"What we're hearing time and time again is that people want more outdoor activities," Council Bluffs Mayor Jill Shudak told WOWT at the September opening of the new River's Edge attractions. When the weather was warm, those attractions all worked the same way. You walked across, looked around, climbed if you had booked a time, and went home before dark.
November changes how you use them. River's Edge Phase Four is really two attractions on two schedules. The Ty and Linda Heitoff Borman Treetop Walk is free, lit at night and open around the clock. The climbing, caving and rollglider activities at the MidAmerican Energy Adventure Tower right next to it are reservation-only and run three days a week. With darkness coming earlier, most weeknight evenings leave you with the walk alone. The rest of Council Bluffs' November calendar fits around the tower's weekend hours.
Two Attractions, Two Clocks
The city announced the opening of three Phase Four pieces on September 3, 2026: the Treetop Walk, the Adventure Tower and the Charles E. Lakin Foundation Pier. According to WOWT, the tower welcomed its first guests on Saturday, September 19.
Here is how each one runs heading into the cold months:
- Ty and Linda Heitoff Borman Treetop Walk. It is roughly a half mile of elevated walkway through the riverfront woods and connects the Bob Kerrey Pedestrian Bridge to the tower. It is free and needs no reservation. WOWT reports that it is open 24 hours a day, seven days a week, is lit at night and is watched by security cameras that both Council Bluffs Police and Approach Climbing Gym staff can monitor.
- MidAmerican Energy Adventure Tower. The tower stands 138 feet tall and has a 50-foot outdoor climbing wall, dual rollgliders and more than 400 feet of connected simulated caves. Approach Climbing Gym runs all three, and you must book ahead. WOWT reported Friday-through-Sunday hours "through the fall season."
- Charles E. Lakin Foundation Pier. It reaches out past the riverbank and gives you a place to gather above the water.
The walk's round-the-clock schedule rests on how it was built. WOWT reports that it sits above the levee line, is designed to withstand flooding, and will close only if the river rises high enough to threaten the structure. That is why the walk can stay open on a November weeknight while the tower activities are closed.
Where the Free Hours and the Paid Hours Overlap
The Council Bluffs visitors bureau, Unleash CB, lists the tower's hours as 5 to 9 p.m. on Fridays and 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. on Saturdays and Sundays. It is closed Monday through Thursday, and the listing says hours may change. Friday is the only day sessions run into the evening, and weekend sessions end at 6 p.m.
Here is how those hours line up with Council Bluffs' other November dates:
| Date | What's on | Where | Fits with the tower? |
|---|---|---|---|
| Sun., Nov. 8 | Farmers Market Council Bluffs off-season market, noon to 4 p.m. | Omni Centre, 300 W. Broadway | Yes, the tower runs 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. that day |
| Thu., Nov. 19 | Trans-Siberian Orchestra, 7 p.m. | Mid-America Center, 1 Arena Way | Tower closed; the Treetop Walk is the riverfront option |
| Fri., Nov. 20 | Winterfest at Bayliss Park, 6 to 8 p.m., food trucks from 5 p.m. | 100 Pearl St. | Overlaps the tower's Friday 5 to 9 p.m. window |
| Sun., Dec. 13 | Next off-season market | Omni Centre | Depends on the tower's winter schedule |
Two dates stand out. Sunday, November 8, lets you do both: the indoor market runs noon to 4 p.m., and the tower is open all afternoon. Friday, November 20, puts the evening's two biggest draws on top of each other. The Bayliss Park lighting ceremony starts at 6 p.m. during the tower's only evening session of the week. If a 5 p.m. climbing slot is already booked for that Friday, a ceremony at 6 makes for a tight evening, and booking another weekend is the simpler plan.
The Indoor Market Fills the Gap the Summer Market Leaves
The off-season market is new this year. Farmers Market Council Bluffs held its first indoor market on October 11, at the Omni Centre Business Park, the former Midlands Mall. The Daily Nonpareil reported more than 30 vendors selling soaps, baked goods, pens, art and other handmade goods. One of them was Gifts N Goodies, which sells homemade cookies and other desserts. The paper also described a kids' corner with Twister, bean bag toss, giant Connect 4 and Jenga, plus Kimberly's Creative Play Art Table.
According to Unleash CB, the market runs the second Sunday of every month from November through April, noon to 4 p.m., at 300 West Broadway. The two remaining 2026 dates are November 8 and December 13. A Nonpareil photo caption from opening day mentioned live music from noon to 3 p.m., which may explain why a 3 p.m. end time has been passed around. The current market listing says 4 p.m. The Nonpareil also notes parking in the garage on the north side of the building.
A market that stays open through April changes the second Sunday of the month all winter. The tower's Sunday hours cover the whole market window too, at least for now.
Winterfest Lights the Other End of Town
Winterfest is the city's annual park lighting. Unleash CB lists it for Friday, November 20, at Bayliss Park, 100 Pearl St. Food trucks arrive at 5 p.m., the lighting ceremony starts at 6, and the event wraps up at 8. It's free, and the visitors bureau lists Santa and Mrs. Claus, live reindeer, an outdoor screening of Frozen 2, local vendors, ice sculpting and cocoa.
Bayliss Park and River's Edge sit on opposite sides of town, and after November 20 both will be lit after dark. Before this fall, a night out by the Council Bluffs riverfront in winter meant a show at the Mid-America Center or nothing. Now there is a free half-mile walk through the treetops that stays open after the arena lets out. The Trans-Siberian Orchestra show on Thursday, November 19, at 7 p.m. is one example.
What Happens to the Tower After the Fall Schedule
What happens to the tower after fall is still open. WOWT reported that the attractions will move to seven-day-a-week hours "starting in spring." Approach's tower page says it expects to operate year-round "based on seasonal conditions and weather," but still lists exact days and times as TBD. Nobody has published a December or January schedule yet.
Until one comes out, a few practical points make any winter visit easier:
- Book online, even on the spot. Approach says reservations are a must and walk-ins still have to book and sign waivers online. You can move a booking later through the confirmation email.
- Wear closed-toe shoes. Approach won't let you past check-in without them and a signed waiver.
- Budget $23 per activity. Approach's booking site lists Rock Climbing for 2 hours, Simulated Caving for 1 hour and Rollglider for 1 hour at $23 per person each, plus a 3-hour Experienced Climber Pass at $23.
- Plan for kids on caving. The caving ticket is listed for all ages, and a parent must supervise at the tower for anyone 14 or younger. Approach says each activity has its own age and weight limits, and the rollgliders have weight limits, so check the booking page before you promise a ride.
- Know your parking. The city points visitors to the River's Edge Pavilion parking garage and says to reach the walk and tower from the Council Bluffs side of the Bob Kerrey Pedestrian Bridge. WOWT also names the Great Lawn near Tom Hanafan River's Edge Park. Unleash CB lists the park's hours as 5 a.m. to 10 p.m., earlier than the walk's 24-hour schedule, so a late visit is simpler if you park within the park's hours.
You never have to buy a tower activity to use the walk or anything else at River's Edge. WOWT also reports that a playground and more parking are planned as the next phase of River's Edge.
If a winter walk along the river has you thinking about which side of the Missouri works best for your next move, Lisa Pringle (FKA Lisa Pringle) works on both sides of the Bob Kerrey Bridge and knows how the riverfront fits into everyday life in Council Bluffs and Omaha. Let's Connect.