Gull Point State Park

The Iowa Great Lakes were carved by the last great ice sheet to cover this part of the Midwest, which ground across the land and, as it melted back, left behind deep basins and blocks of buried ice that later melted into lakes. West Okoboji is the deepest of them, a cold, spring-fed lake with water clear enough to see far down, one of the few true blue-water lakes anywhere.

That glacial origin set the whole region apart from the flat farmland around it, giving northwest Iowa a cluster of interconnected lakes, marshes, and wooded shores unlike anything else in the state. Gull Point sits on one of the loveliest stretches, a point of high, oak-shaded ground reaching out into the clear water of West Okoboji.

Like many of Iowa's older state parks, Gull Point carries the mark of the Civilian Conservation Corps, the Depression-era program that put young men to work building trails, shelters, and lodges across the country's parks. The park's stone lodge and shelters date from that era, solidly built of native materials and still in use, giving the grounds a handsome, timeworn character.

The park mixes woodland and shoreline, with oak groves shading the higher ground and a sandy edge along the lake. Trails wind through the trees and out toward the point, and the lodge and picnic areas make it a natural gathering place, the kind of park generations of Iowa families have returned to summer after summer.

The Iowa Great Lakes are the state's premier summer playground, and Gull Point puts you right on West Okoboji for swimming, paddling, fishing, and sailing. The clear, deep water is a draw for boaters and anglers alike, and the shady point is a fine base for a day on the lake or a quiet afternoon in the trees while the busier shores hum nearby.

The area around the lakes offers the full summer-resort mix, from a classic old amusement park to lakeside dining and shops, so a visit can swing easily between the calm of the park and the fun of the towns. In the off-season the crowds thin, the woods go quiet, and the lakes take on a different, wilder beauty.

The lakes region lies within the historic homelands of the Dakota, whose peoples lived across the prairies, marshes, and lakeshores of this corner of Iowa and the wider northern plains. The name Spirit Lake carries an echo of the deeper history and meaning these waters held long before the resort towns rose along their shores.

The prairie pothole country around the lakes, a landscape of shallow marshes and wetlands left by the same glaciers, remains one of the most important stretches of North America for nesting and migrating waterfowl. Between the clear blue lakes, the wooded points, and the surrounding wetlands, the region is a rare pocket of watery, wildlife-rich country in a state better known for its corn.

The closest Boutel™ stays, so you can turn this stop into an overnight. Each is an independently owned, editorially selected place to stay.