dunnings spring park

A local jem. Small gorgeous waterfall on the edge of Decorah, tucked away in a quaint nature park with a few picnic benches, short hiking trails, narrow creek to soak your feet, and all in all get away from stressors in life for an hour or two without having to travel far at all.

Nice little park with big waterfall for the Midwest. We walked here from the Hotel Winneshiek. Don't miss the trial to the south side of the pick nick area that leads you to a great view of Decorah. If we had a more time we would have gone farther, but we turned back after reaching the first overlook of the Upper Iowa River valley.

Tricky little road to find, but worth the effort. Make sure you hike the surrounding woods. parking is easy.

Beautiful natural spring just outside of town. Can climb and hike or have a picnic. Great for picture-taking.

And on a sweltering day, that's enough to make me happy. There was a waterfall feeding the stream with ice cold water. Since it was so shallow and I had on Crocs, I had the bright idea to just walk into it. I thought my feet were gong to freeze and break off. The park was pretty and green, really small but nice. The trees gave nice shade all across the park. I could have stayed there all day. We saw several hikers coming off the adjacent trail (s) but we didn't check them out.

Cool place, pretty quiet but it's very small. Not much parking, nice place for a family picnic.you can hike a trial that go's behind the falls it nice.

The waterfall very peaceful and romantic. A quiet refuge from city. Good view of fall trees and downtown Decorah

Take the few minutes drive to see this lovely waterfall. It's a hidden little gem - feels like you're out in the wilderness but it's really right in town. So pretty, especially in fall.

Decorah is a small town, but this place was hard to find, even with helpful directions from a local citizen. The key is to look for the small Dunning Springs sign on the left side of the road as you are headed south. Once we arrived, it was underwhelming. It's a nice 15 minute visit. Go early in the morning if you are there on a weekend. Otherwise you may not find a place to park. Parking space for 10 cars, max.

Dunning's Spring Park is simply one of the most beautiful places I have been. Bring your camera! You are nearly guaranteed a beautiful photo! The park is quiet, peaceful, shady and cool. The springs gush out from the rocky hill and dance and splash down the steep rocks to create a rushing narrow stream to throw cool air over you as you rest on a bench nearby. No matter how hot the day may be, you will cool off near Dunning's Springs! There is a winding wooden stairway to take you upward for a different view of the spring and the stream if you wish, but the serenity of simply resting nearby in the peacefulness is what I love the most. This small park is one of my favorite places, no matter what season I might stop to visit.

If you are in Decorah, IA for an hour or more I STRONGLY encourage you to take 15 minutes, more if you have the time, and make a journey to this hidden gem. It's natural formations of limestone, the crystal clear water cascading over well worn rocks to create a beautiful waterfall, the well chilled stream it flows in to, and the incredible diversity of cliff faces accompanied by trails for walking, hiking, biking, or tables to sit and just relax make this a "Must see" location in my book. I have had the joy of seeing, no, living the experience during all four seasons. To describe it would take far too much space. Let me simply say the hills ARE alive and you can clearly see this here at Dunning's Spring. The site was the home of an actual mill, back in the day. The trip up this tight little road suddenly opens to reveal the wonder of the landscape. Any time of the year is a great time to visit. If you have only 15 minutes, or hours to explore, this as many locations in the Decorah area will reward you for your efforts.You can be from any generation to visit and enjoy this natural wonder. You do not need special clothes, you can simply sit in the car and look at the waterfall and stream or you can grab a quick sandwich and enjoy it at one of the picnic tables. Young or mature, firm or infirm, you will enjoy this little escape.

Yes, the sign is small and the road in/out is very narrow. But what a great place to visit. Very cold water flows out of a cave and creates a nice waterfall. Reminded me of being in the Smokies more than being in Iowa! There is a worn trail up the right side of the falls the kids and we enjoyed climbing. On the left is a very nice wooden stairs/path to the top of the falls and provides a view of the cave. I met a Park worker there and he told me about the Ice Cave which is close by. Turn right when the entrance road meets the main road and go about two miles. On the left is a cave where the ground water freezes and stays frozen thru the Spring. Folks used to store ice there for the summer. We all (3 adults, 3 kids ages 8-15) had a great time and enjoyed it immensely. Kids want to go back tomorrow!

Beautiful falls, nice cool temperature in the heat of summer. Walking trails too, although they are steep in places! One note about how to find Dunnings Springs--- when you turn off of College Drive, the springs are just about a block up and to your LEFT.... the parking area on the right has trail access (other trails along the river), but you can drive UP the hill to the springs, where there is also a parking area (no bathrooms though). There is just a small sign which doesn't stand out much, so be watching carefully!

On our trip to the Decorah area, we found the Dunnings Spring Park. The smallish signs make it a bit of a challenge and the narrow road up to the parking area is not made for SUV and another vehicle. But once there, it was a delightfully cool oasis (elsewhere in the city it was upper 80's, here close to 70) with all the sound effects you would expect from water dashing over rocks and falling 50 feet or so. The stairs to the top made the walk challenging but pleasant. There were several photo opportunities. Was well worth the time.

We went here for an hour or two. We hiked up the stairs to the viewing area and then hiked back down to put our feet in the springs. The water is cold so you can't stay in for long. You only need an hour or two here but it's a great place for a picnic. The waterfall is beautiful and great for photos