Stone State Park

Stone State Park is a state park of Iowa, USA, located in the bluffs and ravines adjacent to the Big Sioux River. The park consists of 1,069 acres in Woodbury and Plymouth Counties near Sioux City, and overlooks the South Dakota-Iowa border. Stone Park is near the northernmost extent of the Loess Hills, and is at the transition from clay bluffs and prairie to sedimentary rock hills and bur oak forest along the Iowa side of the Big Sioux River. A variety of prairie plants can be found on the steep slopes and ridges, including yucca, penstemon, rough blazing star, silky aster, and pasque flower. Wild turkey, white-tailed deer, coyote, and red fox are found in the park. Birdlife includes the turkey vulture, barred owl, rufous-sided towhee, and the ovenbird. Exposed bedrock in the park is composed of lignite, shale, sandstone, and limestone, and dates to the Cretaceous period; it is rich in marine fossils. The park contains many miles of hiking and equestrian trails, and is a popular destination for day visitors, overnight campers, mountain bike enthusiasts, and picnickers.

The northern part of Stone State Park extending from Woodbury County into Plymouth County is the 90-acre Mount Talbot State Preserve. The property, which includes that of the state park, was acquired by Daniel Talbot in 1885. The high grassy ridge where his farm was located became known as Mount Talbot. Biological surveys by The Nature Conservancy and the Iowa Department of Natural Resources were conducted in the 1980s and this section of Stone State Park was dedicated as a biological state preserve in 1989. It contains about 35 acres of prairie on narrow ridge tops that are adjacent to oak woodlands that are located in deep ravines. It features over 75 native plants and 42 species of butterflies.

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