Page County: Nature Trails, Museums and Local History

Page County can be explored through a wide range of travel interests: trails and waterways sit alongside museums, art and local history. Rapp Park combines a park area of about 207 acres with a location along the East Nishnabotna River. Visitors looking to combine nature experiences with culture will find several points of interest in the county’s towns.

Nature, Rivers and Trails

Rapp Park has about 2.5 miles of trails around the park and provides access to the East Nishnabotna River. Pierce Creek Recreation Area offers something different: about seven miles of multi-use trails and a 30-acre lake where fishing is possible. The campground has horse corrals; the obstacle course is intended for general use. Trails, fishing and facilities for equestrian interests are thus distinct offerings.

The trail lengths also span different scales. The Clarinda Community Trail is one mile long, eight feet wide and made of concrete. Rapp Park has about 2.5 miles of trails around the grounds, while Pierce Creek Recreation Area has about seven miles of multi-use trails. The Wabash Trace Nature Trail is considerably longer: this 63-mile rail corridor converted into a trail runs through Page County and includes more than 70 bridges. If cycling or hiking is among your travel interests, it offers a distinctive regional point of reference.

The Page County Conservation Office includes an education center with exhibits about native species found in Iowa today and extinct native species. There is also a river access area behind the office. This connection to nature complements the trails and river access at Rapp Park.

Museums, Art and Regional History

In Clarinda, the Glenn Miller Birthplace Museum explores the musician’s life and influence. The 3,000-square-foot museum is next to Glenn Miller’s birthplace and covers his rise to stardom, his service in World War II and the influence of his music over the decades. Clarinda is also home to the Clarinda Carnegie Art Museum, housed in the restored 1909 Carnegie Library. Together, a musical life story and a historic library building offer two distinct cultural interests in Clarinda.

The museums in Shenandoah and elsewhere in the county offer further insights into history. The Shenandoah Veterans Memorial Museum preserves local history through exhibits, educational lectures and interactive workshops. The Nodaway Valley Historical Museum preserves and displays thousands of artifacts related to the history of Page County, Iowa, the state and the United States; it was founded in 1988. In Shenandoah, the Greater Shenandoah Historical Society displays Homer the Mammoth alongside several Ice Age fossils.

Shenandoah’s history is also connected to radio: radio played a significant role in the town’s history, Shenandoah was once called “Radio City,” and it continues to offer entertainment. Visitors interested in local culture and places of remembrance can include this aspect in their travel plans alongside museums and historical collections.

Seasonal Events and Hotel Location

Food vendors are part of the annual Craft Carnival in Clarinda. Participating vendors may vary from one year to the next. Baseball is another seasonal draw: the Clarinda Iowa A’s are a college summer baseball team founded in 1954; their membership in the MINK League may change. If you’re planning a visit around a specific event or game, it’s a good idea to check the dates in advance.

Discover more destinations: Clarinda, Johnson, Winneshiek County, Sioux County, Jefferson County, Harrison County, Mahaska County, Woodbury

For the broader travel overview: Iowa.