at Diamond Lake . . .
Canada Geese are among Diamond Lake's seasonal inhabitants
Montezuma offers the great outdoors
Hiking? Fishing? Camping or boating? The Montezuma area has it, in abundance. The Poweshiek County Conservation Board manages more than 2,100 acres in three parks and various recreation, access areas, preserves and wildlife areas. Several are immediately adjacent to Montezuma.
Diamond Lake Park
This 632-acre park which wraps around Montezuma’s northwest side, features a 98-acre lake and is Poweshiek County’s most-used recreation area.
The lake is for fishing, which is available from the shore – there are rock jetties – or via boats which may only use electric motors.
For more than 30 years, the lake has been kept stocked with catfish. It also has bass, bluegill, crappies, bullheads, grass carp – and northern pike.
Camping facilities include 50 electrical hookups with 40 primitive camping sites for tents. And more are on the way.
An additional 86 acres of land east of Diamond Lake were purchased recently. Plans call for adding 40 electrical camping sites, a shower house, a dump station and a modular playground and an eight-acre buffer pond.
The current park has two shower facilities, five shelters, a fish cleaning station, a boat ramp, a playground area and hiking trails.
Shelter reservations, camping with electricity and primitive camping require a fee.
Diamond Lake Trail
This relatively new, paved multi-use trail is about a mile long and is within land that is park of the Diamond Lake Expansion Project.
The trail starts just off 480th Avenue, northwest of Montezuma, and connects to the roadway in Diamond Lake Park. It offers some different views of Montezuma, and into Diamond Lake Park.
Walkers, bicyclists and in-line skateboarders and skateboarders are putting this new trail to good used.
The trail is surrounded by acres of county-owned field, including some with natural prairie grass. Unpaved trails through these areas are kept mowed by county staff, giving hikers the opportunity to have close encounters with pheasants and the deer population.
The Foster Center
Located at the south end of Diamond Lake Park, it houses offices, shop facilities and meeting rooms for the Conservation Board. Gun safety courses are taught here, as well as various nature workshops.
The Center has a wooden walkway along its north wall, featuring a picnic table with a spectacular overlook of Diamond Lake.
The Foster Center was dedicated in July of 1997. It is named after the late Raymond Foster, who bequeathed $50,000 to the board.
Looking north at Diamond Lake from the deck of the Foster Center.
More county parks . . .
Fox Forest Wildlife Area
With 531 acres of oak and hickory timber, native and reconstructed prairies, wetlands and several miles of hiking trails, it’s one of the county’s largest natural resource areas.
It is located about a mile west of Montezuma. The north entrance to Fox Forest is just off County Road F-57, not far from the entrance to Diamond Lake Park.
The Poweshiek County Sportsmen Association has managed an indoor gun range and trap range in the wildlife area since the 1980s.
You may hear a gobble-gobble! Eastern wild turkeys were stocked in the area in 1985 and have thrived there.
Fleming Woods Preserve
This 38-acre treasure preserves several forested ravines that are typical of the Southern Iowa Drift Plain landform region.
The forest is dominated by red and white oak, shagbark hickory, basswood and maple.
Wildflowers are abundant.
Fleming Woods is a few miles west and south of Montezuma.
For more information about these and other areas maintained by the Poweshiek County Conservation Board, visit their website at www.poweshiekcountyparks.org, or contact the board at Diamond Lake Park, P.O. Box 666, Montezuma, Iowa 50171. Call 641-623-3191.
In and near town . . .
Bonham Memorial Park
The Bonham Trail, as it’s often called, starts just off Clark Street on the south end of town and runs almost a mile before ending at County Road V-13.
The trail is a shaded corridor of woods and wild berry plants that sits atop former railroad right of way.
There is a nice resting spot at about the midway point of the gently curving trail.
Montezuma Bike Trail
This is a favorite of walkers, joggers and bikers.
It starts at the entrance to West City Park on West Main Street and runs west for several miles, past Montezuma Country Club to the south entrance of Diamond Lake Park. From there, enthusiasts use the paved roadways within the park.