This Iowa destination is beautiful any time of year. Beautiful walking trails wind through timber and around unique bodies of water. And the best part…

There's a castle in Pilot Knob State Park.
Iowa DNR
The park is just a few miles outside of Forest City. The official address is 2148 340th St., Forest City.
The castle is actually a lookout point situated in a cleared area.
Holly Higgins/Flickr
It's 33.6 feet tall. The original plans called for a 40-foot tower, but winter set in the year it was built, so they ended the project early.
There are two parts to the structure; a circular tower and a timber shelter.
Joe Passe/Flickr
The tower is made of rubble granite and has tapered walls. The shelter has a gable roof held up by round timbers.
The observation tower, like all of the other historic structures in Pilot Knob State Park, were designed by the Central Design Office in Ames in a rustic style.
Mike Haeg/Flickr
Holly Higgins/Flickr
There's a circular metal staircase inside the tower.
At the top, a waist-high wall surrounds a concrete floor.
Holly Higgins/Flickr
The views are incredibly beautiful.

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The stone structures in this state park were built in 1934 by the Civilian Conservation Corps.
Michael Leleand/Flickr
McGhiever/Wikimedia
The observation tower here is the second highest point in Iowa at 1,450 feet above sea level.
The park is well-kept. There are 13.1 miles of walking trails, here.
Ann Sullivan-Larson/Wikimedia
It's listed in the Iowa Wildlife Viewing Guide and is a great place for bird watching during migrations.
Horseback riders have eight miles of trails they can enjoy, here.
Greatanger/Wikimedia
This park is also home to Iowa's only floating sphagnum bog, Dead Man's Lake. The larger 15-acre lake on site is a popular ice fishing and ice skating site.
The stone amphitheater in a small valley in the eastern portion of the park has four sections of seating.
Ann Sullivan-Larson/Wikimedia
This is a popular spot for weddings.
The picnic shelter is southwest of Dead Man's Lake.
McGhiever/Wikimedia
It's situated in a grassy area and has a poured concrete floor.

Have you seen this Iowa castle? How’s the view?

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