Find the top rated birding trails in Fort Dodge, whether you're looking for an easy short birding trail or a long birding trail, you'll find what you're looking for. Click on a birding trail below to find trail descriptions, trail maps, photos, and reviews.
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This is our favorite trail. We drove from Dallas and arrived to beautiful weather. (9/15/17). Arrived when when they were turning on the lights. Rode to Madrid to have a beer at Flat Tire Bar. Do not miss that place. So cool for bikers. The trail is very maintained and beautiful. We are going back this year and go the whole way. Please remember your front and back lights if you go at night. It’s a very dark trail.
A hard surface trail. We rode it in fall and saw lots of wildlife and beautiful leaves. The trail is washed out at the Shell Rock trail head and again just outside Clarksville, but both spots are navigable by walking the bikes. We especially enjoyed the Allison Restaurant where we had coffee and pie before starting the return trip. The waitress there was especially nice! All in all a very pleasant afternoon trip!
We just rode this trail for the first time and I highly recommend it! It is all either concrete or blacktop which is so easy on the tires and the bottom. It was very well maintained and the small towns you encounter about every 6 miles were quite accommodating. The people seemed happy to see us, not annoyed by our intrusion into their town. We came from another state because we were looking for an easy day drive to a trail. The pride of the Iowa people for their trail and their state is so obvious and appreciated. Love the Midwest. The trailhead restroom facilities were overall excellent. Would love to see more bed and breakfasts and food options spring up along the trails. The trail has a lot of open stretches so remember that when deciding when to ride and watch out for the walnuts in the fall, yikes! We hear they are going to connect the high trestle trail with this 89 mile trail which will make it even better!
I'd never even heard of this trail until my wife and I found it this weekend. We didn't have time to cover the entire trail, but road about 26 miles RT from Lake View to Breda. Lake View is a nice town where there are a couple of trail heads with plenty of parking. The trail itself is flawless and runs along the lake at the beginning and through the beautiful Iowa countryside the rest of the way. The scenery has rolling hills although the trail itself is flat. Can't wait to ride the rest of it!!
We rode the trail today from Lake View to Carroll. One feature we really like is the mile markers (for both directions) We ride this trail a few times each year so we definitely liked the bridge improvements with cement replacing the wooden bridge floors. And the addition of so many bike fix- it stations is a nice thing to have along the way. We also like the shelter at the 2 mile location out of Lake View. Love the improvements. Great maintenance all along the way. One of our favorite Iowa trails. (we drive 2 hours to access and ride this trail) Thank you!!!
The signage is pretty sparse in Huxley. Got lost when crossing Hwy 69. There is a nice section just to the east of Huxley that is brand new poured concrete. To the west of that in Huxley, it is asphalted. When I rode it (on 28mm tires) a month ago between Slater and Cambridge, I was the only person on it! A nice trail that seems to be a well kept secret!
This trail seems to be CONSTANTLY busy with people, even at 7:30 on a Sunday morning :P
I've ridden all but a section between Slater and just South of Sheldahl, and have LOVED it. It's a nice well kept trail and the bridge and scenic overlook offers some spectacular views, especially when riding under a full moon or in the fall time with the leaves!
If you're on it at night, PLEASE HAVE FRONT & REAR LIGHTS (especially walkers)! It's hard as a biker to see walkers that have no light at all and we really don't want to hit you.
I've been across some pretty spectacular bicycle bridges such as the Bob Kerrey Bridge over the Missouri between Omaha and Council Bluffs, the Big 4 Bridge in Louisville and the Purple People Bridge in Cincinnati but Iowa's High Trestle is hands down the best. The bridge is the centerpiece of a beautiful paved, flat and fast trail. If you can, go at sundown and see the blue lights come on. It's so special that my wife and I are planning to move here so that we can ride it every day.
We had heard good things about this trail, but it has far exceeded our expectations! Thank you Iowa!
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