination.
“We’ve been trying to get more climbing areas developed because we know there’s so much great rock out there in Iowa that’s not developed," DeGroat said. "It feels like what we’ve been working on for so long and it’s finally happening."
Jackson County's unique geology
DeGroat estimates the new site is the first climbing area of that scale to open in Iowa in more than a decade. That’s not for lack of potential spots, even in a state better known for cornfields than cliffs. A portion of the state’s northeast has a geology well-suited to the sport.
Most outdoor climbing areas in Iowa are clustered along the Maquoketa River corridor.
Over eons, the river and its side streams carved deep grooves through the bedrock. Along portions of the river, eastern Iowa’s limestone bedrock transitions into dolostone, which contains magnesium.
“That makes it a little bit harder,” said Chad Heinzel, a geology professor at the University of Northern Iowa. “For climbers, that's going to be a good thing, because limestone is pretty soft and the bolts will pop out pretty quickly. In dolostone, they hold better.”
In terms of Iowa climbing, Prairie Creek “is probably about as good as it gets,” Heinzel said.
Climbing in Iowa
Back at the new crag, the mid-June day highlighted what makes the sport unique in Iowa.
“The community is what sets us apart” Day said. “I can name — first name and last name — every single person at this crag. A lot of them, I know their stories, too.”
Day, who is a physical education instructor in Iowa City, said there's room for that community to grow.
“I will absolutely be bringing kids out here, making youth feel comfortable in these spaces and showing them that they can recreate in the outdoors,” he said.
The Iowa Climbers Coalition plans to add routes on a second cliff in Prairie Creek. It's also working through the approval process to develop climbs at Backbone State Park.
