Find the top rated trails in Cedar Rapids, whether you're looking an easy walking path or a long bike trail, you'll find what you're looking for. Click on a trail below to find trail descriptions, trail maps, photos, and reviews.
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The tranquil, tree-lined Boyson Trail runs along Indian Creek and Dry Creek in western Marion. The crushed limestone trail connects neighborhoods, shopping areas, and several parks (north to south):...
The name “Cedar Valley Lakes Trail” conjures images of lazy summer days by the river and magnificent fall leaf-peeping excursions. The actual experience doesn’t disappoint; in fact, it exceeds...
The Sac and Fox Trail offers 7.2 miles of beautiful, shady recreation along the Cedar River and Indian Creek on the outskirts of Cedar Rapids. The oldest designated National Recreation Trail in Iowa,...
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The Heritage Trail rolls along like a dream for nearly 30 miles from the Mississippi River town of Dubuque to Dyersville, home of the movie set for Field of Dreams. Along the way it passes through the...
The South Tama Recreation Trail connects the adjacent towns of Tama and Toledo in Tama County, Iowa. The original section of the trail, a 1 mile stretch built on an abandoned railroad corridor, opened...
Running throughout Iowa City and the surrounding area, the Iowa River Corridor Trail provides residents and visitors alike with an invaluable off-road means of getting around the city. The trail has...
The Kewash Nature Trail winds for nearly 14 miles between the towns of Keota and Washington. These endpoints were creatively combined to form the trail's name. The trail has a crushed limestone...
The Sergeant Road Trail is part of the larger trails system in the Cedar Valley region of Iowa, which includes the cities of Cedar Falls and Waterloo. The trail parallels US 63also known as Sergeant...
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The small city of West Liberty in Muscatine County, Iowa, is home to a short segment of the Hoover Nature Trail. The paved pathway parallels Elm Street and is anchored at its southern end by an old...
The Cedar Valley Nature Trail—part of the cross-country American Discovery Trail— follows the fertile Cedar River between Evansdale and Ely. The 68-mile trail comprises three former trails—the Cedar...
Located in the quaint community of Lost Nation, the Gilroy Rustic Park Trail is one of the most picturesque places in Clinton County. The half-mile path is lined with trees and, although the trail is...
The Cedar Prairie Trail is an important component of the extensive trail system in Cedar Falls, Iowa. The trail runs between the South Riverside Trail at Waterloo Road and the Sergeant Road Trail...
The Cedar Valley Nature Trail—part of the cross-country American Discovery Trail— follows the fertile Cedar River between Evansdale and Ely. The 68-mile trail comprises three former trails—the Cedar...
The Kewash Nature Trail winds for nearly 14 miles between the towns of Keota and Washington. These endpoints were creatively combined to form the trail's name. The trail has a crushed limestone...
The SolonLake Macbride Recreation Trail runs for 5 miles between the scenic state park and the town of Solon to the east. The popular trail is perfect for cycling or walking and skiing or...
Located in the quaint community of Lost Nation, the Gilroy Rustic Park Trail is one of the most picturesque places in Clinton County. The half-mile path is lined with trees and, although the trail is...
The Old Creamery Trail, running between Vinton and Dysart, is so named for the Old Creamery Theater Company building in Garrison, another tiny farm community through which the trail passes. The gravel...
The Cedar Prairie Trail is an important component of the extensive trail system in Cedar Falls, Iowa. The trail runs between the South Riverside Trail at Waterloo Road and the Sergeant Road Trail...
The Heritage Trail rolls along like a dream for nearly 30 miles from the Mississippi River town of Dubuque to Dyersville, home of the movie set for Field of Dreams. Along the way it passes through the...
The South Tama Recreation Trail connects the adjacent towns of Tama and Toledo in Tama County, Iowa. The original section of the trail, a 1 mile stretch built on an abandoned railroad corridor, opened...
The Sac and Fox Trail offers 7.2 miles of beautiful, shady recreation along the Cedar River and Indian Creek on the outskirts of Cedar Rapids. The oldest designated National Recreation Trail in Iowa,...
_2863_sc.jpg)
One of the many highlights of the Hoover Nature Trail is the completed section stretching from the tiny town of Oasis to the small city of West Branch. West Branch's main claim to fame is its status...
The name “Cedar Valley Lakes Trail” conjures images of lazy summer days by the river and magnificent fall leaf-peeping excursions. The actual experience doesn’t disappoint; in fact, it exceeds...
Running throughout Iowa City and the surrounding area, the Iowa River Corridor Trail provides residents and visitors alike with an invaluable off-road means of getting around the city. The trail has...
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About 8 miles of the Grant Wood Trail in Linn County has been constructed so far (2012) along a former Milwaukee Road right-of-way between Marion and Martelle. The trail currently is in three separate...
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This section of the Hoover Nature Trail is the roughest and least maintained. The trail actually runs from just north of the small town of Nichols to a few miles south of West Liberty at 155th Street....
Although short, the Lindale Trail provides an important off-road east-west connection between Cedar Rapids and Marion. The tree-lined route, along the former Canadian National Railway, is nestled...
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Nearly 3 miles of the Grant Wood Trail in Jones County has been constructed so far (2012) along a former Milwaukee Road right-of-way in Marion and Olin. The trail is named for the early 20th-century...
The tranquil, tree-lined Boyson Trail runs along Indian Creek and Dry Creek in western Marion. The crushed limestone trail connects neighborhoods, shopping areas, and several parks (north to south):...
The Sergeant Road Trail is part of the larger trails system in the Cedar Valley region of Iowa, which includes the cities of Cedar Falls and Waterloo. The trail parallels US 63also known as Sergeant...
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The Hoover Nature Trail in Conesville consists of two disjointed sections. The first runs for about .25 mile north along farmland from the intersection of 7th Street and Todds Ferry Road. The second...
The small city of West Liberty in Muscatine County, Iowa, is home to a short segment of the Hoover Nature Trail. The paved pathway parallels Elm Street and is anchored at its southern end by an old...
The Hoover Nature Trail in Conesville consists of two disjointed sections. The first runs for about .25 mile north along farmland from the intersection of 7th Street and Todds Ferry Road. The second...
The Cedar Prairie Trail is an important component of the extensive trail system in Cedar Falls, Iowa. The trail runs between the South Riverside Trail at Waterloo Road and the Sergeant Road Trail...
Nearly 3 miles of the Grant Wood Trail in Jones County has been constructed so far (2012) along a former Milwaukee Road right-of-way in Marion and Olin. The trail is named for the early 20th-century...
The Sergeant Road Trail is part of the larger trails system in the Cedar Valley region of Iowa, which includes the cities of Cedar Falls and Waterloo. The trail parallels US 63also known as Sergeant...
The Old Creamery Trail, running between Vinton and Dysart, is so named for the Old Creamery Theater Company building in Garrison, another tiny farm community through which the trail passes. The gravel...
The Cedar Valley Nature Trail—part of the cross-country American Discovery Trail— follows the fertile Cedar River between Evansdale and Ely. The 68-mile trail comprises three former trails—the Cedar...
About 8 miles of the Grant Wood Trail in Linn County has been constructed so far (2012) along a former Milwaukee Road right-of-way between Marion and Martelle. The trail currently is in three separate...
Located in the quaint community of Lost Nation, the Gilroy Rustic Park Trail is one of the most picturesque places in Clinton County. The half-mile path is lined with trees and, although the trail is...
The South Tama Recreation Trail connects the adjacent towns of Tama and Toledo in Tama County, Iowa. The original section of the trail, a 1 mile stretch built on an abandoned railroad corridor, opened...
The tranquil, tree-lined Boyson Trail runs along Indian Creek and Dry Creek in western Marion. The crushed limestone trail connects neighborhoods, shopping areas, and several parks (north to south):...
Although short, the Lindale Trail provides an important off-road east-west connection between Cedar Rapids and Marion. The tree-lined route, along the former Canadian National Railway, is nestled...
The name “Cedar Valley Lakes Trail” conjures images of lazy summer days by the river and magnificent fall leaf-peeping excursions. The actual experience doesn’t disappoint; in fact, it exceeds...
The Sac and Fox Trail offers 7.2 miles of beautiful, shady recreation along the Cedar River and Indian Creek on the outskirts of Cedar Rapids. The oldest designated National Recreation Trail in Iowa,...
The Kewash Nature Trail winds for nearly 14 miles between the towns of Keota and Washington. These endpoints were creatively combined to form the trail's name. The trail has a crushed limestone...
The Heritage Trail rolls along like a dream for nearly 30 miles from the Mississippi River town of Dubuque to Dyersville, home of the movie set for Field of Dreams. Along the way it passes through the...
This section of the Hoover Nature Trail is the roughest and least maintained. The trail actually runs from just north of the small town of Nichols to a few miles south of West Liberty at 155th Street....
Running throughout Iowa City and the surrounding area, the Iowa River Corridor Trail provides residents and visitors alike with an invaluable off-road means of getting around the city. The trail has...
The small city of West Liberty in Muscatine County, Iowa, is home to a short segment of the Hoover Nature Trail. The paved pathway parallels Elm Street and is anchored at its southern end by an old...
The SolonLake Macbride Recreation Trail runs for 5 miles between the scenic state park and the town of Solon to the east. The popular trail is perfect for cycling or walking and skiing or...
One of the many highlights of the Hoover Nature Trail is the completed section stretching from the tiny town of Oasis to the small city of West Branch. West Branch's main claim to fame is its status...
This is a local trail for us so we ride it frequently. We normally ride from Ely to check village in Cedar Rapids or from Hiawatha to Center point. When we ride in Cedar Rapids in Hiawatha there are quite a few streets to cross that are fairly busy. This can slow you down a little bit and you need to be extremely cautious. We have never ridden past Center point so I don’t know what the trail is like after that however the trail is in excellent condition and a joy to ride from Ely to Center Point
This is a short, crushed limestone trail located just north of I-80 at West Branch Iowa. I rode it on Thursday June 7, 2018. I wasn't expecting much but really enjoyed it. A big part of it is West Branch. What a delightful town. If you have time, stop and see the Herbert Hoover Presidential Library and Visitor Center.
The trail is well used. There was a guy on a bike with pruning sheers taking out low hanging branches. Everyone was friendly. Be careful at the first road crossing out of West Branch. It's at a weird angle and it's a relatively high speed road. Other than that, just enjoy it.
I headed south from Evansdale toward La Porte City. It's a good trail in the fact that it's flat so I didn't have to struggle with lots of hills like some other trails around the Cedar Valley. However there is a part of the trail closer to Evansdale that is gone in which you have to take your bike on a little dirt path to continue riding. There is also a bridge out closer to La Porte City. I hope they plan on fixing these issues so that the trail is in better shape.
I'm spoiled. This trail is about 2 miles from my home. I ride it every chance I get. Scenery is varied and beautiful, the trail is maintained well, and I have seen a variety of wildlife on my rides. By the way, the trail connects with a trail that goes through Dubuque and down to the Mighty Mississippi River..
We rode this trail (with our trailer and little dog). Great surface. Great ride. Incredible scenery. I appreciate having the signs along the way about the history of the railroad and the area. It was interesting seeing the Sundown Ski area from the other side of the river. This is probably our third favorite rail trail after route of the Hiawatha and trail of the Coeur d'Alenes and one of the best the mid-western trails.
You won't meet your Waterloo here! Rather you will have the time of your life. As a Blackhawk County expatriate, I have ridden trails across dozens of states, and these trails rank among the best. Also They are a tribute which resonates with Waterloo Parks legend---- former parks director Leonard Katoski. They intersperse throughout his visionary Greenbelt which divides Waterloo Cedar Falls.
Again, all Blackhawk County trails leading any direction will result in biking bliss
Just started riding a bike for the first time since I was 10 and this trail is very enjoyable
You may not want to try this on a narrow-tired road bike, the surface is largely either turf, sand, or rocky turf :)
The Westernmost segment is about 3.2 miles long, somewhere in the middle there is maybe 50-75 yards of boggy (wet) grass from a spring, your tires may cut in a little.
It's about .7 miles of surface roads to the Center segment, which is about 2.3 miles long.
The Easternmost segment appears to have been abandoned. The TrailLink map shows the West end of this segment beginning at Alderman Rd, but, I don't think that the trail is accessible there unless you ride a fat bike and enjoy serious boon-docking. There -is- access to the Easternmost segment at Linn Grove Rd, (about 3.3 miles of Gravel roads from the East end of the Center segment), but, it's only passable going East, and then only for about .25 miles of nearly knee-high grass, until it dead-ends into a fence.
Iowas great secret! We went to "destination trail" in Minnesota the week before our 1st visit to Heritage Trail and I was afraid of being underwhelmed by a nearby Iowa trail.Wrong!This the Root River Trail,just on a smaller scale.It is a beautiful,scenic,historic trail and such a magical place.Durango is a great starting place going in either direction.A must do in our state!
A great trail if you want to try a more primitive bike ride.I used a mountain bike and glad I did.This is mostly a grass trail with a gravel rut to run on,I saw a few walkers with dogs but no other bikers.It has great potential! Rode 1st 2 segments starting from Highway 13 going east and ran out time as I averaged about 8 mph because it's a little slower going.A cool change of pace from the normal Cedar Rapids paved trails!
This is a great trail for novice riders, or those getting into shape. It's an old rail trail, so it's flat. It's very scenic and a nice ride. There is trail damage from a recent flood and a section near Waterloo is completely washed out. It's closed there, but you can get through if you can carry your bike. I did almost 27 miles and greatly enjoyed it!
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