I like loop trails. this one takes you along small lakes, forest areas, and across beautiful bridges.

I am giving it 2 stars because i applaud DesMoines County for bringing a trail to SE Iowa.

But the trail is rough. We rode to Hickory Bend Recreation, which after miles of riding a washed out trail that routed you onto secondary gravel roads (BRING TIRE REPAIR KIT), we found an outhouse & 2 piles of gravel on a weeded lot. No shelter house. Water fountain or benches. Huh.

The trail has no shade. It is cut out of farmers' crop ground so you see absolutely nothing but corn & beans. There are no benches along this route. Nothing to look at. We saw a glimmer of water two ditches & a treeline over. We didn't even see a bird!

This part of the trail is crushed gravel. We did not ride the 4 mile paved route. We have had alot of rain & mother nature was not kind to it. That cannot be helped but I almost flew over my handlebars when I came down yet another hair pin curve and right into a washed out trail with deep fissures. And, these were everywhere.
Dangerous.

Weeds growing up in the crushed rock. Lack of clear directional signage & the part of trail where you dismount & go thru a cattle farmer's 3 metal fence gates is quite odd.

This trail seems poorly thought out, like a swath of trail was simply cut out of farm ground & then rerouted down gravel roads when every few miles the trail didn't seem to work.

Oddly it is labor day weekend and we saw absolutely NO ONE on the trail but we did dodge several trucks on the gravel roads. Maybe that is a sign that there are better trails....

So, if you go. Bring sunscreen. A tire repair kit in case a rock slits your tire on the gravel roads. Wear a hat, 100% in the sun. Bring alot of water. Be careful of the multiple wash outs & know this trail is hilly. Hairpin hilly.

I cannot recommend unless you really just need something to do & have a desire to ride thru miles and miles of corn and beans & don't care. Truthfully we were so busy looking down for washouts and fissures that we would not have appreciated pretty scenery.

Also, parking areas are weedy & after dismounting, walking bike back to put on the rack, I look down and I have burrs all over both shoes to pick off.

We rode the inverted T section shown in the map here as of July 2018. It has been extended to Cash and 8th streets, south of the Case factory. We saw a great blue heron in the Flint River. Surface is paved concrete. Travelers looking to ride in the Burlington area should also check out the northern section of this trail; a pdf map is available at the Des Moines County website. We have not been there. There are some sections further south that look like they will be connected up eventually; local riders appear to know how to use road links to do that.

This is a nice, well maintained, and mostly level concrete path starting from Pond Road until Tama Road, or if you choose to go to the riverfront.

Wish it was more a fine crushed limestone. Very gravely.

If you camp in Jefferson Co Park, it is very hard to find your way out of the park and to the loop trail. The loop trail is great, but we got very frustrated trying to get to it from our campsite in Jefferson Co Park

Was visiting for 2 weeks, would take the trial and go to the park for a swim and continue the ride. Nice ride, some parts are opened to the wind which makes it a bit hard but otherwise fantastic!

restrooms and benches along the way also

This trail will be beautiful when the leaves start showing their full fall color. The trail is mostly crushed and loose gravel. Some areas are packed a little better than others. This is a rather hilly path which is not good for recumbent bikes. Personally, we do not like the crushed/loose gravel for hills, makes it too easy to skid going down the hill and around the curves. The trail goes through a a few nice forest preserves and some pasture areas and hills and valleys. The hills are not bad but a few are very long and gradual when climbing up.

A five-minute slideshow set to the music of Johann Sebastian Bach's "Sheep May Safely Graze".


Visit: http://vimeo.com/7655914


A stirring walk on the 17-mile Fairfield Loop Trail (Fairfield, Iowa) -- including the beautiful reservoir lakes; the farmland trail to Chautauqua Park; Chautauqua Park in the morning light; and the mysterious Lamson Woods and wetlands ... with transcendental views of nearby Interstate Highway #34, and a journey through the ever-peaceful Jefferson County Park (see Trail Map at http://www.jeffersoncountytrails.com; or visit my college on-line, located along the trail in Fairfield, at http://www.mum.edu).

This inspiring art film is set to the melody of Bach's "Sheep May Safely Graze", a beautiful Cantata. It is to be followed (soon) by part two of the "Fairfield Loop Trail" -- from Jefferson County Park back to the reservoirs, via: Cedar Valley Trail; Whitham Woods; Rock Island Railroad; and Maharishi University of Management, where visitors weekends may afford one inexpensive venue for walking this magnificent trail. Camping is also available in Jefferson County Park, on the trail.

Notes:

Five minutes of late summer and autumn majesty ... captured on film from October to November of 2009! All photos are adjustment-free except for cropping, and are therefore "brim-full" with the essence and color of rural and natural America.

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