The bridges on the Copperas Beds Trails, Indian Mounds Trail and the trail below the manager's residence have been
destroyed by the flooding. Call the park at 515-359-2539 for updated information. (posted 10/1/07)
The campground renovations have been completed and there are 24 campsites available for camping on a first come,
first serve basis. No campsite reservations will be taken until the reservation system is updated. The cabins,
shelters and lodges are all open and available for reservations. Call the park office at 515-359-2539 for updated
information. (posted 7/24/08)
The two
lodges at Dolliver, built during the 1930's, may be
rented for day use. They are ideal for group events such as family reunions and wedding receptions. The lodges may be
reserved online through the
park reservation system.
An open picnic shelter may be reserved online
through the
park reservation system. A playground is located in the picnic area
for the younger visitors.
View of the Dolliver
playground
Dolliver has two basic family cabin that sleep four, and are
equipped with a refrigerator and sink. They are located only a short distance from the modern rest room and shower
building in the campground. The cabin can be reserved online through the
park reservation system.
The group camp has a dining hall, modern rest rooms and showers and 10 separate sleeping cabins. The camp is available
on a reservation basis for a variety of group events. See the document
Group Camp Rental Reservation for specifics on reservation
policy and rates.
The Dolliver campground is located in a pleasant setting overlooking the Des Moines River. There are 33 campsites with
electrical hookups, modern rest room and showers and a trailer dump station. Advance campsite reservations can be
booked through the
park reservation system. Half of the campsites are still available on a
first-come, first-serve basis.
A trail will take you out past the Copperas Beds which are unique sandstone formations towering 100 feet above Prairie
Creek. The trail then continues on up into oak covered hillsides and back down past Bone Yard Hollow. Trails also take
you out to the Indian Mounds and up more wooded hillsides.
Dolliver is located on the Des Moines River, which is popular for both boating and fishing. A modern boat ramp is
located in the park and is a popular "put in-take out" spot for canoeists as well as anglers.
Bluffs, canyons, the Des Moines River, Prairie Creek and Indian mounds are all part of the natural and cultural
history that make Dolliver State Park so valuable to the people of Iowa. Purchased for $38,500, the 457-acre park was
dedicated in 1925. During the dedication ceremonies, a memorial plaque, the work of noted sculptor Laredo Taft, was
unveiled before a crowd of 13,500 people.
A unique facet of the sandstone formations at Dolliver are the "Copperas beds." The towering 100-foot bluff
on Prairie Creek is a cross-sectional view of the ancient river bed that is over 150 million years old. Over the ages,
the erosive power of Prairie Creek uncovered this unique feature. The porous nature of the sandstone has caused many
minerals such as calcite and sulfur to dissolve as the water seeps through. As the water evaporates, the mineral
deposits are left behind. You can see many of these deposits in the sandstone cliffs, as well as petrified logs and
sticks.
This narrow ravine running between rock walls was given its name "boneyard hollow" by early settlers who
found large amounts of buffalo bones in the canyon. It is possible the area's first inhabitants drove herds of buffalo
from the prairie over the cliff to their death or perhaps drove the herds into the narrow ravine and then killed
& butchered them for their meat, hides, horns & bone.
In 1912, a family picnicking in the area of the creek that runs through Boneyard Hollow found a lead tablet at the
mouth of the creek. Inscribed in Latin, it stated that it was deposited in 1701 by Father Hennepin, a French explorer,
often credited with discovering the Des Moines River. The tablet was eventually found to be a hoax, planted by people
from the nearby community. However, Edgar Harlan, then curator of the state archives, went to the site where the
tablet was found. His interest in the beauty of the area helped spark the state's interest in eventually purchasing
the park.
Lehigh is three miles southeast of the park and Fort Dodge is 10 miles north of the park.
2757 Dolliver Park Ave.
Lehigh, IA 50557
ph. 515/359-2539
fax: 515/359-2542
E-mail address: Dolliver@dnr.iowa.gov
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Picnicking/Shelters/Lodge