Explore the best rated trails in Mason City, IA. Whether you're looking for an easy walking trail or a bike trail like the Todd Park Bike Trail and Wildwood Trail (Austin). With more than 21 trails covering 169 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.
13.6 miles from waverly to readlyn. It’s very shady on the western part of the trail and not so much the closer you get to readlyn. Good hard surfaced trail that has great towns and parks and amenities on both ends.
The trail is complete from clarskville to Bristow. A nice hard surfaced trail ( blacktop and concrete). 22.5 miles from Bristow to shell rock ( there is a portion of it just west of Clarksville that is on the highway for about a mile but there is a bike lane). The trail segment around the Hampton area is crushed limestone and is not very nice.
Basically this is just a sidewalk next to a busy highway that connects mason city to clear lake. There isn’t much shade or much for scenery.
If biking mountain bikes required! Extremely rugged trails! Steep, rocky, and wet. Risk takers only! Take your life into your own hands! Hiking might be a safer option!
The trail is beautiful but something to note this is for a moderate rider. A lot of the trail has rugged terrain with an abundance of rocks. Luckily our youngest was not with for this ride or we would of had to turn around. I highly suggest parking at the restaurant Old County Seat to begin your ride. That way when you circle back you can stop for some food or just grab a drink. PS - I highly recommend their Bloody Mary’s or the 1919 Root Beer!!
This trail has it all. From hiking to horseback riding. Fun trail with some great views alone the river. Has some pretty big rocks to walk through on part so had to be careful with that. Overall great trail!
This trail is great for small hikes/walks when you’re in a time crunch or just wanting to get out of the house for a couple hours! Follows the cedar river for a while and not far from town either.
What a great trail. We loved it. Ride it in July 2022. Temps were great and lake and trees make this trail amazing. It’s a must if your in the area. We from Texas and was in town for work and couldn’t miss the opportunity to ride this trail.
We start this trail in Clear Lake and walk toward Mason City. The things I like about this trail are that is paved, is separate and away from the road so you are not right next to traffic, there is a bench partway down, and it is longer than a lot of the other local trails. The things I don’t like about the trail is that it is noisy because it’s along the side of a highway, it’s mostly open with minimal shade, and it’s not as scenic as some other trails. It’s great to connect Clear Lake to Mason and has been helpful for us to increase our walking distance.
Drove to Lake Louise Sate Park on Monday May 16, 2022 and rode the short section of the trail located within the park boundaries. Also rode south out of the park to the trailhead in Leroy and back to the park. The ride to Leroy and back was especially beautiful as we were surrounded on both sides by seas of blooming Virginia Bluebells. Just before getting to Leroy the trail crosses a river on a trestle bridge and from there, we saw a goose nesting on a little island below. Just before that point we encountered two wild turkeys crossing the trail. Within Lake Louise State park while riding through a grassy prairie area, we saw Turkey Vultures kettling, a Bobolink and an Indigo Bunting. Lovely time of year to be riding in this area.
Grade the trail! This review serves as a guide so that you know what condition the trail is in before you go. Here is the code:
A – Excellent condition, new or like-new.
B – Very good condition, not new, but still a great trail.
C – Fair condition, starting to see a fair amount of ruts, bumps or heaves.
D – Poor condition, lots of ruts, bumps or heaves.
F – Very poor condition, would not recommend riding this trail at all.
From Leroy to Taopi = D/F – in need of lots of repairs. From Taopi to Rose Creek = B. I have not ridden the section from Rose Creek to Nicolville, but would assume it is fairly new like the section from Taopi to Rose Creek.
Overall rating of 3 stars because of the bad section.
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