Palisades-Kepler park ranger Carl Fairley says he is expecting a very busy fall at the park.
“I’m expecting a lot of traffic this fall to the Palisades-Kepler State park, as many people come to see the foliage changing colors,” Fairley said. “A lot of people are excited that the park will be open this fall, after the park was closed all of fall last year following the derecho.”
Palisades-Kepler State Park has been open since April of this year, when the Iowa Department of Natural Resources finished the brunt of clean-up in the park from storm damage left over from last fall’s derecho.
Fairley noted that everything but the park lodge are officially opened.
“People might see there is still some clean-up work of storm debris we’re getting to this fall and winter, but everything has been open in the park aside from the lodge this summer,” Fairley said.
The Iowa Department of Natural Resources have lined up a contractor for the needed repairs to the lodge at Palisades-Kepler, with the repairs slated to begin in the coming weeks.
“That’s probably the largest project we still have from the derecho,” Fairley said. “We’ve gone through the bidding process, and we’ll know in the coming weeks when the repairs to the lodge will be underway.”
“We’ve seen a lot of foot traffic on the many trails of the park,” Fairley said. “The campgrounds have all been extremely busy as well, and because of the low level of the river this year, we see a lot of people walking along the exposed sandbars at the Cedar River.”
Fairley noted that as the park is expecting increased foot traffic for Labor Day holiday and the fall, he highly recommends people follow the park’s rules and only park in the designated lots or areas to help traffic in the park flow more smoothly.
Fairley also noted that parkgoers should remember to clean up after themselves.
“A lot of our energy as campground hosts is cleaning up and picking up after people in the campground or picnic areas,” Fairley said. “People should spend more time making sure they aren’t leaving trash behind and leave the place looking better than they found it.”
If you bring an animal, that animal should remain on a leash when you are in the park.
Fairley also noted that even though the river is really low in depth this year, people should make sure they respect and remember the currents of the river.
“If you’re around the river or water portions of the park, practice proper water safety by wearing life jackets and protecting yourself,” Fairley said.
In his first year at Palisades, he’s been enjoying meeting the people, including some who visit the park on a weekly basis.
“The park is used by a wide variety of visitors, both locally and from across the country,” Fairley said. “There’s a lot of great respect by people who come to this state park and a lot of people who know a lot about the park’s history in this area.”