Ledges State Park is located in Madrid, Iowa. It’s a 30-minute car drive north of Des Moines. According to Iowa DNR, Ledges is one of Iowa’s most historic and unique hiking destinations. I went in late June right after a rainstorm. It was relatively secluded and sometimes I felt like I had the place to myself.
Right when you get to Ledges State Park there is a campsite to your right. I would recommend stopping there to start. Here is where I found a map of the park and I was able to get ready for the hike. I parked by the Oak Woods Shelter right next to a bridge to start the hike. I used a combination of the paper map along with AllTrails app. TIP: I would suggest downloading the trails prior to getting there. It doesn’t drain your battery and you don’t know when you won’t have service.
My Hiking Route – Ledges State Park
For the hike, I did Canyon Road and Table Top Loop from Canyon Road. (If you search on AllTrails app.) I thought this was the best trail because it connected to all the other trails. You don’t need to have the map with you because everything is labeled well. I was on a time crunch so I left the app up the whole time.
I started by the Oak Woods Shelter and then stopped by Inspiration Point. It was really pretty, but I was honestly expecting more. At Inspiration Point you have options for your hike, you can go up and around on Old Indian Trail or down around through Hog’s Back Trail. Personally, I don’t think it matters which way because you can connect to the other later. I followed the trail Old Indian Trail. It’s a 1-mile trail and the level of difficulty is hard. According to the paper map I had, it’s an estimated 24 minutes. I don’t keep track of how long it takes me because I stop a lot to take pictures or journal or grab water.
Crow’s Nest Trail at Ledges State Park
This was probably the toughest trail that I have ever done. Granted I am new to hiking but it was tough. There are a lot of stairs and the steps are big. I also have long legs and I thought some of the steps had too much space. It was a tough trail. I got to the Crow’s Nest. I stopped here a journaled for a little bit. These past few months a lot of things have come up for me. I’m in the process of healing myself. Journalling here was amazing because there wasn’t anyone around and It was quiet and peaceful.
I packed up my stuff and started next part of the trail. There is a shortcut if you want after Crow’s Nest that will connect you to Reindeer Ridge Trail. One thing I like about Ledges State Park was there were bathrooms all around. So you didn’t have to go too far just in case.
Reindeer Ridge Trail
This trail is .66 mile with a hard level of difficulty. The reason this is hard in my opinion was because of the stairs and the ascend up. It’s pretty steep. This trail connects you to 2 points of interest – Table Rock and Council Ring. Table Rock was my favorite, but Council Ring has a lot of shade. Both of these are close to each out which is perfect because you’ll need the break. At least I did.
Hog’s Back Trail
From Council Ring you’ll connect to Hog’s Back Trail which is labeled as hard, but I thought after everything else it was pretty easy. There is also a nice path that the other trails don’t have.
Overall
This was a great few hours at Ledges State Park. You can easily spend the whole day there. There are plenty of water spots throughout for cooling down or hanging out. Ledges State Park has low-watered-covered roads. There were so many kids near the road wanting to get slashed. On my way back from taking some pictures of the CCC Stone Bridge I had to cross one of the waterways. There were some girls on one side, and these 2 older guys asked if the girls wanted to be splashed. The guys sped through the water and got the girls drenched.
Driving Option
There is Canyon Drive which is a beautiful scenic drive with plenty of pull-off spots if you want a quick picture. I drove around the loop before I headed back home.
What to Bring
I would recommend a backpack. I have one specific for hiking that has a water pouch. I didn’t bring it on this trip, but I wish I did. I used my regular JanSport backpack that I should all the time. In the bag, I had my water, journal, and book. I wish I brought snacks because I was a little hungry towards the end.
