Hickory Hills Park
Hickory Hills Park is a unique area both in terms of its natural beauty and strategic location. The park’s 723 acres include one of the area’s unusual geologic features: a paha. Paha is a Native American word meaning high ground. The diverse topography of the area is characteristic of a paha. Casey's Paha was dedicated as a State Preserve in 1989. Although established in Tama County in 1969, Black Hawk County Conservation owns and manages the area. A Park Ranger is in residence year-round.
The park offers many leisure and recreational opportunities including camping, basketball, picnicking, sand volleyball, disc golf, hiking, fishing, cross-country skiing, sledding, and ice skating. Snowmobiles are not allowed. Several miles of hiking trails offer park users a chance to witness nature’s endless variety. The 39 acre Casey Lake, nestled between scenic forested slopes, is one of Northeast Iowa's premiere largemouth bass hot spots.
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!NOTICE! - HICKORY HILLS PARK IMPROVEMENTS
Black Hawk County Conservation is working on two exciting
park improvement projects for Hickory Hills Park. A new wastewater treatment
facility and Casey Lake Renovations.
We are working with engineers to secure our construction
permit for replacement of the Hickory Hills Park sewage lagoon. The new septic
tank and absorption mound will utilize the same general area as the current
lagoon. Park users can expect construction to begin in 2022 with completion
fall of 2022 or spring of 2023.
Additionally, we have partnered with the Iowa Department of
Natural Resources to improve the water quality of Casey Lake in Hickory Hills
Park. Engineers are working to access the lake and the surrounding watershed to
determine necessary project elements. Park users should expect to see work
begin on the Casey Lake watershed project elements in 2022. A later phase of
this project will include drawdown of Casey Lake and sediment removal. This project
is a phased project and will occur across several years. The anticipated
project timeframe is 2022 – 2025.
If you are looking to reserve cabins, shelters, campsites,
or the Lakeview Lodge, please consider that during your reservation period, the
normal quiet, scenic Hickory Hills Park may be interrupted with ongoing
construction work including, operation of construction vehicles and disturbed
areas of the park including the eventual drawdown and excavation of Casey
Lake. Reservations placed after the
posting of this notice will not be refunded for reasons associated with any of
the said construction occurrences.
Location
Twelve miles south of Waterloo, off county road V37. Six miles north of Dysart. Signs will direct off I-380/27.
Operating Hours & Seasons
Contact Us:
Hickory Hills Park3338 Hickory Hills Road
LaPorte City, IA 50651
(319) 342-3350
conservation@blackhawkcounty.iowa.gov
Hickory Hills Park is open year round. Operating hours are 6:00am to 10:30pm.
The campground closes on November 1st and will reopen when weather permits in the spring.
