Starr's Cave State Preserve

Starr’s Cave State Preserve is a 184-acre area containing a rugged, semiforested landscape and a large cave. It is located along the precipitous valley of Flint Creek on the northern edge of Burlington in Des Moines County, southeastern Iowa. 

As early as 1924, local citizens expressed interest in preserving the scenic beauty of the area as a state park. In 1974, the Iowa Conservation Commission purchased the first tract from the Dunn family, who had owned the property since the early 1900s. The area was dedicated as a geological state preserve in 1978, with a later addition in 1992. 

About the Land

The topography of the preserve is typical of the Southern Iowa Drift Plain landform region. The picturesque bluffs display strata containing the geological “type-section” of the Starrs Cave Formation. It was named after its former landowner, William Starr, a German immigrant who settled in the area in the early 1860s. 

Geology

The three-foot-thick, light gray limestone is identified by its small, white, rounded grains (oolites) and abundant fossils, particularly: 

• Brachiopods
• Horn corals
• Segments of crinoid stems 

The Segments of crinoid stems are formed in a shallow sea that covered much of the Midwest during the Mississippian period (350 million years ago). It occurs between other fossiliferous Mississippian and Devonian formations (375 million years old). 

Starr’s Cave is named for the long, narrow cavern within the bluff along the north side of the Flint Creek valley. The cave is the largest of several caves that are found within the preserve. This cave, plus the sinkholes and springs elsewhere in the vicinity of Burlington, are characteristic features of “karst topography.” Crinoids are well displayed on the walls and ceiling of the 750-foot-long cave. 

History

Long before European settlement, Sac and Meskwaki (Fox) Indians used flint from the 100-foot-tall bluffs bordering Flint Creek to fashion arrowheads, spearpoints, and other tools. 

Five prehistoric open-air habitation sites, two rock shelters, and three conical mounds have been found in the preserve. 

Directions

1. From the intersection of Highway 34 and Highway 61 in Burlington, take Highway 61 north for 1 mile to Sunnyside Avenue (watch for sign). 
2. Turn east (right) and go 0.5 mile to Irish Ridge Road (watch for sign). 
3. Turn north (left) and go 0.75 mile to Starr’s Cave Road, the preserve entrance on the west side of the road (sign: Starr’s Cave State Preserve).

Plants

Biologically, the preserve contains a variety of habitats, including forest, prairie openings, old fields, and limestone cliffs. 

On the rolling uplands, forests of white, red, bur, and black oaks, and mockernut hickory are prominent. 

Dry wooded ridges and limestone bluffs have thin soil on which blue ash, chinkapin oak, and eastern red cedar grow. North-facing slopes contain mostly sugar maple and basswood along with red oak and buckeye. Flood-tolerant species such as silver maple, river birch, and green ash can be found in the bottomland forests along Flint Creek. 

The woodlands are rich in spring wildflowers including:

• Hepatica
• Virginia bluebells
• Toothwort
• Wild geranium

By May, false Solomon’s seal, Virginia waterleaf, and Jacob’s ladder add their color. Leafcup and woodland sunflower begin blooming in June followed in July by:

• Starry campion
• Yellow false foxglove
• Zigzag goldenrod

Fall coralroot orchid is one of the last of the wildflowers to be found in the woodland. Several small, prairielike areas are found along the limestone ridges. Limestone outcrops provide habitat for mosses and columbine. 

Visitor Information

The Starr’s Cave Nature Center and picnic areas are located in a 24-acre section that has been designated as a park in the eastern portion of the preserve. 

The nature center building, a big red barn, was first built around the turn of the century. It was renovated in 1960 as the Sycamore Inn, a local hot spot. Since 1982, it has served as a nature center for Des Moines County Conservation Board. 

The Starr’s Cave Nature Center is open weekdays from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. and Sundays from 1 to 4 p.m.