Brushy Creek State Recreation Area

Brushy Creek State Recreation Area
Iowa State Park
Country	United States
State	Iowa
County	Webster

Location	Lehigh
- elevation	1,050 ft (320 m)
- coordinates	42°23′29″N 93°59′3″W / 42.39139°N 93.98417°W / 42.39139; -93.98417Coordinates: 42°23′29″N 93°59′3″W / 42.39139°N 93.98417°W / 42.39139; -93.98417

Area	6,500 acres (2,630.5 ha)

Location of Brushy Creek State Recreation Area in Iowa
Website: Brushy Creek State Recreational Area

Brushy Creek State Recreation Area is a state park in Webster County, Iowa in the United States. With an area encompassing over 6,000 acres (24 km²), the facility is one of Iowa's largest public outdoor recreation areas.

A relatively new recreational area, Brushy Creek did not have an easy beginning. In 1967, the Iowa Department of Natural Resources published a controversial proposal to flood Brushy Creek's forested canyon. The proposal was met with enough public opposition that the idea was debated for the next twenty years. The resultant compromise called for the DNR to protect a sensitive 260-acre (1.1 km²) parcel, construct a smaller lake of 690 acres (2.8 km²), and purchase more land to build equestrian trails (1,750 acres).

Nearby towns

Lehigh is located 5 miles (8.0 km) southwest on county road D45. Duncombe is located 5 miles (8.0 km) north on county road P73. Fort Dodge is located approximately 15 miles (24 km) northwest of Brushy Creek on Hwy 20. Webster City is located approximately 25 miles (40 km) northeast on Hwy 20.

Picnicking and shelters

Brushy Creek offers picnic areas around the park, with tables and fire grills. Two open shelters can be reserved online through the park reservation system.

Equestrian camping

Equestrian users can choose one of two modern camp facilities. The northern equestrian campground has a modern shower and restroom, 125 campsites (50 electrical), horse wash area, ample shade, a substantial hitch rail at every site (users are required to tie animals to rails) and a 100' by 200' arena. Water hydrants with potable water are available, as are picnic tables, grills, and a playground. In the future another shower/toilet building will be constructed.

The south campground has a modern shower and restroom with 62 electric, 22 non-electric sites, and 8 full water and sewer hookup sites with the same amenities as the northern campground. Advance campsite reservations can be reserved online through the park reservation system. Half of the campsites are still available on a first-come, first-serve basis.

Non-equestrian camping

The non-equestrian campground has 47 sites including 39 electric sites, and 8 with full water and sewer hookups. This location makes the campground convenient for those using the nearby boat ramp and beach, and is also available for picnicking. Half of these campsites can be reserved online through the park reservation system, and the rest are available on a first come/first serve basis.

Equestrian day use staging area

There is a day-use staging area near both equestrian campgrounds that users are free to use at no charge for the day. Facilities include seasonal restrooms. Additional staging areas are being developed in the southern area.

Lake activities

Fishing is a popular activity at Brushy Creek. The creek and Des Moines River provide a challenge to the angler with smallmouth bass and panfish as favorite catches. Several boat ramps and fishing jetties are located around the 690-acre (2.8 km²) lake. A fishing pier is located on the west side of the lake, north of the beach area. There are fishing tournaments occurring almost every weekend out on the lake.

Swimming is allowed in the designated beach area only. A large sandy beach is located on the west side of the lake.

Trails

With approximately 45 miles (72 km) of multi-use trails, allowable trail activities include horseback riding, hiking, snowmobiling, cross country skiing, and mountain biking. Mountain biking is allowed on all multiple use trails. A map of these trails is on display at the information kiosks located in the equestrian campgrounds.

Hunting

Hunting is also a popular activity at Brushy Creek. Hunters can pursue a variety of game species ranging from pheasants, quail, rabbits and squirrels to white-tailed deer and wild turkeys. A number of designated parking areas are located throughout Brushy Creek to provide convenient access for the hunter.

Shooting range

Two ranges are located at the Brushy Creek State Recreational Area. One is south of the park office approximately 1/2 mile north of County Rd. D-46. The other is a trap range located in the northern section of the park.

External links

Brushy Creek State Recreational Area

Protected areas of Iowa

Federal

National Monument	Effigy Mounds

National Historic Site	Herbert Hoover

National Wildlife Refuges	DeSoto Driftless Area Neal Smith Northern Tallgrass Prairie Port Louisa Union Slough Upper Mississippi River

State

State Parks	Ambrose A. Call Backbone Badger Creek Banner Lakes at Summerset Beed's Lake Bellevue Big Creek Black Hawk Brushy Creek Cedar Rock Clear Lake Dolliver Memorial Elk Rock Elinor Bedell Emerson Bay Fairport Fort Defiance Geode George Wyth Memorial Green Valley Gull Point Honey Creek Lacey-Keosauqua Lake Ahquabi Lake Anita Lake Darling Lake Keomah Lake MacBride Lake Manawa Lake of Three Fires Lake Wapello Ledges Lewis and Clark Maquoketa Caves Marble Beach McIntosh Woods Mines of Spain & E.B. Lyons Mini-Wakan Nine Eagles Okamanpedan Palisades-Kepler Pikes Peak Pikes Point Pilot Knob Pine Lake Pleasant Creek Prairie Rose Preparation Canyon Red Haw Rice Lake Rock Creek Springbrook Stone Templar Trapper's Bay Twin Lakes Union Grove Viking Lake Volga River Walnut Woods Wapsipinicon Waubonsie Wildcat Den Wilson Island

State Forests	Backbone Barkley Gifford Holst Loess Hills Pilot Mound Shimek Stephens White Pine Hollow Yellow River

State Preserves	A.F. Miller Ames High Prairie Anderson Prairie Behrens Pond and Woodlands Berry Woods Bird Hill Bixby Bluffton Fir Stand Brush Creek Canyon Brushy Creek Cameron Woods Casey's Paha Catfish Creek Cayler Prairie Cedar Bluffs Cedar Hills Sand Prairie Cheever Lake Clay Prairie Claybanks Forest Cold Water Spring Crossman Prairie Decorah Ice Cave Dinesen Prairie Doolittle Prairie Fallen Rock Fish Farm Mounds Five Ridge Prairie Fleming Woods Fort Atkinson Freda Haffner Kettlehole Gitchie Manitou Hanging Bog Hardin City Woodland Hartley Fort Hayden Prairie Hoffman Prairie Indian Bluffs Primitive Area Indian Fish Trap Iowa's State Preserves System Kalsow Kish-Ke-Kosh Prairie Lamson Woods Liska-Stanek Prairie Little Maquoketa Malanaphy Springs Malchow Mounds Manikowski Prairie Mann Wilderness Area Marietta Sand Prairie Mericle Woods Merrill A. Stainbrook Merritt Forest Montauk Mossy Glen Mount Pisgah Cemetery Mount Talbot Nestor Stiles Prairie Ocheyedan Mound Old State Quarry Palisades-Downs Pecan Grove Pellett Woods Pilot Grove Pilot Knob Retz Woods Roberts Creek Rock Creek Island Rock Island Roggman Boreal Slopes Rolling Thunder Prairie Saint James Lutheran Church Savage Woods Searryl's Cave Sheeder Prairie Silver Lake Fen Silvers-Smith Woods Slinde Mounds Starr's Cave Steele Prairie Stinson Prairie Strasser Woods Sylvan Runkel Toolesboro Mounds Turin Loess Hills Turkey River Mounds White Pine Hollow Williams Prairie Wittrock Indian Village Woodland Mounds Woodman Hollow Woodthrush

County

State Parks (Leased)	Bobwhite Cold Springs Crystal Lake Eagle Lake Echo Valley Frank A. Gotch Heery Woods Lake Cornelia Lake Icaria Kearny Margo Frankel Mill Creek Oak Grove Oakland Mills Pammel Sharon Bluffs Spring Lake Swan Lake Three Mile Lake

Iowa Department of Natural Resources