The Cedar Valley Nature Trail follows an abandoned railroad right-of-way of the old Waterloo, Cedar Falls & Northern, an interurban railroad system established in the early 1900s. The 52-mile trail is a linear park that courses through the Cedar River bottomlands among forested riverbanks, rolling farmlands and open vistas. The northern 16 miles of the trail and the southernmost 4 miles are asphalt; the rest of the trail has a limestone-chip surface.
Occasional stream valleys and small towns break up the route, and the trail is an excellent place to spot wildlife, including deer, badgers, wild turkey and song birds. You'll also find wildflowers and historical landmarks, archeological sites and two restored depots.
At the southern end of the trail just north of Cedar Rapids, you can pick up the
Cedar River Trail and continue your journey south.
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 319-892-4650 for fee information.
About three years ago my family talked me into going for a bike ride around the neighborhood.Who me ? Never..Only bikes I rode had engines.
Well long story short.Traded a guitar for a decent bike and started going a mile or two here and there.Next thing ...
The McFarlane bridge that was destroyed by the flood of 2008 has be reconstructed and is now open, Also the trail is also now paved from McFarlane Park to the bridge.
The new bridge is concrete vs. the old wooden one and has a steel fencing on it. ...
Over the years when traveling through the area, we had biked from the northern end at Evendale as far south as Center Point. This time we drove to Cedar Rapids from central Illinois to meet relatives from the Twin Cities for a ride on the Cedar Valley ...