Iowa State Fair

Discover opportunities and resources to help you get started hunting and shooting, or to build your skills and knowledge. Check out www.iowadnr.gov/letsgohunting.

If you want to participate in hunter safety this fall, visit www.iowadnr.gov/huntered to discover the best way to complete a mandatory certification course.

National Shooting Sports Month celebrates target shooting, a pastime that provides a lifetime of enjoyment. You can share your passion with family and friends through the #RangeChallenge. Join the National Shooting Sports Foundation and the Iowa DNR during the month of August to promote firearms safety, participation, and mentorship in the shooting sports. For more information visit: letsgoshooting.org/rangechallenge

Download the range challenge target.

Visit one of Iowa's shooting ranges, now open! Find a shooting range near you: https://www.iowadnr.gov/hunting/places-to-hunt-shoot/iowa-shooting-ranges

Iowa has hundreds of fishing ponds in city, county and state parks. Take your family to a neighborhood nearby and catch a fish. Find Iowa’s Fish Local atlas and other community resources to start fishing today.

Iowa has several public hunting areas and ranges, including state recreation areas and forests, providing ample fishing and hunting opportunities:

• Find a spot near you
• Get the latest hunting regulations
• Purchase your license online

Backbone State Park was Iowa’s first state park. Discover what makes it special in this video produced by Travel Iowa and the Northeast Iowa RC&D.

Have you been to the DNR state fair building and explored the “Change Your World” truck? Get more ideas to help the environment at home on the Change Your World web page.

• Coloring Pages, Owl
• Coloring Pages, Deer
• Coloring Pages, Girl and Salamander
• Coloring Pages, Camping
• Coloring Pages, Gull Point State Park Lodge

Limited offer during August! Get the annual “state fair magazine special” right here! Subscribe to a one-year subscription of Iowa Outdoors magazine and get your state fair t-shirt. Learn more https://programs.iowadnr.gov/epay/subscription/fairspecials.

The Iowa Walking Club and other partners have created 5k and 10 walking maps in 20 Iowa parks this year. The maps are free and can be downloaded for your next excursion. Learn more about 20 Walks in 2020!

Watch the DNR’s Facebook Live at 12:45pm to see a dutch-oven cooking demonstration, just like at the fair each year in the DNR building!

• Dutch Oven Cooking: Bread on A Stick
• Dutch Oven Cooking: Ice Cream In a Bag
• Dutch Oven Cooking: Lasagna
• Dutch Oven Cooking: Peach Crisp

More dutch-oven cooking recipes.

Discover your favorite state park or visit them all with the State Park Passport – sign up to track your park visits and the opportunity to win prizes.

Check out the six ways you can help care for parks the next time you visit.

From playgrounds to trails, and from movies to nature programs, state parks are great because of the dedication of local Friends Groups, volunteers and communities. Learn about Iowans who tirelessly support Iowa state parks.

	Waubonsie State Park campground serve others during Missouri Floods When disastrous flooding from the Missouri River inundated the southwest Iowa town of Hamburg in the spring of 2019, Waubonsie State Park opened the campground for displaced residents. Campground hosts Deb and Dave White went to work to help, cleaning campground facilities, serving community meals and being caring neighbors to those in need during the natural disaster. We appreciate their kindness and making Waubonsie such a welcoming place.
	Backbone friends group keeps park thriving through donations In the 20 years of its existence, the Backbone Friends Group has made a significant difference in the park experience for visitors. Through volunteer efforts, grants and donations, the volunteer group has purchased playground equipment, a storage shed, benches, audio/video equipment for the auditorium, among numerous other items and more. The Friends Group also hosts events like fishing derbies, fun runs, Christmas in July and snowmobile races.
	Rex Buttolph donates 400 hours for trail repairs at Brushy Creek State Recreation Area In 2018, Rex Buttolph asked how he could volunteer in Iowa state parks. His previous experiences with the National Parks Service, US Forest Service, and the US Fish and Wildlife Service uniquely qualified him to assist with a trail repair project at Brushy Creek State Recreation Area. Rex donated nearly 400 hours to help complete the trail, which included placing 2,500 tons of rock. Once completed, Rex he moved to Nine Eagles State Park and donated an additional 96 hours of volunteer time to improve and make necessary repairs to their trail system.

If you want to lend a hand, check out the DNR’s volunteer page for opportunities in state parks and throughout DNR programs and areas.

Learn the fascinating beginnings of Iowa state parks from this article in the latest edition of Iowa Outdoors magazine. Subscribe today to get the state fair magazine special – a t-shirt and one-year subscription.

Explore early state parks in this original park brochure featuring Backbone, Lacey-Keosauqua, Stone and several other of Iowa’s earliest parks.

Visit Iowa State University’s online exhibit about state parks to view an in-depth history of state parks including old photos, blue prints, letters and more!

Watch this segment of Iowa PBS’s Iowa Outdoors show to learn the history of the CCC at Backbone.

Join us for a tour behind the scenes as we stock the aquariums at the 2018 Iowa State Fair.

Explore Iowa’s natural wonders on a scavenger hunt in a state park or your own back yard.

Each year at fair, you can get your hunting and fishing license to enjoy the fall seasons. Get yours online today, and don’t forget – deer tags are on sale tomorrow, Aug. 15!

If you’re looking for a scenic drive to state parks and other natural areas, check out these picks for Iowa’s best waterfalls. Find more Iowa state parks to plan your trip.

Explore Iowa with the State Park Passport – sign up to track your park visits and the opportunity to win prizes.

Limited offer during August! Get the annual “state fair magazine special” right here! Subscribe to a one-year subscription of Iowa Outdoors magazine and get your state fair t-shirt. Learn more https://programs.iowadnr.gov/epay/subscription/fairspecials.

Share your favorite memories on the DNR’s Facebook page!