♪♪ [Kohlsdorf] Tucked along highway 141, a sprawling stretch of prairie, river valley and winding trails invites travelers to slow down and explore Iowa's wild side, a peaceful escape just off the open road.

[Kate Compton] We're at Whiterock Conservancy.

It is a 5500 acre non-profit land trust, one of the only in the state of Iowa.

♪♪ [Kate Compton] Whiterock focuses on a three part mission, which is ecological restoration, regenerative agriculture, and then connecting those two things through recreation.

So bringing people out here to enjoy all pieces of our mission and the land, and getting people back in touch with nature.

♪♪ [Kate Compton] We have fishing, we have canoeing and kayaking on the river, which we do protect eight miles of the middle Raccoon River here at Whiterock Conservancy, which is really exciting.

We have lots of overnight accommodations, including three campgrounds, both modern and primitive, as well as Airbnb houses, yurts and lots of cabins that you can recreate in.

♪♪ [Kate Compton] We are the furthest away from some of the the light pollution of our metro areas.

So we have the best viewing of the night sky.

And on most nights, and of course, I can't control cloud cover, but on most nights you can even see the Milky Way from our Starfield campground, which is really neat.

So one of the most famous things that Whiterock is known for is our 40 mile multi-use trail system, including equestrian trails, mountain biking trails, hiking trails, and we also do guided Gator tours for people that might have mobility issues so that they can get out and experience the land as well.

Being able to come out and get lost essentially in Iowa, it's a hard thing to do, but that is something that I hear a lot about why people love to visit Whiterock, because they can come out here, get lost in nature and, and really make that connection.

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