Fort Dodge, IA Birding Trails and Maps

175 Reviews

Looking for the best Birding trails around Fort Dodge?

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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Activities
Length
Surfaces
Type
26 Results
Activities
Length
Surfaces
Type

Boone River Recreational Trail

5.7 mi
State: IA
Concrete

Fort Dodge Nature Trail

2.6 mi
State: IA
Cinder

Franklin Grove Heritage Trail

3 mi
State: IA
Asphalt, Cinder

Great American Rail-Trail

3743.9 mi
State: DC, IA, ID, IL, IN, MD, MT, NE, OH, PA, WA, WV, WY
Asphalt, Concrete, Crushed Stone

High Trestle Trail

31.74 mi
State: IA
Asphalt, Concrete

JewEllsworth Trail

3.5 mi
State: IA
Concrete

Laurens Prairie Preservation Trail

0.8 mi
State: IA
Crushed Stone

Raccoon River Valley Trail

88.2 mi
State: IA
Asphalt, Concrete

Rolling Prairie Trail

21 mi
State: IA
Asphalt, Crushed Stone

Russell White Nature Trail

3.8 mi
State: IA
Ballast, Grass

Sauk Rail Trail

33.2 mi
State: IA
Asphalt, Concrete

Three Rivers Trail

39.9 mi
State: IA
Crushed Stone

Twin Lakes Trail

7 mi
State: IA
Concrete

Veterinary Medicine Trail

1.2 mi
State: IA
Asphalt

Heart of Iowa Nature Trail

25.8 mi
State: IA
Asphalt, Concrete, Crushed Stone, Dirt, Grass

Bloomington Road Trail

2.4 mi
State: IA
Asphalt

Brewer Creek Trail

2.2 mi
State: IA
Concrete

Galloping Goose Trail (IA)

0.5 mi
State: IA
Ballast, Dirt, Grass

Hiawatha Trail (IA)

2.5 mi
State: IA
Concrete

Hubbard Prairie Trail

1.3 mi
State: IA
Crushed Stone
Accordion

Praeri Rail Trail

10.5 mi
State: IA
Crushed Stone, Dirt, Grass

Reumpers Nature Trail

0.3 mi
State: IA
Cinder

Riverside Park Trail (IA)

3.5 mi
State: IA
Asphalt

Skunk River Trail

4.1 mi
State: IA
Asphalt, Concrete

Soldier Creek Nature Trail

1.2 mi
State: IA
Asphalt

Stange Road Trail

2.4 mi
State: IA
Asphalt
Trail Image Trail Name States Length Surface Rating
There are few better ways to experience Boone River without actually getting your feet wet than the Boone River Recreational Trail. The trail weaves along the scenic river, taking you from one end of...
IA 5.7 mi Concrete
The Fort Dodge Nature Trail begins at the city's Snell-Crawford Park and runs northeast for nearly 3 miles. The trail travels adjacent to overhead power lines and crosses a couple of bridges over...
IA 2.6 mi Cinder
The Franklin Grove Heritage Trail rests on top of an abandoned Rock Island railroad corridor that runs through the heart of the small Iowan city of Belmond. The trail connects the residential section...
IA 3 mi Asphalt, Cinder
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...
DC, IA, ID, IL, IN, MD, MT, NE, OH, PA, WA, WV, WY 3743.9 mi Asphalt, Concrete, Crushed Stone
Overview The High Trestle Trail, which spans 31.4 miles across Iowa, is one of the most pristine and highly trafficked trails in Iowa—even at night. The trail’s popularity is largely due to its...
IA 31.74 mi Asphalt, Concrete
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...
IA 3.5 mi Concrete
The Laurens Prairie Preservation Trail runs for just under a mile along an old Chicago, Rock Island and Pacific railroad line on the south side of town in the rural community of Laurens. The trail...
IA 0.8 mi Crushed Stone
Closure Notice: A section of the trail from Linden to Redfield is closed until Spring/Summer 2024 due to bridge repair. See RaccoonRiverValleyTrail.org or the Raccoon River Valley Trail Association...
IA 88.2 mi Asphalt, Concrete
When complete, the Rolling Prairie Tri-County Trail System will connect several communities and two state parks as it travels through quintessential northeastern Iowa prairie. The railroad on which...
IA 21 mi Asphalt, Crushed Stone
The Russell White Nature Trail runs for nearly 4 miles through a landscape of forest, pasture and prairie and links the tiny community of Lanesboro with open space to the southwest of the town. The...
IA 3.8 mi Ballast, Grass
The Sauk Rail Trail offers some of the best riding in rural, west-central Iowa. The paved 33-mile trail is capped at either end by a state park and offers a diverse mix of views and experiences in...
IA 33.2 mi Asphalt, Concrete
The Three Rivers Trail runs for nearly 40 miles from the small community of Rolfe—named after the early English settler who married Pocahontas—to just west of Eagle Grove. The mostly rural trail is...
IA 39.9 mi Crushed Stone
The Twin Lakes Trail forms a loop around North Twin Lake, one of a pair of gorgeous glacial lakes in rural northwestern Iowa. The concrete trail takes users through state and county parks, with ample...
IA 7 mi Concrete
The very appropriately named Veterinary Medicine Trail passes through the animal science research hub for Iowa State University. A paved shared-use path in the City of Ames, the trail provides a short...
IA 1.2 mi Asphalt
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...
IA 25.8 mi Asphalt, Concrete, Crushed Stone, Dirt, Grass
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...
IA 2.4 mi Asphalt
Brewer Creek Trail is a 2.2 mile multiuse pathway in Webster City, Iowa. As the name suggests, the trail traces the course of Brewers Creek. To the north, flat prairie stretches out, while to the...
IA 2.2 mi Concrete
The Galloping Goose Trail is so called for the nickname of the old railroad that once ran through the area and upon which the trail sits. As of 2012, about 0.5 mile of trail have been built northeast...
IA 0.5 mi Ballast, Dirt, Grass
The Hiawatha Trail provides a convenient way to cross Perry's northeastern neighborhoods and provides a connection to Raccoon River Valley Trail, a scenic 89-mile rail-trail. The east end of the...
IA 2.5 mi Concrete
The Hubbard Prairie Trail is a one-mile rail-trail extending from the northwest edge of the small town of Hubbard in central Iowa to the Meier Wildlife Refuge. The refuge offers a pleasant place to...
IA 1.3 mi Crushed Stone
Accordion
The Praeri Rail Trail runs on an old section of railroad right-of-way between Zearing and Roland in central Iowa. Sections of the trail near Roland and McCallsburg have a crushed limestone surface,...
IA 10.5 mi Crushed Stone, Dirt, Grass
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.
IA 0.3 mi Cinder
The Riverside Trail (or Riverside Park Trail) meanders alongside Middle Raccoon River. The trail begins on Velvet Avenue and 320th Street in Coon Rapids, Iowa and wanders into the riparian woodland on...
IA 3.5 mi Asphalt
South Skunk River is a tributary of the Mississippi River. In Ames, the Skunk River Trail brings residents closer to river and to nature. The shared use path sits on the shady west bank of South Skunk...
IA 4.1 mi Asphalt, Concrete
The Soldier Creek Nature Trail runs south from Snell-Crawford Park alongside residential neighborhoods in Fort Dodge. For most of its route, the trail is within just a few feet of Soldier Creek (hence...
IA 1.2 mi Asphalt
Stange Road trail connects residents of the Somerset neighborhood in north Ames, to the Iowa State University campus that lies directly south of it. The shared use path sits on the west side of Stange...
IA 2.4 mi Asphalt

Recent Trail Reviews

High Trestle Trail

Must see

August, 2024 by dpate

I have ridden this trail on numerous occasions though I have not seen the bridge lit up at night. There is another reason to return to this fantastic trail! 5 stars from this rider. Traveling cyclist Facebook

Sauk Rail Trail

Closed section

August, 2024 by n1203us

A mile or so south of Lake View the trail is closed for another mile. Not to worry. You can take the highway south just short of the RR tracks, and take the gravel road to the end. The trail starts up again there.

Rolling Prairie Trail

best and worst trail

August, 2024 by kg4duke_tl

Road 38.5 miles on the Rolling Prairie trail. Started in Hampton and road to Shell Rock. Trail is divided into three sections that can be connected by using paved and gravel roads. Would not recommend riding from Hampton to Dumont. Someone thought it a good idea to use large gravel for several long sections of the trail. I have a gravel bike and it was a challenge. Trail is poorly marked and closed in one section and I had to find a work around on gravel roads. Worst section of a bike trail I’ve ever ridden in Iowa and I’ve ridden 34 so far. The good news is from Allison to Shell Rock is paved and well marked.

Accordion

High Trestle Trail

High Trestle Trail Bridge Delight, July 2024

August, 2024 by sebhike24verizon.net

A friend and I from Virginia stopped to do the High Trestle Trail in mid July on our way to South Dakota and enjoyed it very much. Very unique, beautiful area and the other bicyclists were very friendly. We stopped at the Flat Tire for a snack and my friend had a beer. Trail surface was clean. It was a great way to break up our long drive.
Seb

Three Rivers Trail

Nice Trail

August, 2024 by kg4duke_tl

Good trail with some interesting history. Most scenic part with rivers and streams by the trail is south of Rolfe to Humeston. Road the trail on August 9, 2024. FYI the bridge over the DesMoines River south of Rolfe a few miles is out, and trail is closed for that section, but can bypass to Bradgate on the road to get back on.

Great American Rail-Trail

West bound from Ellensburg. August 2024

August, 2024 by tastesbadtobears

We ( recumbent trike & e-bike) headed West from the Kiwanis park. Turned around after 9km as the surface was really tough on the trike. There’s 2 good wheel tracks for bikes, but the trike had to ride partially in the coarse trail ballast. Scenic area with farm views and a huge windmill farm in the distance.

Raccoon River Valley Trail

Great trail except for one section

July, 2024 by ltbike

This trail is mostly concrete and very smooth and pretty. Our favorite section is Yale to Redfield. The very worst section is Yale to Jefferson--I advise not even going on that section--multiple wide cracks, potholes, limbs hanging over the trail--we finally turned around and rode a different direction--we were at the Herndon TH/junction. Boo to Guthrie County for not maintaining their part of the trail. We camped at Springbrook State Park.

Veterinary Medicine Trail

connecter

June, 2024 by hawkman275

It is just a nice flat connecter trail to get you under highway 30

Raccoon River Valley Trail

Rode Perry to Milburn

June, 2024 by djmmsherman

Rode this trail mid-May 2024. Surface is cement, so easy and flat biking and trail in great shape. We started in Perry, which is charming and makes a big deal out of the biking trail (can't miss the biking sculpture). We rode as far as Minburn and turned around to ride back for a ride of 20.5 (we also did part of the Sauk Rail Trail on this day). The RRVT is recommended on the Rails to Trails “HALL OF FAME.” $2 daily trail fee. Saw so many birds: cardinals, orioles, blue jays. Popular trail – lots of activity, bikers, walkers. Windy in the open parts. Found some keys and stuck them on a branch we pushed in on the side of the trail. Were delighted to find woven dandelions around the branch as a "thank you" when we rode back to Perry. Beautiful rural biking and people were so friendly. Great ride!

High Trestle Trail

High Trestle is a Highlight

June, 2024 by djmmsherman

We parked our car on the western side of the trail in Woodward and biked east towards the bridge and Madrid, went as far as Sheldahl (the town just past Slater) and turned around. Surface is cement, so easy and flat biking. Noticeable “no see ‘ums” on the trail, so bring a bandana or keep talking to a minimum! Bring water and pack in/pack out what you need. No water stations or fountains that we saw on our portion of the ride. Very windy in the open parts. Spectacular bridge -- glorious by day and lit up at night. We went back to the bridge at dusk, parking the small parking lot at Madrid and walked 1 mile or so to the bridge. Lovely trail and the bridge is a highlight -- a must do!

Sauk Rail Trail

smooth trail

March, 2024 by lyonsjustin1958

We really enjoyed this ride. Since we rode in March there was not any foliage on trees or landscape. But the trail condition was smooth sailing all the way.

Raccoon River Valley Trail

Jefferson to Herndon rough ride

September, 2023 by thepetpal

We rode yesterday from the depot in Jefferson, south through Cooper to Herndon. The first four miles were lovely and smooth on concrete. Then the asphalt began and was a bit rough until Cooper. The next five miles south to Herndon were extremely bad, as in, I don't care to ever ride that section again! Hopefully they can get enough money for resurfacing in the near future.

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