Bruce Childs Access

The tornado that devastated Parkersburg, Iowa on Sunday May 25th, 2008  rated an EF-5 by the National Weather Service, also did extensive damage to Bruce Childs Access.  An EF-5 is, in reality,  one of the strongest possible classification a tornado can receive.   A tornado with this classification will exhibit winds of over 200 miles per hour.   The  tornado cut a path 43 miles long and between 3/4 of a mile to 1.2 miles wide.  It was only the second EF-5 tornado this decade in the U.S. 

Bruce Childs Access is comprised of 95 acres of flood plain woodlands.  The access is adjacent to the Wapsipinicon River.  The “Wapsi” provides excellent opportunities for a variety of outdoor activities such as canoeing,  hunting, fishing and bird watching. Fisherman can find northern pike and walleyes in this stretch of the "Wapsi".  The "Wapsi" Water Trail also winds its way through Bruce Childs Access :  Iowa DNR water trails information.  Within the park  white tailed deer and turkey have plenty of habitat and are very likely to be found within the park boundaries during hunting season.  Hikers within the park will find the trails a bit more difficult to access due to the damage done by the tornado.

Bird watchers can encounter Sand Hill Cranes,  wild turkey,  osprey and a variety of waterfowl along the length of the river.  Although the damage done by the tornado has made some access to the park more of a challenge,  there is still a plenty of woodland territory to be explored by sportsman and hikers alike.

In order to find more detailed information about the tornado and its path visit:
The May 25th tornado

Park boundaries may not be clearly marked in all locations within the park so please be aware of park boundaries and respect private property.

Location

Bruce Childs Access is located 2.5 miles north and 2 miles east of Dunkerton.  The access is off of Cedar Wapsi Road east of Dunkerton.    Access to the river is provided in the form of a canoe launch site.  The park provides wetland and woodland hunting.  The 95 acres of public hunting has been made somewhat more difficult to access due to the damage done by the tornado.  Much of the parks previously existing tree species were decimated by the damage done due to the power of the 2008 tornado.  Logging companies were brought in to help clear some of the downed trees but much of the damage done by the tornado is still evident within the park boundaries.

Features

Parking
Wetland and woodland public hunting
Canoe access point to the Wapsipinicon River
Bird watching
Hiking
Cross country skiing
Hunting

States hunting and fishing regulations

Operating Hours & Seasons

Contact Us:
Black Hawk County Conservation Board
1346 West Airline Hwy
Waterloo, IA 50703
Phone: (319) 433-PARK (7275)   Fax: (319) 433-7276
conservation@co.black-hawk.ia.us

Park hours; 6:00 a.m. to 10:30 p.m.

Closures

Related Items

Bruce Childs Access - Printable Map (204 k)