Cedar Valley Nature Trail:
Iowa
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Description:
According to the Iowa Department of Transportation, this trail may have been significantly damaged during recent flooding. Some of the damage includes washouts and extensive damage to bridges. Please contact the Trail Manager for more details




The trail is located on the abandoned railroad right of way of the Waterloo, Cedar Falls & Northern, an interurban railroad system that was established in the early 1900's. This 52 mile trail serves as a linear park and follows a route through the Cedar River bottomlands, along forested banks of the river and rolling farmlands, where young trees are punctuated by open vistas. Occasional stream valleys and small towns break up the route. It is an excellent place to spot wildlife, including deer, badgers, wild turkey, song birds, and wildflowers in addition to historical landmarks, archeological sites and two restored depots. Portions of the northern half of the trail is paved asphalt, the remaining trail is limestone chip surfaced.

A map of this and all of the trails in the Black Hawk County system can be found on the Trail Website by clicking on "Trails" under the Directory.

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Parking & Trail Access:
The northern 26 miles of the trail which is managed by the Black Hawk County Conservation Board, does not charge a trail user fee. The southern 26 miles managed by the Linn County Conservation Board does require a trail user fee. Contact the Linn County Conservation Board at 319-398-3505 for fee information.

A map of this and all of the trails in the Black Hawk County system can be found on the Trail Website by clicking on "Trails" under the Directory.
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Reviews: [0 trail ratings]
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Do not leave any valuables visable in your car
By cj5w4wd on September 27, 2009
The trail is great but even in the parking lot off Boyson Rd in broad daylight on a busy Sunday--some creep broke my car window to steal my daughters cell phone. If it had not been in plain view I might have been OK.
Hiking from Hiawatha to Brandon
By Sixxfan on August 23, 2009
This was my first time on CVNT. Myself and two friends hiked from Hiawatha to Brandon. WOW! AWESOME HIKE, and lots of cool views. Had a BLAST and will return to go from Brandon to Evansdale when the trail is fixed. CAN'T WAIT!
Cedar Valley Nature Trail, north end
By dctrail on July 19, 2009
This past weekend, I had the opportunity to cycle on a portion of the CVNT for the first time. The trail still has two major bridges over the Cedar River that remain closed due to severe flooding last year. One is in Evansdale, and the second is located east of LaPorte City. Efforts are underway to repair both bridges and it's hoped that by sometime in 2010 they will be reopened. We cycled from the north end, parking in a residential area on the south side of the Cedar River near Evansdale and biked down to LaPorte City where we turned back around. This stretch of trail is paved and was quite an enjoyable ride. Mostly tree lined, with some picturesque views of the Cedar River valley and the river itself. In Gilbertville, the old brick railroad depot remains standing at the trailhead here and is quite a neat building. I look forward to biking on other segments of this popular trail in the future.
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