Luster Heights sits at 855 feet along the Great River Road, facing south, with land dropping 239 feet within 600 meters of the overlook. Limery Ridge Savanna State Natural Area lies to the south-southeast, 5.4 miles out, at 1,076 feet in elevation. The nearest towns are Decorah, 32.2 miles west-northwest, Platteville, 45.6 miles southeast, and Oelwein, 49.1 miles southwest. The site takes its name from Luster Heights Prison Farm, a minimum-security satellite facility of Anamosa State Penitentiary operated by the Iowa Department of Corrections. It was located in the Yellow River State Forest about five miles south of Harpers Ferry, in Fairview Township in southeastern Allamakee County, and housed approximately 60 male inmates with a capacity of 88. Sunrise and sunset times vary across the year, with the June solstice offering the longest span of daylight, from 05:26 to 20:49, and the December solstice the shortest, from 07:34 to 16:33. Indian Head Rock is the previous lookout on the route, and The Stone Tower follows.
Named terrain inside the view from this overlook, nearest first.
| Date | Sunrise | Sunset | Golden hour |
|---|---|---|---|
| March equinox | 07:09 | 19:17 | 18:40 |
| June solstice | 05:26 | 20:49 | 20:05 |
| September equinox | 06:53 | 19:04 | 18:26 |
| December solstice | 07:34 | 16:33 | 15:47 |
Local time (America/Chicago). Computed for this exact position.
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Luster Heights Prison Farm was a satellite facility of Anamosa State Penitentiary and operated by the Iowa Department of Corrections. It was located in the Yellow River State Forest about five miles south of Harpers Ferry. It was situated in Fairview Township, in southeastern Allamakee County. The minimum-security facility housed approximately 60 male inmates, with a capacity of 88.
luster Heights sits at about 855 feet (261 m).
From luster Heights: Limery Ridge Savanna State Natural Area (SSE, 5.4 mi).
Decorah, 32 miles WNW of luster Heights.
The Stone Tower is the next surfaced lookout along the same route after luster Heights.
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