Skip to content

Big Mill Homestead

Big Mill Homestead from directly overhead

Big Mill Homestead is a park in Iowa, at a modelled elevation of 205 m. White Hill stands 381 m to the northeast, 24 miles off. The nearest named place is Big Mill Creek Wildlife Management Area, a nature reserve 0.4 miles away. Grant Wood Scenic Byway passes 4.7 miles off. 18 named summits stand within 25 miles.

Built circa 1845, this two story limestone farmstead was probably built as a dormitory for Paradise Farm owned by the Potter family. Added to the National Register of Historical Places in 1991.

What to expect

Operated by
Jackson County Conservation

Official site

How to reach it

Coordinates42.27095, -90.51752

Overlooks nearby

Named places within 25 miles

Parks
  • John Henry Weber Park: 3.9 mi
  • J.J.'s Memorial Park: 4.3 mi
  • David Ensign Memorial Ballpark: 4.4 mi
  • Cole Park: 4.5 mi
  • Ernst Memorial Park: 4.5 mi
Artworks: 51
Museums: 24
Historic sites: 23
Attractions: 23
Peaks: 18
  • North Bluff: 4.5 mi
  • South Bluff: 5.2 mi
  • Pilot Knob: 8.8 mi
  • Dygerts Mound: 10.1 mi
  • Horseshoe Mound: 11.1 mi
Cliffs: 4
Beaches: 3
Springs: 3
  • Marsden Well: 11.0 mi
  • Cedar Spring: 13.3 mi
  • Plum Creek Spring: 21.8 mi
Waterfalls: 2
  • Thunder Bay Falls: 12.4 mi
  • Apple Canyon Waterfall: 20.5 mi
Rest areas: 1
Picnic sites: 1
  • Pavilion: 21.0 mi
Ghost towns: 1

Summits around it

The highest named summits within 25 miles of Big Mill Homestead. Elevation from each summit’s own record; bearing measured between the two coordinates.

SummitBearingElevationDistance
White HillNE 38°381 m23.8 mi
Charles MoundNE 41°374 m21.5 mi
Mount SumnerNE 55°357 m23.5 mi
Scales MoundNE 43°356 m18.5 mi
Squirrel Grove MoundNE 50°355 m24.4 mi
Hudson MoundNE 50°354 m22.4 mi
Sinsinawa MoundN 356°353 m17.6 mi
Sundown MountainNW 318°348 m23.0 mi

When to go

Light through the year

DateSunriseGolden hourSunset
March equinox07:0618:3719:14
June solstice05:2620:0020:43
September equinox06:5018:2419:01
December solstice07:2815:4816:33

Local time (America/Chicago).

Climate normals

Months averaging 50–80 °F: May–Oct.

JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDec
Avg °F212436486070747264523827
Precip in1.31.62.23.84.25.64.33.83.63.22.31.9

1991–2020 U.S. Climate Normals, NOAA NCEI — Bellevue L&D 12, 5 mi away.

  • Fantail Darter6 obs
  • Blanchard's Cricket Frog4 obs
  • White-tailed Deer3 obs
  • Trumpeter Swan2 obs
  • Red-winged Blackbird2 obs
  • Amur honeysuckle2 obs
  • Slimy Sculpin2 obs
  • Marsh Wren1 obs

Research-grade iNaturalist community observations within 3 km — what people have recorded, not a species inventory.

Where this comes from

Location and category confirmed against OpenStreetMap.

OpenStreetMapWikipediaWikidataOfficial site

OpenStreetMap element way/1097633841

More parks in Iowa

Day trips start here

Drive to it

Byway plans a real route around stops like this one.

Private beta · Free to join

Take the scenic way to Big Mill Homestead.

Byway plans around your taste, verified places, real weather and opening hours — then opens every leg in Google Maps with one tap.

Private beta · Free to join · No card · Invite when a spot opens