John A. Latsch State Park

Mount Charity Overlook

The Mississippi River flows into the distance along the base of Mount Charity. Rising more than 500 feet above the river, Mount Charity is one of three bluffs that steamboat captains used to navigate their way down the Mississippi. This overlook is at the top of the Riverview Trail and looks out onto the bluffs, prairie, floodplain forests, and oak forests that make up the 450 acre John A. Latsch State Park.

Riverview Trail Overlook

On the way to the top of Mount Charity, hikers can stop at the Riverview Trail Overlook to get a glimpse of the Mississippi River. Take a break here to look for some of the park wildlife. The park is home to animals such as coyotes, fox, and white-tailed deer and bird life that includes peregrine falcons and many species that migrate through each year.

Riverview Trail Steps

The Riverview Trail steps lead up through a patch of prairie and into the forest. These steps were constructed in the 1990s, before which the trail was highly erodible and much harder to climb. A helicopter had to be used to carry the raw step material to the upper reaches of the trail.

Riverview Trail Rest Stop

Two memorial benches are set alongside the Riverview Trail steps. With 592 steps to climb on this half-mile trail, hikers are sure to be grateful for the chance to rest before continuing on to the top.

Riverview Trailhead

An informational sign at the bottom of a set of wooden steps marks the trailhead of the Riverview Trail, the only marked trail that runs through the park. John A. Latsch State Park was named for a local businessman who donated his land for a state park in 1925. This half mile trail passes through the woods and up the bluff to Mount Charity Overlook, where park visitors can get a spectacular view of the Mississippi River.