5.0Trout Run Trail(91 reviews) - Beautiful Biking and Hiking Hiking Trails
This trail was the reason that my wife and I came to Decorah. It is about 17 miles long and goes around the whole town. It varies from city to farmland to trout stream. We walked the trail and had a great time. There are a few changes in elevation, but all in all it is not a hard trail to walkSee more..
4.5Cedar Valley Nature Trail(36 reviews) - great place to excercise and get scenic views Biking Trails • Hiking Trails
The Cedar Valley nature trail winds through Cedar Falls and Waterloo. There are over 100 miles of trail that can take you all over the area from the University of Northern Iowa through downtown Cedar Falls, and to Downtown Waterloo. The trails also go to various parks including George Wyth State Park and Black Hawk county park. There are multiple access points to access the trails from. There are also plenty of stopping points at various parks that provide restrooms, scenic views, and relaxation areas. The trail is great for bike riding, walking, jogging, running, and rollerblading.See more..
We walked along the Des Moines river taking in the views of the rivers dams from the viewing areas on the way then when the Des Moines river splits into two you follow the other river called the Racoon river back up the same direction for about a two mile up a proper walkway and cycle track. This leading to Grey's Lake park. Which was a quite park and picnic area wher there was a car park and portaloo toilets.See more..
4.5Clear Creek Trail(14 reviews) - Great place to walk! Spent < 1 hour Hiking Trails
Very enjoyable bike path/walking trail. Goes through some wooded areas. Feels like you are getting away from the city for a while. Birds singing. Saw several mallards in the wetland section. Would like to explore more sections of the trail at another time.See more..
The trails were beautiful and not too hard. We are 74 with three Shiitz Tzu's and we did every single trail, even the one marked "difficult". The camp host was very welcoming and greeted us upon arrival and saw us off with wishes for a safe return trip. She was always cheerful and helpful. It is a small campground which suits us as those campgrounds are always more homey and not so commercialized. We definitely hope to return for another week next year.See more..
4.5Preparation Canyon State Park(12 reviews) - Beautiful Hiking Area with Many Hills Spent More than 3 hours State Parks • Hiking Trails
Four of us had a fantastic hike through Preparation Canyon State Park! There are many excellent trails through thick forest areas and many inclines and declines. Some trails were a challenge due to the previous rain making trails muddy and the hilly trails slippery. A walking stick was helpful for sure. We wrapped up our hike with a picnic at one of the park’s picnic tables. Carrying a set of binoculars would be helpful. Water, hat, great attitude... bring them! This was a great break from the COVID-19 “pandemic” and the recent rioting in Omaha. We would highly recommend this park for a mental reset with nature.See more..
4.5Lake Darling State Park(12 reviews) - So peaceful Spent 2-3 hours State Parks • Beaches • Hiking Trails
Lake Darling is a beautiful park to walk on a paved path. It’s great if one uses a wheelchair. We love to go and sit near the water and watch the sunsets and the geese fly in. There are quite a few tables close to the water to eat at. See more..
We had our wedding there as did my brother! There are hiking trails and Frisbee golf as well as campsites.See more..
4.5Weed Park(12 reviews) - Mature trees and a vista of the Miss River, great water park Spent 2-3 hours Parks • Hiking Trails
Old park with mature trees, lovely gardens well kept and a great swimming hole for the family. Shelters for rent for group picnicsSee more..
4.5Hartman Reserve Nature Center(11 reviews) - Beautiful place to enjoy nature! Spent 1-2 hours Nature & Wildlife Areas • Hiking Trails • Forests
This is a great place to hike through the woods. I love finding the wildflowers in spring! They have a lovely new visitor's center as well!See more..
4.0Honey Creek State Park(9 reviews) - No crowds! Spent 1-2 hours State Parks • Nature & Wildlife Areas • Hiking Trails
Nice smooth water. Not many other boats or crafts in sight. Dock workers at Honey Creek Lodge not the most knowledgeable but okay and polite.See more..
5.0Chichaqua Bottoms Greenbelt(8 reviews) - a nice time Spent More than 3 hours Nature & Wildlife Areas • Parks • Hiking Trails
I liked it if your a guy how likes history you'll enjoy but if you are scared of fragile wooden things I would not adviseSee more..
4.5Lake Wapello State Park(8 reviews) - Great Beach, very Nice Cabins, Very Nice Campground Spent 1-2 hours State Parks • Bodies of Water • Hiking Trails
I have been camping at or renting cabins at state parks for the last 40 years. Wapello is my favorite. It has a beautiful well kept beach that is large and never seems crowded. The shower house is always clean and most summers there is a concessionaire that operates a small restaraunt and rents paddle boats, canoes, and kayaks. The shower house at the camground is well above average. The cabins have a restroom with shower, air conditioner, stove, and refrigerator. Whereas one often catches small bluegill at state park lakes, Wapeloo is a catch and release bass fishery. Catching bass, even off of a jetty, is quite common. It is a short distance to Drakesville for a convenience store, 15-20 minutes to Bloomfield, and about 30 minutes to Ottumwa. In Bloomfield one can obtain, at the visitor's center, a map of Amish retail bakeries and stores in the surrounding area.See more..
4.5Mount Trashmore(8 reviews) - Views are worth the hike! Friday: 10:00 AM - 5:00 PM Spent 1-2 hours Biking Trails • Lookouts • Hiking Trails
Even on a cloudy day this was an amazing view of the city, of downtown Cedar Rapids. It's a short hike, easy to do. Smells a bit, that's the ambiance. There's so much history to learn about the city and its settlers. The view at the the top is worth the climb. Take your kids, take the family. It's a fun adventure, near the Czech & Slavic Museum. Great restaurants nearby. See more..
4.5Hoover Nature Trail(7 reviews) - Great multi-use trail! Spent 1-2 hours Biking Trails • Hiking Trails We bike on this 3 1/2 mile trail twice a week, and many people run and walk their dogs on it. Since the surface is now crushed limestone and not grass, it is easier to look around at the birds and, occasionally, deer while riding. It is possible to continue to ride another 5 miles in either direction on the hard surfaced road at the west end with not much traffic. We love it! See more..
4.5Brinton Timber(4 reviews) - I found a Jack in the Pulpit! Friday: 4:30 AM - 10:30 PM Spent 2-3 hours Nature & Wildlife Areas • Hiking Trails • Forests This was a wonderful day, just before a storm. No heat and plenty of moisture. The access to the park is well marked and a good gravel road. Parking is provided right at the entrance. There is a toilet ( latrine). Boys best use the bushes away from traveled areas. I like the trails and how they are marked. The longest hike is about 1.5 miles although I'm sure you could wander farther. Don't get lost, it is dense timber after all. I found a jack in the pulpit after about a 20 min search and another after 15 min more. These are becoming hard to find, at least in Iowas timber. Here no one sprays herbicide so natural plants can grow. I enjoyed my visit very much. Mosquitoes and gnats are most likely fierce when it warms up. Watch for poison ivy!See more..
4.0Cordova Park(4 reviews) - Well maintained Spent More than 3 hours Bodies of Water • Parks • Hiking Trails
The trails are very well maintained and travel along the lake and back through the woods. Perfect for an afternoon outside!See more..
5.0Three Rivers Trail(4 reviews) - A relaxing area Hiking Trails Explore at your leisure without fear of steep hills. The trail has old railroad bridges that cross the river which is especially fun.See more..
4.5Kewash Nature trail(3 reviews) - Good graveled trail Spent More than 3 hours Biking Trails • Hiking Trails
I would not ride my road bike on this trail. I took my hybrid that has a low nobby tread on it and it was fine. The trail is paved a few miles out of Washington, IA then it turns to pea gravel with some animal holes in it and grass growing up on it. You do have to cross some gravel roads as well. The trail doesn't drain well in all areas, so, pay attention to the rain fall for the prior 5 days or so. Their is a lot of wildlife - deer, rabbits, cardinals, quail, etc. It takes 2-3 hours to complete the whole trail Keota to Washington back to Keota.See more..
3.5Brown's lake/Bigelow park(3 reviews) - Love camping here Spent 1-2 hours Bodies of Water • Nature & Wildlife Areas • Hiking Trails
Best place to camp! It has a dock,nice park, basketball hoop, sand volleyball, a beach and so much more for everyone to do.See more..
4.5Hoover Nature Trail(3 reviews) - A great trail for walking, cycling, etc. Biking Trails • Hiking Trails A well kept trail that is perfect for walking, running, cycling, or whatever you'd like (as long as it follows the rules) See more..
4.0Oak Grove state park(3 reviews) - Excellent county park Spent 1-2 hours Bodies of Water • Nature & Wildlife Areas • Hiking Trails This is a beautiful little park in the country--lots of rev's and camping sites and yet enough if you just want a picnic table. Places to hike and walk--well maintained--See more..
Bike, hike or walk. You can travel north or south on this trail. There is plenty of parking off Boyson Road.See more..
4.5Eagle Lake state park(3 reviews) - Love the nature! Spent 1-2 hours State Parks • Nature & Wildlife Areas • Hiking Trails
We love to go out, sit and watch the ducks, geese and other birds. There is also a lot of deer that are there to watch.See more..
3.5Cedar Bend Park(3 reviews) - nice river front park Hiking Trails Nice park to get a walk in near the river and the rail to trail. There is also a playground if you have children. See more..
3.5Oakland Mills Park(3 reviews) - camping and trail Spent More than 3 hours Parks • Hiking Trails we like to camp here too bad don't have more sites hard to get in on special weekends. the bridge is nice to walk across and is close to town.See more..
4.5Woodland Mounds State Preserve(2 reviews) - A hidden hiking spot Friday: 6:30 AM - 10:00 PM Spent 1-2 hours Hiking Trails This park is hidden in the country side, has two hiking trails to use, short and long, get to see what it is like to be a pioneer. The thick tree growth makes it to see a lot of nature, deer, birds and more. Is a remote location yet worth the time to visit. The way the park is designed is more for nature than camping dont let you from not visiting this adventure filled county park.See more..
5.0Sugarbottom Mountain Bike Area(2 reviews) - Awesome Biking Trails • Hiking Trails Rode it two days in a row. . Only there two days. Wish we had a week. Well marked. Nicely groomed. Highly recommended. See more..
We were birding Van Buren County sites and made a point to see Lake Sugema and environs. It was a good place for birding, and looked like good potential for waterfowl in season.See more..
3.5Mossy Glen state preserve(2 reviews) - Loads of flowers and mystery Spent 2-3 hours Nature & Wildlife Areas • Hiking Trails • Forests
The DNR's "Iowa Outdoors" magazine recommended this place. After you drive through a farm field, you wonder if you are there. Since the road was blocked with down trees, we figured we were. It is hilly, an amazing number of spring flowers, a babbling stream and no hiking paths that we could find. There are lots of barbed wire fences so exactly where the park had all of its acres is not very clear. Even the sign to the place was falling over. Since we are not hunters and like some kind of path, I doubt we will return. There are no structures of any kind, or tables, or benches.See more..
5.0All Ability Cycles(2 reviews) - Get Fixed Up, Get Fitted, Get on the Road Spent < 1 hour Biking Trails • Hiking Trails
Get on the road or get on the bike path. Get a different style of bike for any age, size, style, physical challenge, level of fitness or nonfitness. All Ability has a very good selection, in a relatively small space, and can order just about anything else. If a bike has broken down or needs to be tuned up this is the place with the best service, skill, reasonable prices, and affable owner. If you are a bicyclist or considering becoming one, then this is a must stop. Call ahead for store hours or to make an appointment - (515) 386-8900.See more..
4.5Kettleson Hogsback Wildlife Area(2 reviews) - A great place to hike Spent 1-2 hours Nature & Wildlife Areas • Hiking Trails • Forests The Kettleson area is a short ways out of town but totally away from the lights and commercial areas of the Iowa Lakes. There is ample parking and a series of trails where you can enjoy the ecosystems see a wide variety of trees and other plant life. You are also liable to see animal life in the form of frogs, turtles, birds, Deer and maybe even a Fox. The area is fun to hike in the spring, summer and fall but don't discount the beauty during the winter as it can be a fun place to go snowshoeing, cross country skiing. See more..
4.0Buena Vista Public use area(1 review) - Watch out for flooding here Spent 1-2 hours Bodies of Water • Nature & Wildlife Areas • Hiking Trails Having never before been here, I wanted too see for myself what this place had to offer. What I saw was maddening; flooding was rampant here. I was able to park my vehicle and get out and walk here and there. This place affords awesome views of the Wapsipinicon river and the woods but it borders the river so close that at times like these and the storm after storm Iowa had been experiencing lately I can see why it floods here. This public use area offers: over 165 acres of wooded area;primitive camping is permitted;fishing and boating are permitted here. There are two ponds and the nearby river available. Parking is okay although spotty at times. River flooding was everywhere that day. I did not want to venture to far into flooded areas out of fear for my own safety, so I walked/hiked in areas that I could see. Thus, nature won this day but I vow to return, in winter if need be to complete my task. In my opinion, this place deserves another look.See more..
Missed the trailhead but parked in the park/campground area which connects. This was my first time on this trail. I knew nothing about it. I am impressed with it for the most part. Few areas need more signage or even badic arrows. As the trail ends and has breaks in it. At about 9mi out it comes to a hwy but no clue I needed to go up a rough gravel drive to continue. Saw it later as driving my car, the railroad crossing sign then became visible. See more..
4.0Chinkapin Bluffs recreation area(1 review) - Very nice place here Spent 1-2 hours Biking Trails • Hiking Trails • Cross-country Ski Areas Having never before stopped here I was pleasantly surprised. Almost four hundred acres of mostly forested land. A few trails one of which I almost got lost in by turning the wrong way back to my vehicle. Good thing I had my compass. Drinking water is provided; a pit toilet; a very nicely taken care of picnic shelter available for parties or graduations; bike trails and hunting is permitted in certain areas too. There is one main trail that completely encircles the shelter, parking area and trees, many of which appear to be near the century age. One cool spot is the decking toward the east side of this area. It overlooks the valley below. Prime spot for spring and fall leaves. In the winter time I am sure you could see the nearby lake in full or near-full view. I took it upon myself to hike one of the main trails here. I encountered only song birds that day. I did see evidence of deer there. When I returned to the main parking area and to my vehicle I noticed that the shelter was being occupied by some locals. They offered me a cool drink of lemonade and an apple. I like that about Iowans; friendly and always nice to talk to. In my opinion this place is a nice place to visit and relax from the hustle and bustle of the daily grind. The main trail can be wheelchair accessible but not the trails I was on. Too steep and or hilly or muddy. The parking lot has crushed limestone so lookout for those rocks.See more..
5.0Sauk River Trail(1 review) - Great Bike trail Biking Trails • Hiking Trails This is a great Bike trail for any skill level of biker. The trail go's north from Carroll to Maple River, Breda, Carnvon and into Lake View. Around 25 miles. South it goes to Swan Lake state park, 4 miles. The norther section is all asphalt or concrete. Maple River north is mostly a old railroad grade. A few hills on the southern section. A good time!See more..
4.0Veterans Trail(1 review) - A nice trail to honor the Veterans Spent < 1 hour Hiking Trails
Not far from the Iowa River spillway and next to the East Overlook Day Use Area is a very nice wooded trail honoring Veterans from Johnson County. The trail itself is a fairly short circuit, probably no more than 1/4 of a mile, with both concrete and wood surfaces and wheelchair accessible. Be aware, the wood surfaces are very slippery since very little sunlight reaches through the trees to dry it out. There are numerous stopping points along the trail with placards dedicated to fallen Veterans and a short description of their service. There are also a few engraved stones dedicated to fallen soldiers to read. Halfway around there is also a bird blind if you wish to take a break and watch nature. This is a very nice little trail but is kind of hidden from view. If you are traveling west on Prairie Du Chien road and have crossed over the dam, you've gone too far. If you are traveling east on Prairie Du Chien road, turn at the second parking lot after crossing over the dam.... this is also the drive to get to the boat launch.See more..
Dickson Timber(0 review) Spent 1-2 hours Equestrian Trails • Hiking Trails • Cross-country Ski Areas See more..
Wanata state park(0 review) Spent < 1 hour Bodies of Water • Nature & Wildlife Areas • Hiking Trails See more..
Minne Estema park(0 review) Spent 1-2 hours Bodies of Water • Nature & Wildlife Areas • Hiking Trails See more..
Lover's Leap(0 review) Hiking Trails Around 1831, the Millville family lived above Dubuque. Their son, Lou, not only found companionship among neighboring Indians, he was particularly friendly with Chief Grey Eagle and his beautiful daughter, White Cloud. Millville knew the Indians had a lead mine some distance from Dubuque. Against the advice of White Cloud, Lou followed two braves into the wilderness to learn the secret of the mines. Far up the Turkey River, he was discovered and captured by the Indians. At dawn, the following morning, Lou was ordered to leap from the cliff into the water far below. As he stood poised to jump, he instead leaped backward to attack his captors. Before he lost consciousness from tomahawk blows Lou managed to throw his assailants over the cliff. When Millville recovered, he found White Cloud’s moccasins beside him. Fearing for his safety, White Cloud had followed Millville in her canoe. She had discovered him lying on the cliff and thinking him dead, removed her moccasins and leaped over the cliff. Millville found the dying White Cloud on the rocks near the water’s edge. He later buried her on the cliff from which she had jumped. Legend says the faithful lover made a yearly pilgrimage to the grave of White Cloud located on what is now known as Lover’s Leap. Information for this article from “Old Elkader Facts and Food”See more..
Elkader City Pool(0 review) Hiking Trails Pool opens Memorial Day weekend (weather permitting) and closes the day before school starts in August. Swimming lessons and aerobics are held throughout the summer. Lessons are in June & July, private lessons are also available and scheduled through the pool manager. Concessions are available. Pool Hours Hours during the first few weeks of pool season may vary. Check the pool’s Facebook page Elkader Swimming Pool for hours updates. All hours are weather permitting and over 70 degrees. Admission Fees Season passes may be purchased at City Hall, 8:00 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. or at the pool after Memorial Day.See more..
Cent(0 review) Friday: 6:00 AM - 10:00 PM Hiking Trails See more..
