Explore the best rated trails in Ankeny, IA, whether you're looking for an easy walking trail or a bike trail like the Heart of Iowa Nature Trail and Bloomington Road Trail . With more than 81 trails covering 4794 miles you're bound to find a perfect trail for you. Click on any trail below to find trail descriptions, trail maps, photos, and reviews.
Enjoyed this Trail. Started at the Pectocka Trail, went to Mingo and back. . Love all the bridges. Only thing is closer to Mingo the trail is bumpy and some of bridges are rough getting on and off throughout trail. We will do this trail again.
This trail is wider than most with pavement in great shape and park like maintenance.
Discovered this comfortable place with great accommodations for two bike travelers. They offer a pullout sofa if you do not wish to share a bed. Indoor bike storage with a comfy bed and a hot shower! Distillery right next-door and two restaurants to fuel up in the morning to get back on the trail. Close to the panhandle of West Virginia. Their name is Harmony Trail Haven on Airbnb.
Highly recommend this beautiful and well kept trail. Beautiful to ride along the trees and over the 2 epic ohiopyle bridges.
Rode the Raccoon River Valley trail round trip between Perry and Herndon on Wednesday, April 22, 2026. That turned out to be 27.2 miles. We parked at the Caboose Park in Perry. Interestingly, covered parking was available there. We could not find the bathrooms there, so not sure why Trail Link indicates bathrooms are available. The trail surface was fantastic; wide, smooth concrete with mowed grass on both sides. The grass had been recently mowed and the trail had been blown or swept clean. Wow! Nice! The bathrooms in the old depot in Dawson were available and in perfect condition. The trailhead in Herndon offers parking only; no water, no bathrooms. Overall, this was a great ride, one we will do again in the future.
Rode the High Trestle trail round trip between Slater and Woodbridge on Tuesday, 4-21-26. Rode a total of 26.9 miles starting at the west Slater trailhead. Nice bathrooms and lots of parking there, with easy access to both the High Trestle trail (going south or west) and the Heart of Iowa trail (going east). The trail surface is fantastic; wide trail with new concrete, and mowed grass on both sides much of the way. Of course the highlight of this ride was the High Trestle bridge. We spent time at each of the six viewing platforms on the bridge as well as the scenic overlook on the west side. Overall, a great ride. We will do this one again sometime.
Rode the Heart of Iowa trail east from Slater to the Skunk River bridge area, and back, on Monday, 4-20-26. It was 65F with a SE wind at 17 to 25 (windy!). The trail surface was concrete in excellent condition! The trail is exposed to the wind between Slater and Huxley. The last 1.5 miles into Huxley was on surface streets. We ride rail trails so we are not exposed to the dangers presented by cars, so this was a surprise and a disappointment. The landowners who refused to grant the trail a right-of-way allowed their NIMBYism to prevent themselves from putting something beautiful in the world. The portion of the trail within Huxley could benefit from signage; there is virtually none. The Skunk River bridge was the highlight of this section of the trail; great views! If we had a do-over, we would have started in Huxley, skipping the Slater - Huxley section which is not as scenic and requires time with car traffic.
We really enjoyed riding from Panora almost to Adel and back. Really shady areas to ride and several bridges. The trail was really nice. Another day we road from Perry to Waukee and back and that is pretty much a straight ride. That’s good for little ones to learn. We felt that we like the west ride better. All in all was a good experience for the parts we road on.
Great trail , well maintained, not a lot of ruts. Beer and food stops on both ends. Mainly flat and shaded.
11 ladies/friends make up most of the Rainbow Riders from St Louis Mo. We raved about this trail. It's interesting and takes the rider through prairies, forests, and offers beautiful Visa points of Saylorville Lake. It's well maintained and has multiple entry points. We rode from the Saylorville Visitor Center and road out and back to the recreation area and beach which might be the end of the northern part of the trail. The twists and turns, hills and curves were exhilarating too. We'll talk about this trail and it'll remain in our memory books.
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