It's spooky season at your county parks

Listen! The wind is rising,

and the air is wild with leaves

We have had our summer evenings;

now for October eves!

— Humbert Wolfe

Don't Miss Chili Fest this Saturday

Join us at Arrowhead Park for family-friendly fun, fall activities, and food.

Bring the whole family out and enjoy a warm bowl of chili in the crisp fall air at the Arrowhead Park. This fall tradition is this Saturday, October 8th from 4:00 p.m. to 8:00 p.m. and promises fun for the whole family!

Join us for pumpkin painting, hayrack rides, trick or treating, a self-guided zombie survival hike, and of course, CHILI.

Free with a $3 per vehicle entry or annual park membership. Free-will donations will be gratefully accepted & used to fund additional free and low-cost public programming at your county parks. Please meet at Breezy Lodge.

Get Your Mt. Crescent Ski Area Pre-Sale Passes Passes are available now for as low as $149. Available in October only!

Explore your wild side at Mt. Crescent Ski Area this winter

Mt. Crescent Ski Area staff are excited to welcome back guests for more winter fun this coming season and to share that season passes are now available for pre-sale. Take advantage of the lowest prices of the season by purchasing yours throughout the month of October and remember: Even if there isn't snow in your backyard this winter, there's a 100% chance of snow at Mt. Crescent!

Learn More & Get Your Pass Today

The ski area is set to open by December 17th and will be open for extended hours through December 30th to accommodate families during the holiday season. Night skiing hours will begin on January 4th and select sledding time slots will begin on January 7th.

Season pass benefits include:

One transferable Daily Lift Ticket for a friend or family member,
One transferable Zibob Sledding Ticket for a friend or family member,
Free Zibob sledding throughout the season,
Free entry to all Midnight Madness Events, and
Free or discounted Lift Tickets at 7 partner resorts: Great Bear Ski Valley (Sioux Falls, SD), Seven Oaks (Boone, IA), Sundown Mountain Resort (Dubuque, IA), Chestnut Mountain Resort (Galena, IL), Sleepy Hollow Sports Park (Des Moines, IA), Mont du Lac Resort (Duluth, WI), and Cooper (Leadville, CO).

Craving those fall colors? Now's the time!

Parks are nearing their peak fall colors, so come and see us soon.

Fall is in full swing: Bright red sumac is aplenty, leaves are beginning to gently fall from the trees, and birds, raptors, and insects are in the midst of migration. The best time to enjoy all of the beauty that autumn has to offer is fleeting, so make sure to visit your favorite Pottawattamie Conservation parks soon!

🔥Thank you Go Wild donors!🔥

With your support, we raised $46,000 for local conservation efforts.

Thanks to generous donors who supported the Pottawattamie Conservation Foundation during this year's annual Go Wild for Conservation fundraiser, we will be able to provide FREE field trips to every school in the county, year-round environmental education programming for all ages, county-wide land management services, and park improvements.

Thank you for going wild and supporting this vital work!

Miss out on the festivities but still want to give back? Consider purchasing one of these leftover Instabuy items for a good cause, purchasing an annual parks membership, making a donation to an area or park of your choice, or purchasing one of our wish list items.

Upcoming Programs

Little Tike Hike

Hitchcock Nature Center | through October 9th during park hours

Botna Bend Park | through October 31st during park hours

Free with park entry | All ages; Best for ages 3 to 5

Enjoy sights & sounds along the trail as you spot activities along your route that are designed to help learners ages 3 to 5 experience nature in a new way. While it is designed for young learners, any age can learn something new and have fun, too!

Arrowhead Park Chili Fest

Arrowhead Park | Saturday, October 8th | 4:00 p.m. to 8:00 p.m.

Free with $3/vehicle park entry or annual membership | All ages

LEARN MORE

Bring the whole family out and enjoy a warm bowl of chili in the crisp fall air at the Arrowhead Park Chili Fest. Join us for pumpkin painting, hayrack rides, trick or treating, and of course, CHILI.

Prairie Seed Harvest with Golden Hills RC&D

Hitchcock Nature Center | Tuesday, October 11th | 5:30 to 7:00 p.m.

Free (no park entry required for volunteers) | All ages

LEARN MORE

Join our friends at Golden Hills RCD and help collect native prairie seed! Volunteers will visit local prairie remnants and learn how to identify which plants are available for seed collection. The hand-collected seed will then be used for local prairie restoration and reconstruction projects in western Iowa's Loess Hills.

A Land Ethic Workshop: The Science of Fall

Hitchcock Nature Center | Saturday, October 15th | 9:00 a.m. to 12:00 p.m.

$15 per person | Ages 14+

JOIN THE WAITLIST

Program participants will enjoy a full morning of instruction & learning led by celebrated educator Ron Cisar, including:

An introduction to the science behind our annual fall color
A look at the process of photosynthesis
Continued nature journaling practice
A reading & discussion of Aldo Leopold's essay, "Smoky Gold"
October Nature Calendar (phenology)

HawkWatch 5k Walk/Run

Hitchcock Nature Center | Saturday, October 22nd | 9:00 a.m.

$33 per person | Parents/Guardians may register those under 18

Welcome to the 17th Annual HawkWatch 5K Walk/Run! Grab your running or walking shoes and join us for one of the most fun and challenging 5k trail runs of the year. Proceeds support Pottawattamie Conservation's efforts to preserve habitat in the county and offer low-impact recreational opportunities for the public to enjoy.

Hitchcock Haunted Hollow

Hitchcock Nature Center | Saturday, October 22nd & Sunday, October 23rd

Saturday | 11:00 a.m. to 2:00 p.m.

Sunday | 1:00 p.m. to 4:00 p.m.

$5 per person | Free for ages 3 and under

Have a "howling" good time during our annual Hitchcock Haunted Hollow treasure hunt! This all-ages program is the perfect way to get outdoors, learn something new about the natural world, and explore autumn in Iowa's Loess Hills. Swing by the Loess Hills Lodge during designated hours to grab your spooky trail map with clues, then hit the trails to see if you can find the answers and return victorious. Don't forget to swing back by the lodge before it closes to grab your prize when you're done! Costumes are welcome.

A mobility-friendly map will also be available for families with clues specific to Boardwalk trail.

All Hallows Eve Festival

Botna Bend Park | Saturday, October 22nd | 5:00 p.m. to 7:30 p.m.

Free with $3/vehicle park entry or annual membership| All ages

LEARN MORE

This annual fundraiser supports the Pottawattamie Conservation Foundation and funds land management projects, county park improvements, and environmental education for all ages. Join us for a night of fun, a silent and live auction, Full Fledged Brewing Company beer tasting, Barley's burgers and food, a growler and wine pull, and the premiere of Pottawattamie Conservation's "Fire on the Prairie" video.

Prairie Seed Harvest with Golden Hills RC&D

Hitchcock Nature Center | Sunday, October 23rd | 5:00 to 6:30 p.m.

Free (no park entry required for volunteers) | All ages

LEARN MORE

3rd Annual Halloween Witchy Woods Walk

Hitchcock Nature Center | Saturday, October 29th | 3:00 p.m. to 5:30 p.m.

$12 per person | Ages 16+

You'll see the changing forest in a whole new light after this Halloween hike with Dustin Clayton! Learn about the plant, animal, and mineral communities of the Loess Hills and their significance in the seasonal folklore associated with Halloween. If time allows, we'll return to the lodge for a demonstration of items and techniques discussed on the hike.

Bison Fest

Botna Bend Park | Saturday, November 5th | 11:00 a.m. to 2:00 p.m.

Free with $3/vehicle park entry or annual membership| All ages

LEARN MORE

In honor of National Bison Day, come visit our bison herd out at Botna Bend Park and learn more about this magnificent species and the conservation efforts that help protect them. Swing by for free, fun, family-friendly activities, including:

Meet Botna Bend’s live bison herd
Atlatl and bison chip throwing
Bison wool spinning
Hay rack rides
Bison artifacts
Live music
Crafts
Food
Fossil finding demonstration | Learn how to search for and find fossils
Prairie hike | Learn how bison support vital prairie ecosystems

Subscribe to the UNleashCB Bulletin to keep up-to-date with upcoming events in Council Bluffs and Pottawattamie County. Every Thursday, you'll receive a list of events happening that week, from concerts to family-friendly activities to community events and more!

Stay in the loop. Click on an individual park below to learn more or follow its Facebook page.

Arrowhead Park | Botna Bend Park | Hitchcock Nature Center

Mount Crescent Ski Area | Old Town Park | Narrows River Park

Pottawattamie Conservation | pottconservation.com | (712)-328-5638