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Final items being checked off before Pikes Peak campground can re-open

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Final items are still being checked off at Pikes Peak State Park’s renovated campground before it can open to visitors. Improvements include an upgraded electrical system, additional water hydrants, roomier camp pads and pull-through and full hookup campsites. All sites will have new fire rings and picnic tables. A second dump station (shown here) has been added as well. (Photo by Audrey Posten)

By Audrey Posten, Times-Register

 

Final items are still being checked off at Pikes Peak State Park’s renovated campground before it can open to visitors. When that is will largely be weather dependent, according to park manager Andy Roach.

 

He said seeding, as well as fixes to better orient several camp pads, was completed this spring. Alpine Communications still has to put in fiber optic internet and wi-fi at the check-in station, and Allamakee-Clayton Electric has to add electrical meters to power the campground.

 

“There are a lot of ins and outs behind the scenes that people don’t realize have to be done in order to get all the boxes checked,” Roach said. “I want to make sure everything is good for the end user.”

 

The campground was closed for construction all last season, as was the main parking lot for part of the year. Roach said elevation changes associated with repaving the parking lot set the project back over a month last fall.

 

“[The contractor] was going to do a full takeout of the blacktop and put sub-base in, but due to the archeological nature of the area, they were only able to mill off an inch. Then they overlaid concrete over the blacktop. When that elevation grade coming from the parking lot that linked up to the campground—when those weren’t going to mesh—there was a big change order to make sure they tapered down the concrete to make everything jive coming into the campground. That set everything back, so they weren’t able to get finished last fall and get everything seeded,” he explained.

 

Improvements at the campground, which was originally built in the 1960s, include an upgraded electrical system, roomier camp pads and pull-through and full hookup campsites. All sites will have new fire rings and picnic tables as well.

 

“The original campground was 65 sites. We’re down to 60 now. There are seven full hookup sites and 13 pull-throughs and the rest are back ins,” Roach said. “Everything has 20-amp, regular GFCI outlets, a 30-amp RV plug and a 50-amp RV plug. There are a couple sites with water close by, but not all sites have a direct water hydrant.”

 

A second dump station was also added. Previously, the single dump station often did not have enough storage for the lift station to keep up on a busy Sunday, resulting in back ups and campers having to wait. A second dump station will alleviate that, Roach said.

 

“And if the dump stations are occupied and there’s a full hookup site that’s available to be used, it’s going to the same place. So in a round about way, we have nine [stations],” he added.

 

Roach, who took over as park manager last summer, is excited for visitors to enjoy the new campground. 

 

“It’s not only going to benefit Iowa State Parks in general and enhance our campground revenue, it’s going to have an economic impact on the surrounding area. People from the campground are going to go to businesses in McGregor and Clayton County,” he said.

 

In the meantime, people can continue to visit the park as normal. The water is on and the restrooms are open. Once the campground officially opens, the shower room will open too.

 

Roach said one of the biggest accomplishments he’s spearheaded is clearing the hillside between the main overlooks to restore the view shed.

 

“People come to Pikes Peak for a reason—to see the view of the Mississippi River and confluence of the Wisconsin River,” he stated.

 

This year, he also hopes to assess and rehab some of Pikes Peak’s trails. The area’s steep terrain makes maintaining trails difficult, especially when there are large rain events.

 

“Any more, we don’t get a half-inch of rain but a three-inch rain. All that water has to go through or under or over the trail and it’s hard to maintain trails in those areas,” Roach explained. “I want to implement more water bars to divert water off trails and save the integrity of the base of the trail. Then they will dry out faster when we get those heavy rains, and it will make the trail better for all end users.”

 

Perhaps highest on Roach’s to-do list, though, is re-establishing the Pikes Peak State Park friends group. He invites people to call the park office at (563) 873-2341 if they are interested in joining or becoming a board member.

 

“I’m trying to keep the friends group alive and the concession building open because it helps out the park dramatically. Any of those funds the friends group raises, be it firewood, clothing or popcorn at the concession stand, all that money stays at the park. That’s a benefit because I have a budget I have to stay within for facility maintenance and seasonal staff,” he said.

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