Published on September 17th, 2013 | by Nakia Tyler
Sioux City Adventures: 5 things that surprised me about Bacon Creek Park
You may have noticed that I didn’t go on any Sioux City Adventures last week, and that’s because I was out having adventures elsewhere. In celebration of my 30th birthday, I took a trip to the southwest part of Montana to visit a really good friend of mine, and I tried a ton of new things.
I hiked up a mountain, went to a farmer’s market, visited a co-op, camped outside in an actual tent in Yellowstone National Park, saw elk and buffalo, befriended a huge raven and named him Bill, and devoured my very first veggie dog. Before last week, I’d never even seen a mountain before, let alone hike and camp on one, so it truly was an adventure for me.
I absolutely fell in love with the mountainous landscape – my friend and her family live in a valley, so there were mountains on all sides of us at all times – and coming back to the flatness of Iowa was a bit of a shock.
But even without majestic mountains, our tristate midwestern region has a lot to offer in the way of nature and beauty, and after my trip, I felt inspired to find more of it.
I ventured out to Bacon Creek Park, a place that I’ve always known about, but never really explored. I walked the main, paved trail around the lake and creek area, through the wet marshy lands and along the shaded wooded areas. In many ways, the experience wasn’t what I expected.
Here are five things that surprised me about Bacon Creek Park, but first, in the interest of full disclosure, I was there are 10 a.m. on a Thursday morning. The environment might be different at other times.
#1: It’s right here in Sioux City.
This might sound kind of silly, but I always assumed that Bacon Creek was somewhere out in the middle of nowhere, but it’s really just a quick drive down Correctionville Road. It’s a nice little nature oasis right in the middle of the city, which is super cool, in my opinion. The main reason being that I could see myself driving out there 2 or 3 times per week and talking this walk, and it wouldn’t be a huge deal.
#2: It’s truly beautiful.
With a name like Bacon Creek, I wasn’t expecting much in the way of scenery during my walk, but I was pleasantly surprised. The paved trail was incredibly diverse, starting with a wide open view, with picnic tables and playground equipment overlooking a view of the sparkling lake, then descending into a shaded “Wet Wonderland” where the water was just as green as the lush growth around it. Wetness gave way to a “Woodland Community” with a canopy of treetops offering little peeks of the creek along the path.
#3: I saw cows!
At two points along the trail, I came across some happy cows grazing in the grass. They were incredibly quiet, and even though they were just a few feet away from me, I would not have seen them if I hadn’t doubled back to snap a photo of the path behind me. One cow stood out from the rest, never taking its eyes off of me as I approached just close enough to take some pictures. Seeing the cows made the whole day worthwhile.
#4: The peace and quiet.
For whatever reason, I imagined in my mind that Bacon Creek would be swarming with people, however, in addition to the cows, I only crossed paths with a two other small groups of people walking, one lady jogging with her headphones on, and a gentleman on a bicycle. Other than that, it felt like I had the trail to myself, which was nice, not because I’m anti-social, but because I felt less awkward snapping photos every two seconds.
#5: The length of the trail.
The path I chose wasn’t super difficult, with just a handful of inclines and plenty of shade to keep me from getting overheated, but it was long. At one point, I rounded a bend and saw the lake come into view, and I knew that I parked by the lake, so I got excited, thinking that I was close. That is, until I spotted my vehicle in the parking lot…on the other side of the lake!
Overall, I was really impressed with my experience at Bacon Creek. It’s exciting to know that, even though I’m not surrounded by mountains here in Sioux City, that I am just a quick drive away from escaping the buzz of steel and concrete to a wet, wooded wonderland.
Do you have a favorite walking spot? Let me know in the comments below, I’d love to check it out!
Also, if you have any suggestions for my next adventure, please don’t be shy. I’m willing to try anything as long as it’s not dangerous, illegal, or harmful to others.
Nakia Tyler is the Junior Firestarter at Team Creative Fire. When she isn’t exercising her creative muscle, she spends her time fan-girling over Doctor Who, playing with her adorable niece, and chowing on vegan food. If you see her out and about this summer, feel free to say hi. She’ll probably be wearing pink.
About the Author
Nakia Tyler Nakia is a Web Specialist at Team Creative Fire. When she isn’t exercising her creative muscle, she spends her time fan-girling over Doctor Who, playing with her adorable niece, and channeling her inner Hello Kitty. If you see her out and about having adventures, feel free to say hi. She’ll probably be wearing pink.
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