Find the top rated dog walking trails in Spencer, whether you're looking for an easy short dog walking trail or a long dog walking trail, you'll find what you're looking for. Click on a dog walking trail below to find trail descriptions, trail maps, photos, and reviews.
Love running on this trail. It does flood in high waters, but is worth the wait. I always run down Grand Ave and hop on the trail. Super easy access. Beautiful - definitely beats running on the town streets! The trail is well maintained in the winter and frequently plowed. Have frequently seen deer on my runs just off the trail.
I rode the section from Humbolt to Rolfe and back on Friday August 31, 2018. As others have posted, this is a crushed limestone trail but it is very smooth and in great shape, especially considering all the rain this area has received this summer. There were some small branches and leaves on the trail and there was one spot just west of Bradgate that was a little soft but other than that it was firm. I rode my Kona Rove with 700c x 35 mm tires and had no problems at all. I felt that the entire route was very scenic as it follows the Des Moines River. There are a lot of wooded stretches and glimpses of water. I even saw a Beaver near Bradgate.
If you take this trip, there's not much in Rutland or Bradgate to stop for, but there are nice picnic areas alongside the trail near both towns. There may have been restaurants in Rolfe but I wasn't really paying attention. Humbolt looked like a fabulous little town with a very vibrant Main Street and several restaurants. This is about an hour from my home, and so I plan to come back and ride the other direction to Eagle Grove. All in all, a great day.
To look at the trail map (which we did) you would think that there is a trail around both Spirit Lake and Lake Okoboji. Nothing could be further from the truth. Much of the trails consist of residental roads, highways, with a few dedicated trails mixed in, which simply stop, with no instructions. Whats even worse is the fact that there are ZERO signs anywhere to tell you where the "trail" is. Maybe I'm spoiled living in central Iowa. If you're a boater, head to the Iowa great lakes. If you're a biker, go elsewhere!!
I run this trail at least 4-5 times a week and I never get tired of it. My route usually consists of the miles between the trailhead in Rolfe and a few miles outside of Bradgate. It is a quite and easy run. There are cricks and rivers all along this route which provide many wildlife spotting.
I would highly recommend this trail to anyone!
I rode the last 5-6 miles at the west end of Three River Trail, up and back, from Bradgate to Rolfe (in my quest to bike in all 99 counties!). I found it peaceful/serene and beautiful. The crushed limestone rode very well and there several places for photo opps. Another plus is the R/R (restroom) availability in Melson Park half way between the two towns as well as the J&B Wilcox Shelter at the end of the trail in Rolfe. Bradgate has a very friendly park-art at a shelter where you can take a moment - and a photo! I definitely want to be returning to finish the trail someday!
We rode the trail from Humboldt to Rolfe. Most of our riding is on road bikes but for this day we took our 29ers. We were shocked how quiet this trail was for a nice Saturday. We only met 3 other bikes in 40 miles on the trail and only a handfull of runners/walkers. This trail is great and very well maintained with trailside rest stops in Rutland and Bradgate before arriving in Rolfe. We had lunch at the Community Pub before heading back to Humboldt. Very nice views along this trail! Look forward to going back and riding from Humboldt to Eagle Grove next time.
Road from the parking lot of Fareway around the entire loop except for 3 miles to Milford. Trail is mostly asphalt that is new this summer (2015). A huge improvement from the previous cracked concrete. The trail is tree lined in parts and beautiful. It goes across several bridges and has beautiful views of the lakes. The trail also takes you past multiple bars and resturants. There are a few areas where there is a bike lane on a lower traffic road. There are spray painted white arrows in some places where it is confusing which way to go. If you stay with the white arrows you will be fine. Fun trail!
Looking for a new overnight adventure, we discovered the Three Rivers Trail. With no real reviews to read and only one picture, we were skeptical and not expecting much. Arriving in Rolfe shortly after lunch, we unloaded our bikes and began our trek eastward. The trail is very well maintained and consists of well-packed crushed limestone. We were pleasantly surprised to see the trail lined with bushes, trees and native grasses & wild flowers; as well as beautiful views of the rivers, birds, deer and other wildlife. There are also a number of rest areas & facilities provided along the way. If you are looking for a quiet, peaceful cycling day, you will enjoy this trail.
Not a very well marked at all. Missed a turn and ended up running against traffic over a bridge with a tiny shoulder. It's every kind of surface and most are not that well maintained. A few small patches of new concert or asphalt but just a mishmash of all manner of walkway. Not a trail destination.
Biked on this trail on a rainy Sunday in May. No water or restrooms at the Trail Head, just a small gravel parking lot. The signage was very poor; never sure you're even on the trail which was all patched up & bumpy and switched between asphalt, concrete sidewalks & parking lots (weird they'd even call this a trail).
In Spirit Lake it seems to run mostly on narrow sidewalks. Riding the roads would have been better except some had lots of traffic & very narrow shoulders. The high point of the trail was a very nice Kiwanis park on the southern edge of Spirit Lake. Dickinson County: this "trail" needs major rehabilitation; the area is interesting but this isn't a destination trail.
Went to Okoboji this past weekend just to ride the trail. First day went around Spirit Lake. Did take the county highway, which is the Iowa/Minnesota State line, to make the entire loop. The scenery was decent. The trail isn't in the best of shape A LOT of patches. The worst thing is the lack of signage. You are constantly being sent on city streets or sidewalks and not sure if you are still on the trail or if you missed a turn. After a while we figured out to look for spray painted arrows on the street or sidewalks to point the direction. The second day we tried to do the loop around Okoboji lake but had to give up because after passing Arnolds Park Amusement Park we couldn't locate where the trail continued on. Disappointing. Signage could have made it a great weekend. As is I won't be back.
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