Rock Creek State Park is a state park in
Jasper County,
Iowa
Iowa ( ) is a U.S. state, state in the upper Midwestern United States, Midwestern region of the United States. It borders the Mississippi River to the east and the Missouri River and Big Sioux River to the west; Wisconsin to the northeast, Ill ...
,
United States
The United States of America (USA), also known as the United States (U.S.) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It is a federal republic of 50 U.S. state, states and a federal capital district, Washington, D.C. The 48 ...
, located near the city of
Kellogg.
The park was dedicated in 1952 and includes numerous boat launches and docks, picnic grounds, camping grounds, and trails for horseback riding and hiking. In the winter, the lake may freeze over, and the park is a popular spot for cross-country skiing and snowmobiling.
[
Grinnell is located to the east. The park's proximity to the town as well as a connecting bike path make the park a popular destination for students at ]Grinnell College
Grinnell College ( ) is a Private college, private Liberal arts colleges in the United States, liberal arts college in Grinnell, Iowa, United States. It was founded in 1846 when a group of Congregationalism in the United States, Congregationalis ...
.
Fishing is a popular thing at Rock Creek, Fish species are black and white crappie, largemouth bass
The largemouth bass (''Micropterus nigricans'') is a carnivorous, freshwater fish, freshwater, ray-finned fish in the Centrarchidae (sunfish) family, native to the eastern United States, eastern and central United States, southeastern Canada an ...
, white bass
The white bass, silver bass, or sand bass (''Morone chrysops'') is a freshwater fish of the temperate bass family Moronidae. commonly around 12–15 inches long. The species' main color is silver-white to pale green. Its back is dark, with whit ...
, channel catfish
The channel catfish (''Ictalurus punctatus''), known informally as the "channel cat", is a species of catfish native to North America. They are North America's most abundant catfish species, and the official state fish of Kansas, Missouri, Nebra ...
, black bullhead
The black bullhead or black bullhead catfish (''Ameiurus melas'') is a species of Ameiurus, bullhead catfish. Like other bullhead catfish, it has the ability to thrive in waters that are low in oxygen, brackish, turbid, and/or very warm. It also ...
, bluegill
The bluegill (''Lepomis macrochirus''), sometimes referred to as "bream", "brim", "sunny", or, in Texas, "copper nose", is a species of North American freshwater fish, native to and commonly found in streams, rivers, lakes, ponds and wetlands ea ...
, green sunfish
The green sunfish (''Lepomis cyanellus'') is a species of aggressive freshwater fish in the sunfish family ( Centrarchidae) of order Centrarchiformes. The green sunfish does not always grow large enough to be an appealing target for anglers, ...
, freshwater drum
The freshwater drum, ''Aplodinotus grunniens'', is a fish endemic to North and Central America. It is the only species in the genus ''Aplodinotus'', and is a member of the family Sciaenidae. It is the only North American member of the group that ...
, and walleye
The walleye (''Sander vitreus'', Synonym (taxonomy), synonym ''Stizostedion vitreum''), also called the walleyed pike, yellow pike, yellow pikeperch or yellow pickerel, is a freshwater perciform fish native to most of Canada and to the Northern ...
. Golden shiners also have a small population here, two large golden shiners were caught while fishing for panfish.
References
External links
Rock Creek State Park
Iowa Department of Natural Resources
Rock Creek State Park Map
Iowa Department of Natural Resources
{{authority control
State parks of Iowa
Protected areas established in 1952
1952 establishments in Iowa
Protected areas of Jasper County, Iowa