decorahnews.com special report: Neste Valley Park will be a jewel in Winneshiek County

(Photos by decorahnews.com's Paul Scott)(Click on photos for larger images)

The Neste Valley Recreational Area sits less than a mile south of HIghway 9 and west of HIghway 52, just within a couple of minutes' drive from Decorah.

Most of us probably know the area as "part of the property that will be used to build another bike trail, this one between Decorah and Calmar."  But a recent visit to the area proves there's a whole lot of other reasons to be excited about the addition of this property to the county park system--eventually.

First, some statistics.  The property includes 170 acres.  There's Dry Run Creek--which isn't an appropriate name for the creek in this location.  There are 70 acres of mature woodland.

This will be the first new park established by Winneshiek County Conservation in 21 year.  Plans call for picnicking, camping, cabins, even environmental education on the site.

But the project never would have become a reality without in interesting partnership between a number of groups.  We'll talk about that partnership in our next story.

A large barn sits on the property

Despite its location close to Decorah, the property is peaceful and serene