Pilot Knob tower is located in Pilot Knob State Park, about four miles east of Forest City via Highway 9 or Pilot Knob Road (340th St.) The tower’s top is Iowa’s second-highest point at 1,450 feet above sea level. In 1990 the Pilot Knob tower was placed on the list of Historical properties in Iowa.

The tower, built of glacial boulders, was erected by the Civilian Conservation Corps in 1934. Pilot Knob State Park is 375 acres of hills and ridges covered with dense forests and shrubbery, lying along the valley of Lime Creek. The park was named for a hill rising 300 feet above the prairie. The 40 ft. high stone look-out is built atop the hill. On a clear day the hills of Minnesota, more than 20 miles to the north are visible.