Hickory Hills Park

Discover Hickory Hills Park in La Porte City

Hickory Hills Park is a unique area both in terms of its natural beauty and strategic location. The park’s 723 acres include one of the area’s unusual geologic features: a paha. Paha is a Native American word meaning high ground. The diverse topography of the area is characteristic of a paha. Casey's Paha was dedicated as a State Preserve in 1989.  Although established in Tama County in 1969, Black Hawk County Conservation owns and manages the area. A Park Ranger is in residence year-round.

The park offers many leisure and recreational opportunities including camping, basketball, picnicking, sand volleyball, disc golf, hiking, fishing, cross-country skiing, sledding, and ice skating. Snowmobiles are not allowed. Several miles of hiking trails offer park users a chance to witness nature’s endless variety. The 39 acre Casey Lake, nestled between scenic forested slopes, is one of Northeast Iowa's premiere largemouth bass hot spots.

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NOTICE - HICKORY HILLS PARK IMPROVEMENTS

Black Hawk County Conservation is working on two exciting park improvement projects for Hickory Hills Park. A new wastewater treatment facility and Casey Lake Renovations.

We are working with engineers to secure our construction permit for replacement of the Hickory Hills Park sewage lagoon. The new septic tank and absorption mound will utilize the same general area as the current lagoon. Park users can expect construction to begin in 2022 with completion fall of 2022 or spring of 2023.

Additionally, we have partnered with the Iowa Department of Natural Resources to improve the water quality of Casey Lake in Hickory Hills Park. Engineers are working to access the lake and the surrounding watershed to determine necessary project elements. Park users should expect to see work begin on the Casey Lake watershed project elements in 2022. A later phase of this project will include drawdown of Casey Lake and sediment removal. This project is a phased project and will occur across several years. The anticipated project timeframe is 2022 – 2025.

If you are looking to reserve cabins, shelters, campsites, or the Lakeview Lodge, please consider that during your reservation period, the normal quiet, scenic Hickory Hills Park may be interrupted with ongoing construction work including, operation of construction vehicles and disturbed areas of the park including the eventual drawdown and excavation of Casey Lake.  Reservations placed after the posting of this notice will not be refunded for reasons associated with any of the said construction occurrences.

Features Available at Various Facilities

• Campground
• Carry in/carry out refuse
• Dump station
• Electricity
• Fire ring
• Firewood available
• Handicap Accessible
• Heating
• Kitchenette
• Microwave
• On-site resident host
• Picnic Table
• Pressurized water
• Restroom
• Shower facilities
• Table with chairs