A major plan is in the works to enhance a recreational area in the Loess Hills of western Iowa. Crescent Hill at Hitchcock, located north of the Omaha metro area near Honey Creek, includes a ski hill that has been in operation since the 1960s, as well as a 1,500-acre nature preserve.
“These outdoor areas, especially if they're kind of naturalized, high-quality, natural areas, really have a strong impact on the human psyche — what it does for stress relief, all of these things,” said Jeff Franco, the executive director of Pottawattamie County Conservation. “You could also make the argument that these outdoor spaces, green spaces, are one of the primary reasons that people look to either stay in an area or move to an area.”
Franco said work is underway to raise at least $25 million for the enhancement project, which consists of three phases of development that could include a new tubing hill, cabins, an amphitheater and plenty of public spaces.
“It'll take a little bit for us to work through this plan to ensure that we're doing this in a sustainable manner, but we're confident that once we finally get there with all of this, this is going to be something great for the state of Iowa,” he added.
Studies have ranked Iowa near the bottom of the nation for publicly-owned land.
“Despite Pottawattamie County being the second-largest county in size and the 10th-largest county when it comes to population, we should be in the top 10 in all categories of public land offerings," Franco said. "But we're really kind of falling behind. So this is an opportunity for us to better serve the citizens of this county and its visitors."
Franco also feels the location showcases one of nature’s marvels.
“This is a globally significant landform — there are only two Loess Hills landforms on the planet. One is in China, the other one is right here in western Iowa," Franco said. "Unfortunately, the Loess Hills in China have degraded to the point where they no longer possess any of their natural characteristics, which makes the Loess Hills of western Iowa the only Loess Hills land form on the planet that still possesses their natural characteristics. So, [it's] extremely unique.”
At one time, Franco said 85% of Iowa was covered with tall grass prairie and mixed grass prairie, but only a small portion remains.
“Some of the largest and highest quality tracts of prairie exist at Hitchcock Nature Center on the surrounding properties,” Franco said. “So that was another reason for wanting to expand Hitchcock Nature Center to include Mt. Crescent, at the time, now Crescent Hill, is to protect those Loess Hills that are so globally significant, so globally unique, and some of the last remnants of Iowa's natural history.”
Pottawattamie County purchased the former Mt. Crescent Ski Area in 2021.
The upgrades could take five to 10 years to complete and will be funded without using taxpayer money.
“It could be a little bit shorter, it could be a little bit longer. It’s really going to be dependent on our fundraising efforts and what market conditions are telling us,” Franco said. “We're certainly hoping that this is one of the biggest attractions in Iowa when this is all fully fleshed out.”
