In April, my dad and I drove up to Grinnell, Iowa to visit my brother. He currently teaches political science at Grinnell College. We decided to check out the Jacob Krumm Nature Preserve which is just south of Grinnell. There is actually two areas of this nature preserve separated by a short drive or the trails actually connect the two.

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We first went to the main parking lot and began our hike from there. The trail starts out by crossing a levee and then T’s. We went to the left which led us on a trail through the prairie. This place was not very busy so it was very peaceful.

We made our way back to the Observation Tower and then hiked to the east to make a loop back to the parking lot. While hiking back, in the distance, we could even see the busy I-80, but it felt like we were miles from anything.

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If we would have went to the west, this trail leads to the second area of the nature preserve with the lake.

So who is Jacob Krumm you might ask? He was a bachelor who passed away in 1976. The land that the nature preserve sits on today was once his thriving farm, but he gifted the land to the Jasper County Conservation Board upon his death so that everyone could enjoy his land.

I highly recommend taking a hike at this nature preserve if you are in the area, visiting or attending Grinnell College or traveling along Interstate 80. There is no fee and dogs are welcome!

Thanks to my dad and brother for joining me on this hike!