Current Local Ideas for Camping and Hiking

 Red Cedar District and Hawkeye Area Council had a double whammy of adding a derecho on top of the COIVD-19 restrictions. 66% of area trees were damaged at curbside, on personal home and business property, and in parks and campgrounds.

   Red Cedar Trails and Campgrounds – October 2020
The following Marion parks have reopened to the public:
·       Gill Park
·       Lowe Park
·       Thomas Park
·       Butterfield Park
·       Waldo’s Rock Park
·       Taube Park
·       Ascension Park
·       Donnelly Park
Except for the trails through Lowe Park, all Marion trails remain closed for storm clean-up.

The following Cedar Rapids parks & trails have reopened to the public:

SW/SE Quadrant
·       Cheyenne Dog Park
·       Hidder
·       Redmond
·       Hoover
·       Huston
·       Poets Park
·       Wellington
·       Prairie Park Fishery
NW/SW Quadrant
·       Manhattan (Robbins Lake)  
·       Cleveland
·       Delaney
·       Ellis Harbor
·       Wilderness Estates
·       10th Square
·       Reed
·       Jackson 
NE Quadrant
·       Noelridge (Trail Closed)  
·       K9 Acres Dog Park
·       Huntington Ridge
·       Artists Memorial
·       Fox Trail
·       Twin Pines
·       Nixon
Urban Core
·       McGrath Amphitheatre
·       Sunner Memorial
·       Hayes
·       Mays Island
·       Greene Square
Trails
·       Cedar Lake Loop
·       Cedar Valley Nature Trail  
·       CEMAR Trail
·       Lindale Trail
·       Prairie Park Fishery Loop
·       Wilderness Estates Loop

   Linn County Campgrounds continue to be open with additional sanitation and safety protocols.
·       Buffalo Creek Park
·       Morgan Creek Park
·       Pinicon Ridge Park
·       Wanatee Park
Linn County non-modern (primitive) campgrounds are also open.
·       Matsell Bridge Natural Area (including Mt Hope)
·       Wakpicada Natural Area
Wickiup Hill Learning Center front land and playground are open, back trails are closed, learning building is available by reservation.
Iowa State Campgrounds
·       Pleasant Creek State Recreation Area

News from the Troops

Camping close to home is best right now. Families are providing individual transport due to COVID-19 protocols, and staying nearby helps to prevent widespread outbreaks.

Sites known to be currently available

Benton: Rogers Park, north of Vinton
Benton: Winegar Lake-Tobin Park: Open, cabin recently redone, busy in deer season
Iowa: Lake Iowa, near Williamsburg
Johnson: Kent Park
Jones: Central Park: some trails are open – lake
Linn: Matsell Bridge – cabin
Linn: Camp Waubeek & Camp Wakonda are both open for camping

Concerns from leaders and families

How many are sleeping per tent? How many per cabin?  Who makes the decision?
How far apart are the Scouts while eating? while cleaning up? during activities?
Individual family transportation to and from sites is necessary but hard on schedules.

Replies from the Troops

Patrol cooking can be done with just one or two cooks wearing masks and gloves. Some troops have face shields.
Some Scouts bring their own food from home anyway due to other concerns.
Foils packets keep food portions apart. So do pie irons.
Sit apart while eating.
Be more careful during clean-up.
Lots of hand sanitizer.