Bluff Creek is a tributary of the Des Moines River and meanders through the Everett Casey Nature Reserve at a soft-sloping angle.
Russet-colored oaks on Casey’s west bluff create a dramatic backdrop in autumn.In winter Bluff Creek reflects the sapphire of a bluebird sky.High rushing waters fill the creek bed in spring. The height of the water, just above knee-high, combined with the velocity make it tough to wade across the creek to Casey’s west bluff.Animals use the frozen creek as an ice highway during the winter. It’s easy to catalogue the various wildlife species according to hoof tracks and markings. We’ve noted an abundance of activity: deer, wild turkey, beaver, muskrats, coyotes, bobcat & raccoons.Often a lead will open in the frozen surface of the ice on Bluff Creek. The always-moving water beneath creates a burbling audio.A July month with no rain yields an ankle-deep thread of water in Bluff Creek, and it is possible to find bison fossils among the cobbles.
