Explore the best rated trails in Marshalltown, IA. Whether you're looking for an easy walking trail or a bike trail like the Old Creamery Nature Trail and C.R. Roberts Memorial Trail . With more than 80 trails covering 4235 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.
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The Ewing Park Trail is a paved path, perfect for a short bike ride or jog, located in the city of Des Moines' Ewing Park. One of the city's largest public parks, the park is home to a popular lilac...
Running through suburban neighborhoods on the western edge of Johnston, IA, the Green Meadows North Trail offers a pleasant dose of nature and serves as a great recreational amenity for nearby...
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 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...
The Bloomington Road Trail is a shared use path along the road of the same name. The trail is located in Ames, near the northern city limits. It provides a safe, car-separate facility where residents...
Providing a pleasant off-road route between the two Des Moines suburbs of Urbandale and Johnston, the Johnston to Urbandale Trail also serves as one of the main points of connection from Urbandale's...
Named for the major project the city of Des Moines has undertaken to improve transportation and connectivity along the Martin Luther King Jr. Parkway in the southeastern section of downtown, the...
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...
To the residents of Lastrobe, the Lincoln Avenue Rails to Trails Greenway is more than a simple off-road path: it also a social asset, a place where community members of all ages and walks of life can...
The paved Chichaqua Valley Trail crosses 27 miles of central Iowa farmland between the northeastern Des Moines suburbs and the rural community of Baxter. The trail’s name, pronounced chee-chak-wah, is...
Beginning just past the junction of the Johnston Interurban Trail and the Trestle to Trestle Trail, which carries users over the creek and south into Des Moines via the area's stellar system of...
The Kruidenier Trail cuts through beautifully landscaped areas around Gray’s Lake and leads you into downtown Des Moines. The park offers a permanent on-site bike rental facility, restrooms, and a...
Part of an expansive trail network in the Greater Des Moines region, the 26-mile Neal Smith Trail rolls along the banks of the Des Moines River through the Ding Darling Greenway conservation area and...
The Iowa 330/US 30 Trail stretches from just west of the small town of Melbourne to the outskirts of Marshalltown, the largest city and county seat of Marshall County, located close to the geographic...
Cedar Falls, Iowa is well known for being home to regional treasures like the Cedar Valley Lakes Trail, but what really makes the city special is its trail network. Miles of dedicated sidepaths, park...
The trail is made up of two as yet unconnected segments: the northern segment is about half a mile long, providing access to Grinnell Community Senior School, Lion's Park, and Iowa Valley Community...
A short, paved path that runs through open fields and clusters of trees alongside Beaver Creek, local residents use the Augustine Trail both as a convenient means of recreation and dog-walking, as...
The 12th Street Trail, occasionally referred to as the Pheasant Ridge Trail after the golf course it runs next to, is a wide concrete sidepath that stretches from Hudson Road to Union Road on the...
The Pine Lake Trail runs through a heavily wooded state park of the same name, which is especially known for its 250-year-old white pine trees. The trail begins at Deer Park, a half mile east 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...
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Des Moines' Inter-Urban Trail was opened in 1998 on the abandoned tracks of the Urbandale streetcar line. Residents and visitors of Iowa could ride the electric-powered trolley from Urbandale to Des...
The Heart of Iowa Nature Trail traverses classic Iowa farmland along the former route of the Chicago, Milwaukee, St. Paul & Pacific Railroad, also known as the Milwaukee Road. The trail transitions...
Nestled in the suburbs of Des Moines and traveling through the towns of Ankeny, Berwick, Pleasant Hill, and Altoona, the Gay Lea Wilson Trail is named for a local advocate who first conceived of a...
A short sidepath trail built along the side of its namesake roadway, the Cedar Heights Drive Trail provides a useful connection between the longer University Avenue Trail and the Greenhill Trail,...
The High Trestle Trail is one of the most pristine and highly trafficked trails in Iowa—even at night. The trail’s popularity is largely due to its famous 130-foot-tall High Trestle Bridge, which...
It may be hard to believe now when you see children laughing on the playground and neighbors out on a morning jog but Easter Lake and the park that surrounds it sit on the site of a coal mine that...
The trail is made up of two as yet unconnected segments: the northern segment is about half a mile long, providing access to Grinnell Community Senior School, Lion's Park, and Iowa Valley Community...
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...
To the residents of Lastrobe, the Lincoln Avenue Rails to Trails Greenway is more than a simple off-road path: it also a social asset, a place where community members of all ages and walks of life can...
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Cedar Falls, Iowa serves as the endpoint of one of Iowa’s favorite regional trails, the Cedar Valley Lakes Trail, but also features an extensive network of multi-use paths and on-street bike...
Picking up from the end of the 1st Street Trail, the Union Road Trail continues the network of multi-use sidepath trails on the western edge of Cedar Falls, serving as the western section of a...
A lovely concrete and asphalt path that traverses through a pleasant, tree-lined corridor in the southern edge of Cedar Falls, the Prairie Lakes Trail offers plenty of means of recreation and serves...
Who says Iowa doesn’t have hills?! The winding route of the Volksweg Trail sticks mainly to the rolling hills and scenic viewpoints from Lake Red Rock all the way to the town of Pella. Dutch...
A short, paved path that runs through open fields and clusters of trees alongside Beaver Creek, local residents use the Augustine Trail both as a convenient means of recreation and dog-walking, as...
The Northwest 62nd Avenue Trail is a wide sidepath in Johnston, IA, that serves as an important off-road connector between many of the trails in the city's well-developed trail system and the greater...
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For residents looking for a low-key space to get some exercise, the Greenway Trail provides a swathe of nature nestled between suburban subdivisions of Altoona. The trail runs the length of Greenway...
Forming an important connection in the area's excellent network of multi-use trails, the Lone Tree Road Trail parallels its namesake roadway for over two miles in the northern reaches of Cedar Falls,...
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...
The Evansdale Nature Trail connects both residential and commercial areas in the northeastern Iowa city of Evansdale. One of the most charming aspects of the trail is the abundance of trees along its...
The Ewing Park Trail is a paved path, perfect for a short bike ride or jog, located in the city of Des Moines' Ewing Park. One of the city's largest public parks, the park is home to a popular lilac...
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...
Although short, the Reumpers Nature Trail runs under a beautiful canopy of trees along the former Chicago Northwestern Railroad in Radcliffe, a small town in central Iowa.
The Comet Trail is built upon an abandoned right-of-way of the old Chicago Northwestern Railroad. It runs for 7 miles between the town of Conrad (City Park) and just east of Beaman, traversing a...
Named for the major project the city of Des Moines has undertaken to improve transportation and connectivity along the Martin Luther King Jr. Parkway in the southeastern section of downtown, the...
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...
Forging a link between the South Riverside Trail (and the smaller, unpaved Trolley Trail) on one end and the Cedar Prairie Trail on the other, the Greenhill Trail is a key component in the expansive...
This is a shared-use path located on the east side of Northwest Beaver Drive in Johnston, Iowa. The trail connects residents to two recreational sites on the west shore of Saylorville Lake as well as...
Who says Iowa doesn’t have hills?! The winding route of the Volksweg Trail sticks mainly to the rolling hills and scenic viewpoints from Lake Red Rock all the way to the town of Pella. Dutch...
It took a nearly a decade of work and collaboration between two Central Iowa communities and a host of other partners to move the JewEllsworth Trail from vision to reality. The trail sits in the...
The Oralabor Gateway Trail is a 5.2 mile concrete-surfaced spur branching off from the Neal Smith Trail south of Saylorville Lake and just north of NW 66th Avenue. While running adjacent to suburban...
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...
The Green Meadows West Trail is a short multi-use path that provides an off-road connection for the Green Meadows neighborhood to the rest of the Johnston area's network of trails, enabling residents...
Notice: In 2019, the bridge over Beaver Creek in Johnston collapsed. Repairs on the bridge are expected to be completed in 2021. Repair schedule and updates can be found at the Polk County...
Des Moines' Inter-Urban Trail was opened in 1998 on the abandoned tracks of the Urbandale streetcar line. Residents and visitors of Iowa could ride the electric-powered trolley from Urbandale to Des...
The John Pat Dorrian Trail, formerly known as the East River Trail, runs for nearly 3.5 miles from Pete Crivaro Park in south Des Moines to Birdland Park and Marina just north of downtown. At this...
Picking up from the end of the 1st Street Trail, the Union Road Trail continues the network of multi-use sidepath trails on the western edge of Cedar Falls, serving as the western section of a...
The Summerset Trail links the two central Iowa communities of Indianola and Carlisle, both of which have embraced the trail, including providing helpful signs at each end with clear directions for...
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...
Central Iowa's Pioneer Trail—which gets its name from the early settlers of Grundy County—is built on a former rail line that once connected the towns of Holland and Reinbeck and the communities in...
The trail is made up of two as yet unconnected segments: the northern segment is about half a mile long, providing access to Grinnell Community Senior School, Lion's Park, and Iowa Valley Community...
On 21 April, Mel n I rode our Pacific Tandem from Madrid to Woodward and back, then from Madrid to the stream with the black chain link fence and back for a total of about 20 miles. Of course we were totally blown away by the 2500+ Ft-long bridge! What a beautiful site to ride our tandem right through those continuous iron squares that appear to keep twisting and turning as you approach them! We loved this trail because it has only gradual grade changes that are barely noticeable 🤠. We look forward to riding this same trail section the next time we come to visit!
Rode my Specialized Diverge (think gravel or hybrid) bike from Ankeny to Birdland Marina yesterday (March 16, 2022). The lack of maintenance from Sycamore Access to Birdland leaves most of the trail with so many cracks, bumps, holes and crumbling edges it is no longer safe for casual cyclists. This beautiful trail is in desperate need of resurfacing. No longer safe for a road bike. One can still enjoy the 26 mile gem for walking or riding if using a mountain bike or fat tire bike.
This is one of my favorite trails in the Des Moines area -- especially the stretch east of the 88th St parking lot. The scenery is beautiful and there are lots of shaded stretches. Watch out for broken pavement, though -- especially in the mile or so east of 88th, just east of Mingo, and just west of Baxter. There are sections of the trail where large cracks have formed and one side has dropped by an inch or two. I hope this is in someone's budget for repair.
Had a very nice ride from one end to the other. This is a beautiful time of the year to ride and enjoy this trail. Its a winner. Kind cool they have several waypoint along the trail with tools and tire pump. Very nice
Concrete and asphalt with lots of ups and downs and turns. Goes through a few parks, there's lots of shade.
We rode the whole trail. A 50 mile round trip, mostly concrete and some asphalt. Flat and smooth. The bridge is worth the ride. Ate lunch in Woodward at the whistling donkey.
Great winding trail around Lake Red Rock with beautiful views of the water.
This is a beautiful quiet ride! Several benches to enjoy the peace and quiet. Wide trail very well maintained. Sinage within ellsworth was a bit confusing! Jewell is a great little town with little shops to walk thru
Started in Berwick at the suggested park and the plan was to go to Baxter, about a couple blocks before the end, the trail is closed. There is a detour in the subdivision. Otherwise no other problems with the trail, it was 54.4 miles round trip, great ride. From Baxter back to Berwick there is more uphill. If you’re looking for a easy ride just go one way; Berwick to Baxter.
My dad and I went exploring and chose this location to check out. We were pleasantly surprised by the clean water of the lake, and around the lake was very picked up of all garbage . The only thing with the walk around the lake are the lines in the road. There is a bike/walking lane and a single file car lane that is not marked consistently and folks don’t seem to understand that and think it is a car lane. The road is a one way loop, and still there was confusion with motorists regarding the biker/walkers. We will definitely be back to kayak around the lake as it is really pretty and it loops around an island . It also looks like a great place to fish. Be sure you have your fishing license/trout license. Enjoy!!
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