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Cedar Rapids, Iowa 52401
Palisades-Kepler State Park reopening Friday
State park near Mount Vernon is the last state park to reopen after the Aug. 10 derecho
Palisades-Kepler State Park, near Mount Vernon, will reopen Friday, nine months after the Aug. 10 derecho felled trees and damaged the lodge.
Roads, hiking trails, picnic areas and fishing access points are again all usable, according to a news release. Visitors can start making campground reservations through the online reservation site on April 23, the same day the park opens.
The lodge will be closed for the 2021 recreation season due to extensive roof damage.
Palisades is the final state park to open after the derecho.
Other state parks affected by the storm were Lake Macbride, in Johnson County; Pleasant Creek, in Linn County; Wapsipinicon, in Jones County; Big Creek and Walnut Woods, both in Polk County; Ledges, in Boone County; Rock Creek, in Jasper County, Wildcat Den, in Muscatine County, and Union Grove, in Tama County.
Comments: (319) 339-3157; erin.jordan@thegazette.com
A notice posted April 23, 2020, announces the closing of the campground at Palisades-Kepler State Park near Mount Vernon during the pandemic. The park, which sustained derecho damage last August, reopens Friday. ,(Rebecca F. Miller/The Gazette)
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