Cardinal Marsh—Winneshiek County's "best-kept secret?"

(by decorahnews.com's Paul Scott):

On Friday, I discussed how Cardinal Marsh on the western edge of Winneshiek County has been called "a hidden gem" and a "best-kept secret."  

These 1,150 acres qualify as being "a gem."  They also qualify as being "hidden" and a "secret."  If you're driving to Cardinal Marsh, you'd better already know where it is—because there's no point in looking for signs on either County A-46 or on Highway 9.  I know because I've looked!  Like so many places in Iowa, the residents might know, but the visitors don't.

Even if you were to take 345th Street on the border of Howard and Winneshiek Counties, going north from A-46 or south from Highway 9, you'd have to pay close attention to looking for signs of the marsh.  It's on the eastern side of the road, just north of Madison Road.  Once you spot it, you'll have to look for a parking lot.  Cardinal Marsh has six locations generously termed "parking spaces."   The biggest parking area is at the end of a road which is only marked by a blue property sign with the number 2682,  You have to already know to turn into this driveway, then drive very slowly over potholes and bumps in order to get to a nice parking area near a boat ramp.

Maybe the point of the lack of signage is to keep this as a "preserve," without the problems that follow when crowds of people start arriving.  I can understand the logic if that's the case.  Yes, Cardinal Marsh is a "hidden gem."  I'm just wondering if it needs to be "a very, very hidden gem."