Explore the best rated trails in Cedar Rapids, IA. Whether you're looking for an easy walking trail or a bike trail like the Old Creamery Nature Trail and CEMAR Trail. With more than 50 trails covering 4048 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.
Although only a mile long, the Gilbert Drive Trail is a key connector between two other trails in the northeastern Iowa community of Evansdale. To the west, it intersects with the Cedar Valley Nature...
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...
Constructed on the west side of the four-lane highway that gives it its name, the US 63 Trail offers a surprisingly pleasant means of traversing the busy corridor on foot or bike. While many sidepath...
Connecting Waterloo's urban center with a popular recreation area that supports the local ATV community, the Riverview Recreation Area Trail forms a vital link in the area's multi-use trail network...
The Cedar Prairie Trail is an important component of the extensive trail system in Cedar Falls, Iowa. The paved pathway runs between the South Riverside Trail at Waterloo Road and the Sergeant Road...
Ellis Trail gets you as close to the Cedar River as you can get without getting your feet wet. The paved path traces the west bank of the river, running for over three miles one-way, with a sidewalk...
Note: This developing route is not yet fully contiguous – it is just over 50% complete. Please refer to the Trail Map for more information on the existing sections of trail, as well as the online...
The Cedar Street Trail begins on Houser Street in northwest Muscatine and runs until Parham Road over a mile east. It’s a neighborhood trail connecting residents to the homes, schools, businesses,...
While you might have to look a bit far afield to find any living reefs near the city of Coralville, Iowa, you don't have to look far to find a nice trail for biking and walking, thanks to the Coral...
Iowa City's Sycamore Greenway Trail is a paved trail running alongside the Sycamore Greenway, a stormwater management system comprising a series of cells planted with native flowers and grasses, which...
The North Ridge Trail is a real gem of a trail, located northwest of Iowa City in the suburban communities of Coralville and North Liberty - the trail is the result of the combination of the North...
Built along the side of the roadway, the Martin Luther King Jr. Drive Trail takes you from right outside the heart of Waterloo's urban riverside area into acres of beautiful, open Iowa farmland,...
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...
Located in a creekside park on the outskirts of the campus of the Univeristy of Iowa, visitors who travel on the Mormon Handcart Trail will learn quite a bit about the journey that the Mormon handcart...
The C.R Roberts Memorial Trail in Dysart picks up right on the western end of the Old Creamery Nature Trail which travels all the way to Vinton via Garrison. Unlike the latter trail, this trail is...
Closure Notice: Since 2019, a portion of the Cedar Valley Lakes Trail within George Wyth State Park (just east of the Krieg's Crossing bridge junction with the South Riverside Trail) has been closed...
The Edgewood multiuse trail connects residents along Edgewood Road to the Cedar River in Cedar Rapids, Iowa. The concrete trail sits in the grassy margin of the road, and stretches from O Avenue...
The CeMar Trail between Cedar Rapids and Marion, in eastern Iowa, continues to take shape. As of 2020, there are over two miles on the ground with 5 more in various stages of development. The trail...
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 Dovetail Recreation Trail is a short community pathway that runs through developing neighborhoods in the eastern edge of the suburb of Coralville, just north of Iowa City. The concrete trail...
The Ranshaw Way Trail is a sidepath trail for biking and walking in the suburban community of North Liberty, outside Iowa City. The trail runs along the side of Ranshaw Way/Highway 965 for over a...
The Shaulis Road Trail is a ten-foot wide concrete trail that runs along the side of Shaulis Road in the sparsely populated southern edge of Waterloo, IA. The trails runs over gentle, rolling hills,...
Iowa City's Sycamore Greenway Trail is a paved trail running alongside the Sycamore Greenway, a stormwater management system comprising a series of cells planted with native flowers and grasses, which...
The C.R Roberts Memorial Trail in Dysart picks up right on the western end of the Old Creamery Nature Trail which travels all the way to Vinton via Garrison. Unlike the latter trail, this trail is...
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 63—also known as Sergeant...
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 Highway 1 Trail is an urban sidepath trail that follows a stretch of the highway through southwestern Iowa City, providing a useful commuting alternative to the busy roadway. The trail, while...
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,...
Ellis Trail gets you as close to the Cedar River as you can get without getting your feet wet. The paved path traces the west bank of the river, running for over three miles one-way, with a sidewalk...
The North Ridge Trail is a real gem of a trail, located northwest of Iowa City in the suburban communities of Coralville and North Liberty - the trail is the result of the combination of the North...
The Dovetail Recreation Trail is a short community pathway that runs through developing neighborhoods in the eastern edge of the suburb of Coralville, just north of Iowa City. The concrete trail...
The Cedar Street Trail begins on Houser Street in northwest Muscatine and runs until Parham Road over a mile east. It’s a neighborhood trail connecting residents to the homes, schools, businesses,...
Built along the side of the roadway, the Martin Luther King Jr. Drive Trail takes you from right outside the heart of Waterloo's urban riverside area into acres of beautiful, open Iowa farmland,...
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 Court Hill Trail is a concrete pathway that provides a connection between four local parks in the neighborhoods of eastern Iowa City. Starting in the west at Creekside Park, the trail passes...
Located in a creekside park on the outskirts of the campus of the Univeristy of Iowa, visitors who travel on the Mormon Handcart Trail will learn quite a bit about the journey that the Mormon handcart...
Connecting Waterloo's urban center with a popular recreation area that supports the local ATV community, the Riverview Recreation Area Trail forms a vital link in the area's multi-use trail network...
The South Riverside Trail is one in a series of trail systems throughout Cedar Falls, Iowa. The trail runs between Main Street at the Cedar Falls Recreation Center and the Greenhill Trail just west of...
The Hershey Avenue Trail, paralleling its namesake roadway for just under a mile, serves as an east-west connector for the City of Muscatine. The paved pathway begins at the intersection of Hershey...
Passing over the same ground that Mormon pioneers once crossed on their way out west, the Mormon Trek/Coralville Strip Nature Trail provides a welcome dose of historical reflection and natural beauty...
The Cedar Street Trail begins on Houser Street in northwest Muscatine and runs until Parham Road over a mile east. It’s a neighborhood trail connecting residents to the homes, schools, businesses,...
The South Riverside Trail is one in a series of trail systems throughout Cedar Falls, Iowa. The trail runs between Main Street at the Cedar Falls Recreation Center and the Greenhill Trail just west of...
The Cedar Valley Nature Trail follows the fertile Cedar River between Evansdale and Ely. The 69-mile trail comprises three former trails—the Cedar Valley Nature Trail, Cedar River Trail and parts of...
The Shaulis Road Trail is a ten-foot wide concrete trail that runs along the side of Shaulis Road in the sparsely populated southern edge of Waterloo, IA. The trails runs over gentle, rolling hills,...
The River Forest Road Trail sits atop the levee along the Cedar River on the west side of Evansdale, Iowa. (It's alternatively called the Cedar River Levee Trail for this reason.) The paved shared-use...
The Highway 1 Trail is an urban sidepath trail that follows a stretch of the highway through southwestern Iowa City, providing a useful commuting alternative to the busy roadway. The trail, while...
The Ranshaw Way Trail is a sidepath trail for biking and walking in the suburban community of North Liberty, outside Iowa City. The trail runs along the side of Ranshaw Way/Highway 965 for over a...
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...
The Manchester Walkway/Bikeway Trails are a network of concrete paths that form a disconnected circuit around the small city of Manchester, Iowa. The pathway provides a great opportunity for cyclists...
The Old Creamery Nature 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...
Built along the side of the roadway, the Martin Luther King Jr. Drive Trail takes you from right outside the heart of Waterloo's urban riverside area into acres of beautiful, open Iowa farmland,...
The C.R Roberts Memorial Trail in Dysart picks up right on the western end of the Old Creamery Nature Trail which travels all the way to Vinton via Garrison. Unlike the latter trail, this trail is...
Named for the U.S. Highway that the trail follows, the 218 Trail is far from the most scenic trail in the Waterloo area's impressive trail network, but it does form a very important connection in that...
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 Muddy Creek Trail is a paved, multi-use trail that runs through the suburban community of Coralville, following the route of the small creek through residential neighborhoods and lovely wooded...
Located in a creekside park on the outskirts of the campus of the Univeristy of Iowa, visitors who travel on the Mormon Handcart Trail will learn quite a bit about the journey that the Mormon handcart...
The North Ridge Trail is a real gem of a trail, located northwest of Iowa City in the suburban communities of Coralville and North Liberty - the trail is the result of the combination of the North...
Connecting Waterloo's urban center with a popular recreation area that supports the local ATV community, the Riverview Recreation Area Trail forms a vital link in the area's multi-use trail network...
The Oakdale Boulevard Trail is a sidepath trail that runs along the north side of Oakdale Boulevard through suburban Coralville, Iowa. While most of the trail is little more than a wide sidewalk,...
The Court Hill Trail is a concrete pathway that provides a connection between four local parks in the neighborhoods of eastern Iowa City. Starting in the west at Creekside Park, the trail passes...
A nice ride. The hub is a good place to start.
Loved riding this trail. Very shaded for the most part and well maintained. The last few miles to Dyersville gets exposed to the sun and wind. Many things to see along the way and many selfie ops. The trail map indicated water and picnic shelter at Dyersville end. When I got there the trail terminates at the end of Beltline Rd, by a lumber yard, I found no facilities there and turned around. Checking Google Maps I later found that you have to ride another 0.6 miles along Beltline Rd to get to the trailhead and this is not obvious or signed when you get to the "end" of the gravel. I'm sure many like me would have turned around also as you can't see the trailhead when you look down Beltline Rd.
We took electric scooters and did 16miles of this trail was so beautiful seen 6 deer 5 turkeys will glad go back and explore more
We rode the middle of the trail on two consecutive days because we loved the trail so much. Lots of benches and restrooms, very scenic with tons of shade even at one in the afternoon. The prettiest section was from Durango west for 8 miles. You ride along the creek and I and out of high bluffs on both sides of the trail. The trail has about a 1% grade up riding west and prevailing winds tend to be out of the west so recommend starting at either Sageville or Durango and riding west depending on how far you want to ride. This trail rates in my top 3 trails in the Midwest. Hubby and I have ridden over 120 trails and generally do a 20-25 mile trip each time we ride. Reward yourself and eat at Brazen for dinner.
Did this trail last weekend starting in Dyersville. Crushed limestone makes it tough for road bikes. Very buggy. Really needs to be paved.
Have ridden this many times. Went yesterday & they have paved a portion of it on way to West Chester.
Trail is straight little to no grade. We always see deer, chipmunks, birds & snakes.
Unpaved ,portion is pretty much dirt packed with little to no pea rock. Rutted in spots bc of rains.
Overall a decent trail. Hope to see more improvements!
Narrow paved trail that winds through the trees.. It was a little muddy when I went, stay on the trail
Saturday May 21, 2022 -- my first time to check out this trail. I rode out about 10 miles, starting in Dubuque's Comiskey Park, and returning for about 22 miles round trip. The four miles nearest DBQ were paved, the rest well maintained crushed limestone. Not at all crowded (50F temp) and a very pleasant ride. Once you are a few miles from DBQ, the scenery is sweet and keeps changing. I will be back, for sure! Enjoy the ride.
It has very good bike trails and obstacles to try out. Definitely not a trail to go on after it rained but other than that it’s a great trail and not many people there!
In 2021, the longest segment of the trail was extended further west within Marion and now ends at 7th STREET. That stretch is about six miles long from the east endpoint at Oxley Road. The trail goes underneath Highway 13/151.
There is also another segment of trail within Marion that is about 1.3 miles in length. The western endpoint is just east of C Avenue NE. The trail has a high bridge over Indian Creek, and the trail dead ends just west of Marion Blvd. When I visited on 10/04/2021, there was construction underway to complete the 4/10's of a mile gap between the two sections described above. Hopefully, my review will also soon be out of date, and the connected stretches making one eight-mile trail.
The middle 2.3 mile stretch from Creekside Road to Springville Road is primitive, but passable. I would describe that stretch as grass growing through a narrow, gravel footpath. The grass is kept mowed. That stretch is scenic, with full-sized trees. However, with the primitive surface, I had to carefully watch where I was riding, instead of being able to gaze around.
The eastern-most stretch, between Alderman Road and Martelle should not be listed as a trail. It is not maintained, and there are multiple places with trees blocking the abandoned right of way.
Overgrown foliage and thorn vines across the path. Bring your own clippers or take another route for access to Clear Creek.
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