Courtlin’s Hiking Adventure [GALLERY]

Yesterday I took a spur of the moment trip to Palisades-Kepler State Park in Mount Vernon, and the scenery there was absolutely STUNNING!

I hate to admit this, but I really haven't done too much exploring in Iowa since I moved here last year. I know there are a TON of beautiful nature spots here, but this summer I just never really took the time to go out and see any of them. On Sunday afternoon one of my friends asked me if I wanted to go hiking, and my immediate response was, "where?" I figured all of the good hiking spots would be a bit of a far drive. Clearly, I was wrong, because Palisades-Kepler State Park is only 20 minutes away! I was BLOWN AWAY by how pretty it was there! We spent some time hiking and walking next to the river, and I took a TON of pictures. These are some of my best ones: