The Midwest's Tallest Observation Tower is Located in Iowa

It's no secret that getting out and exploring our natural world is kind of my thing. This weekend a trip to visit the in-laws led to an exciting climb up the world's tallest and longest continuous fiberglass staircase, on the tallest observation tower in the Midwest. By the way, that's all found in Iowa in a beautiful location.

Credit: Tom Drake
The Cordova Park Observation Tower.

For those of you who are curious, my day was spent in Cordova Park, which is located in Otley, Iowa. Now this massive tower I got to climb is next to the beautiful, huge, Lake Red Rock. It's this awesome 1100-acre area with a rich history dating back to the late 1800s when it was the bustling little town of Cordova. Now, it's a year-round hotspot for travelers looking for the best view around.

They've got seven modern cabins you can rent, all with killer views of Lake Red Rock. But the real gem? That's the 106-foot observation tower that used to be the old Cordova town water tower.

Credit: Tom Drake
At the top of the Cordova Park Observation Tower.

In 1998, they transformed it into this epic public attraction. It's got 169 steps to the top, and from there, you can see landmarks up to 35 miles away on clear days! That's right, you can see several surrounding towns from the top, including Knoxville, Pella, Otley, Monroe, and even the Principal Building in Des Moines.

Credit: Tom Drake
A view from the top of the Midwest's tallest observation tower. By the way, that's the aptly named "mile long bridge" in the background. It's 5,653 feet and is one of the longest in the state of Iowa.

The tower's a feat of engineering, made with super-strong fiberglass components so it's durable and low-maintenance. Speaking of which, the tower's height and use of fiberglass make it the tallest and longest continuous fiberglass staircase in the world. You read that right... THE WORLD!

Credit: Tom Drake
Originally it cost a quarter to climb up the tower. However, when we visited it was open to climb.

Construction wrapped up in 1998, and now the Cordova Park Public Observation Tower is the tallest in the Midwest. From the viewing platform, which sits at 106 feet, you can soak in breathtaking views of the Des Moines River Valley.

Credit: Tom Drake / All Trails
We did plenty of extra exploring, but this hike should average around an hour total if you do everything on the map we did.

The hiking there is easy and enjoyable too. The small, just over-a-mile loop allows you to enjoy nature's beauty as well.

Credit: Tom Drake
Here's a view of the Cordova Park Observation Tower from the other side of the park's trail system.

During the hike, Chorus Frogs sang out loud and proud, especially at this time of the year and it would be deafening if it wasn't such a wonderful sound to this country boy.

Even better, when visiting the water's edge of Lake Red Rock, we were able to catch (and release safely) 3 of the cute little forest singers.

Credit: Tom Drake
You got to be gentle with these little guys. Kind of cute though, right?

Additionally, during our family hike we saw a huge bees nest and saw a breeding pair of Bald Eagles.

Credit: Tom Drake
A pair of Bald Eagles overlooking Lake Red Rock.

The female eagle finally took up residence in her nest as our hiking party neared the massive sycamore tree her nest was residing in.

Credit: Tom Drake
Here she is right before hoping into the nest.

The hike was fairly easy and enjoyable overall, with a couple of bridges to cross.

Credit: Tom Drake
My hiking buddy was very adventurous during our outing.

I would highly recommend a trip to Otley just to experience the climb and view of Iowa's, and the Midwest's, tallest observation tower at Cordova Park.

Credit: Tom Drake
We walked the whole Karr Nature Trail at Cordova Park.