Mississippi Palisades State Park - South Entrance

I've been to this state park three times in the past four years and there is always road construction going on...this is where I wanted to enter the park but I was forced to detour to the north entrance by a bunch of orange signs...

Mississippi Palisades State Park - North Entrance

Entering the park...

Mississippi Palisades - Ozzie's View

Entering at the north entrance allowed me to stop by a few nice overlooks before starting out on my hike...this is the first one, known as Ozzie's View...

Mississippi Palisades - Louis Point

The second drive-in overlook, this one was called Louis Point...I wonder if there's an interesting story behind these names...

Mississippi Palisades - Louis Point

There were a number of well-placed benches at Louis Point inviting me to stay longer...

Mississippi Palisades - Oak Point

Oak Point Overlook...this was the third of the three drive-in overlooks I stopped by on my way to the trailhead...you can see the bridge over the Mississippi from Savannah, IL (left) to Sabula, IA (right)...

Mississippi Palisades - Oak Point

Oak Point Overlook...

Mississippi Palisades - Oak Point

There was a decent amount of river traffic...

Mississippi Palisades - Lookout Point

It was fitting that the finest of the four pre-hike overlooks was at the trailhead...looking north along the Mississippi from Lookout Point...

Mississippi Palisades - Lookout Point

I could just make out Dubuque, Iowa to the north...

Mississippi Palisades - Lookout Point

One last look over the shoulder at Lookout Point before hitting the trail...

Mississippi Palisades State Park Hike Route Map

An approximate track of my hike at Mississippi Palisades State Park, as depicted a la Google Earth...

Mississippi Palisades State Park Hike Route Map

An approximate track of my hike at Mississippi Palisades State Park...

Sunset Trail

The Sunset Trail was the first of the three paths on tap for the day...it loops for about a mile around the Lookout Point area...

Sunset Trail

The trail immediately dropped quite a ways into a deep ravine...

Sunset Trail

The forest really started crowding in on the trail as I found myself climbing to the halfway point of the Sunset Trail...

Sunset Trail

It was quickly apparent that the southern half of the trail was much less traveled, the trail was much more overgrown...

Sunset Trail

First I've ever seen of these ridiculous things...they're slick, and from what I saw almost useless in preventing erosion...

Sunset Trail

One of the many short bridges that help cross the numerous ravines in the area...

Sunset Trail

Thrre-quarters of the way around the Sunset Trail I dropped down to the access road to reach the trails to the south...

Park Road

OK...so, where's the construction...oh well at least there's no traffic...

CCC Picnic Pavilion

The entrance to the Sentinel Trail begins next to this old CCC-built picnic pavilion not far from the south entrance to the park...

Sentinel Trail

From the stonework in this bridge I'm guessing it dates back to the CCC as well...

Sentinel Trail

Starting onto the Sentinel Trail...

Sentinel Trail

Not sure the significance of this area but, as this sign explains, it has been set aside within the state park as it's own preserve...

Sentinel Trail

Hiking these loops one quickly realizes that the Palisades are not so much a continuous ridge as a series of bluffs separated by deep ravines...

Sentinel Trail

Like the Sunset Trail, the Sentinel Trail is a loop...at his point, next to this small cave, I had a choice to head out to Sentinel Rock or inland...I chose to save the bluff for later...

Sentinel Trail

The Sentinel Trail is by far the most rugged of the three I hiked this day...

Sentinel Trail

An interesting limestone formation along the trail...

Sentinel Trail

The farther I walked away from the Sentinel Rock the more overgrown the trail became...

Sentinel Trail

Half way through the Sentinel Trail I decided to make a quick side trip across the road...

Prairie View-Pine Trailhead

Choices, choices...the Pine Trail sounded nice but required an out-and back hike through terrain much like I had already seen...the Prairie View Trail, however, was a loop and sounded more unique...

Prairie View Trail

Lets go view some pra_rie...

Prairie View Trail

Ummm...is this supposed to be the prairie?...

Prairie View Trail

So as you can see the Prairie View Trail is more of a walk through a mowed field than a true prairie experience...

Prairie View Trail

At the far end of the loop I ran smack dab into a corn field...hmmm...

Prairie View Trail

The massive tower from which to view the sweeping prairie...

Prairie View Trail

The north end of the "prairie"...

Prairie View Trail

The wildflowers might be native prairie plants but this was still a bit disappointing...

Prairie View Trail

Thistle, Black-eyed Susan, and Asters were the primary flowers here...

Prairie View Trail

Completing my circuit of the prairie...

Sentinel Trail

After my disappointing prairie experience I was looking forward to what I knew would be the highlight of the hike, Sentinel Rock...

Sentinel Trail

Looking up into the sprawling Oak canopy...

Sentinel Trail

I sense a view approaching...

Sentinel Rock

Arriving at Sentinel Rock...

Sentinel Rock

Sentinel Rock...looking north along the Palisades...

Sentinel Rock

I think I'm getting better at improvised rock tripods...

Sentinel Rock

Sentinel Rock...