Trails and more in Chickasaw County

By B.J. Smith

Visitors can see the big animals up close at the Hawkeye Buffalo Ranch, Fredericksburg / Photo courtesy of Iowa Tourism Office

There are trails in Chickasaw County, and they’re not just for walking or riding through the woods. In fact, as you’ll see, the term is pretty loosely defined.

The county’s tourism website is even called Chickasaw Trails,  and it promotes visiting the county’s farms and parks, motor touring, fishing, exploring the area’s history and even going to church as “trails” a family can choose to take.

Then there are some more traditional trails, too, like the Lakeshore Drive Walking and Biking Trail in Nashua  and the Plum Creek Bike and Nature Trail in Fredericksburg.  Fredericksburg hosts an annual German Fest and a Dairy Days celebration, not to mention the Northeast Iowa Antique Tractor & Engine Power Show.

Nashua, which is shared with Floyd County, is probably best known as the home of the Little Brown Church in the Vale.  If you go to Nashua, also plan to see the Bradford Pioneer Village Museum.

New Hampton  is the county seat and the “city of expanding horizons.” It hosts an annual motorcycle rally named for the local Davis family that started the event more than 30 years ago. The city’s Heartland Days festival comes around the second weekend every June and includes a classic car rally and big parade.

Any visit to New Hampton should include some time at the Carnegie Cultural Center, which celebrates the arts, history and culture of the area. Among the numerous exhibits in the former library building are the Natvig Brothers Circus, the Railroad Room and Uncle Joe’s Farm, a diorama depicting a 1930s farming operation.

Chickasaw County visitors can also find a ghost town north of Lawler, and take in a horse plowing contest  in Fredericksburg the third Saturday in September. As you’re touring the county’s scenic roads, keep an eye out for bald eagles, red-tailed hawks, the barns they call “Prairie Cathedrals” and some really big rocks.

Sources: Carnegie Cultural Center, Chickasaw Trails

Alta Vista pop. 286
Bassett pop. 74
Fredericksburg pop. 984
Ionia pop. 277
Lawler pop. 461
Nashua pop. 1618
New Hampton pop. 3692
North Washington pop. 118