The best family-friendly hikes and walks in Winneshiek County

Quite a neat waterfall, interesting to have a staircase to be able to climb to the top of it and see where the spring comes out of the rock.

Neat cave, on a mid 70's degree day the air coming out of here was probably in the 30's. I didn't bring my flashlight or my microspikes, but sometime I would love to come back and go deeper in.

The water that feeds Dunning Spring comes from near the base of the Galena Aquifer. Beneath this aquifer is the much less permeable Decorah Shale, which acts as a "confining bed" or "floor" for the aquifer. When the Decorah Shale is exposed near the surface of the land, particularly on the sides of river valleys, it causes groundwater to discharge. This process creates beautiful waterfalls and springs, such as Dunning Spring.

About 465 to 470 million years ago, a meteorite struck near present-day Decorah, Iowa, creating a 3.5-mile (5.6 km) wide impact crater buried beneath the city's surface. Although this highlight is named “Decorah Impact Crater Marker”, at the time of my most recent hike to this highlight, on August 2, 2025, there was no marker or monument nearby. However, there is a large bronze medallion set in concrete marking the precise meteorite impact site located about 0.2 miles west-southwest of this highlight.. The marker can be found at GPS coordinates 43.31580, -91.77474. I have made this location a komoot highlight as well. The bottom of the impact crater now lies about 300 feet below the marker due to geological changes that have occurred over the millennia following the meteorite strike. The crater and its discovery are significant because it is one of fewer than 200 recognized impact structures on Earth. It has preserved a unique fossil record of ancient life, including the nearly 6-foot sea scorpion known as Pentecopterus decorahensis.

Beautiful park with lots of shade

Amenities & Points of Interest: fresh water spring, 8 acres tall prairie grass, trails for hiking, mountain biking, horseback riding, cross-country skiing, and snowshoeing (this is a natural wildlife area which is not developed for picnicking and camping) https://parks.decorahia.org/decorah-parks

Park in the gravel lot just south of the entrance to Dunning’s Spring Park and next to the Upper Iowa River. The trailhead is just east of where you park (to your left if you are facing the river). This is an out and back soft trail that is just over 2 miles round trip. https://visitdecorah.com/trail/river-trail/

Park in the gravel area just south of the entrance to Dunning’s Spring Park. Walk to the waterfall and be sure to take time to walk across the stone bridge and climb the steps to view the source of Dunning’s Spring. To the right of the stone bridge is a steep trail leading up to a series of trails above Ice Cave Road. Dunning Springs is the site of a beautiful waterfall surrounded by limestone cliffs. The park features a walking path, scenic overlook, and bridge crafted by local stone mason, Ted Wilson. The trails throughout Dunning Springs and Ice Cave Park are numerous. Due to their complexity and technical difficulty, not all the trails are marked on printed maps. Talk to experts at the local bike shops about navigating this system. https://visitdecorah.com/trail/dunnings-spring-park/