2023-08-20: Hawkeye Point

Hawkeye Point, elevation 1670'. Iowa highpoint, U.S. State Highpoints 29/50.

I was on the third day of my week-long solo road trip through the Midwest, and at long last, I had finally reached the Midwest. I had left Timms Hill, the Wisconsin highpoint, late that morning, and after a short hike on some bluffs along the Mississippi River, I continued driving west and soon found myself in flatlands.

I go to college in Florida, so flat unfortunately isn't that unusual to me, but the plains are a different type of flat. For most of Minnesota, there's not much but wide open fields, lined by trees and occasionally interspersed with bits of forest. The land around I-90, while largely empty, was the first place where I had consistent cell service since I had left home, so I used the drive westward to talk to Audrey and my parents and update them on my trip.

This day's schedule was somewhat packed, and I was a little worried about making it to Hawkeye Point on time. Google Maps, and my very tentative handwritten plan, indicated that I should arrive at the highpoint just barely before sunset. While I had saved some time by camping at Mount Arvon the previous night instead of an originally envisioned, more easterly site, I was still cutting it close enough that one car accident, thunderstorm, or overzealous police officer could make or break my plans.

Thankfully, none of those were an issue. It was still light out when I pulled off the interstate and drove south on some backroads, soon crossing into Iowa, my first time in the state. While the highpoint is by no means noticeable in its own right, with negligible prominence, the state - and local landowners - have decided to make quite a big deal about it, and it wasn't hard to find.

A raised mosaic at the 'summit' points out the highpoint's location in a map of Iowa.

A tombstone-like plaque forms part of the point's pomp.

A view of the summit area.

Hawkeye Point is surrounded on every side by soybean fields that seem no lower than itself. The summit, however, is highly decorated, featuring a flagpole, tile mosaic, benches, register, and signs pointing to the other 49 state highpoints. A display contains license plates from all 50 states. A nearby silo serves as an observation deck, with an elevated porch built around it. A barn on the property contains a museum of local history, complete with centuries of farming equipment, artifacts, and antiques. Information stations around the area tell stories of the site, from its development as a tourist attraction all the way back to its origins as an infilled swamp in the 1800s.

License plates on display. Some are distinctly mountain-themed and most are very old.

Soybean fields surrounding the highpoint. This area is quite representative of Iowa's notorious flatness.

The indoor part of the summit museum, with the observation deck visible in the background.

I found it very interesting how excited Iowa seems to be about its highpoint, especially given the site's relative unrembarkableness. Even as somebody who's probably a level of obsessed with highpoints, it seemed odd and very out-of-the-ordinary for such a spot to be  so elevated (pun intended) in importance. I suppose it works as a way of bringing tourism and attention to an otherwise very rural area, and there were several other groups that came and went in my ~20ish minutes at the summit.

One of the signposts directing to other highpoints.

Flat Iowan fields on a humid August evening.

I stopped to use the bathroom at a park campground across the road. This was part of the highpoint complex, and made me feel a little sad, since it was very nice and clearly cost a lot of money, but it didn't seem to see much use. It didn't seem like the sort of place someone would want to camp at, and smelled strongly of manure. It may have just been that day that it stunk though.

As night fast approached, I headed back towards the interstate, another day and three more highpoints under my belt. I made good time getting to my hotel room that night in Mitchell, South Dakota (yet another state I had never been to before), where I took a much-needed shower and got to sleep in a bed for the first time in awhile.