National and State Parks - Recreational Areas
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Killen Woods State Park
State Park Information
State Park Overview
Nature of the Area
At Kilen Woods State Park, trails wind through the parks oak forest, sunny river bottom meadows, flood plain forest, oak savanna and prairie. Oak trees grow on the steep river valley slopes. Scattered bur oak trees, wild plums and hawthorns occur among prairie grasses and wildflowers at the edge of the Des Moines River Valley. Look for big bluestem, Indian grass, blazing-star and
purple coneflowers along the grassy ravines. Seven-foot tall prairie grasses, butterfly milkweed and
grey-headed coneflowers dominate the late summer river bottom prairie.
Over 15,000 years ago glacial ice which was several thousand feet thick (known as the Des Moines Lobe) covered what is now southern Minnesota and Iowa. When the ice retreated, gently rolling hills, shallow prairie lakes and
countless wetlands remained. Many of the small lakes and wetlands have been drained for agricultural purposes. The Des Moines River begins at Lake Shetek in Murray County. It flows southeasterly through Minnesota and Iowa on its way to the Mississippi River. At Kilen Woods State Park, the river cuts through a hundred feet of rock, sand and gravel known as glacial drift.
The Des Moines River provides aquatic habitat for beaver and muskrat. Resourceful anglers catch walleyes, northerns, catfish and
bullheads from the rivers pools and numerous snags. Woodducks nest in tree cavities along the rivers edge while herons quietly stalk the shallows and back waters. Deer, squirrels and woodpeckers are abundant in the park. Red admiral butterflies are seen all summer long while the swallowtail butterflies are around during late summer.
History of the Area
More Info
Killen Woods State Park