This was the first hike we took this weekend.  It was to one of the Copperas Beds located in the park.  The trail started in the parking lot of the South Lodge and followed an easy path back a few hundred feet to a bridge.  You could either cross the bridge and continue on, or there was a small overlook to get a better view of the beds.  

After seeing the Copperas Beds, we decided to continue over the bridge, and on down the trail.  The whole loop was just a little over a mile.  The trail ended up going along a ridge on the north side of Prairie Creek. It was a good climb to the top, but there were two different ways to get to the there.  One path lead up a gently sloping trail, and the other was up a set of steps built by the CCC.

The last hike we took for the weekend was one I had been wanting to take for a while.  There is a trail that goes up to the ridge near the playground area.  You cross a bridge that overlooks a nice little wading area, and then there is a steep climb to the top.  At the top, there are a couple of burial mounds as well as two different trails to take.  In the past, we have taken the south trail that leads to the south part of the park.  The other goes east and ends up going down the other side of the ridge to the edge of the Des Moines River.  IF you try this, keep in mind that the climb is a good climb down and back up again.  It looked as if the trail wrapped around the base of the ridge, but I was not feeling too well and we decided to head back.  Unfortunately, I spent the rest of the weekend in bed due to a fever.  I still want to go back and explore along the river a bit more.