I camped at Lake Hendricks Park the half-way point of the trail. Easy access from the park to the trail. I rode the north section first and had the wind at my back. Could not pick up the trail in Ridgeway and had to ask for directions. Rode the trail all the way north and they are paving the last section to or the first section in Minnesota. Crashed on my return trip to campground and bent up the wheel of bike. Got a replacement rim in Cresco and rode the south portion of the trail in the afternoon to Elma. Wind was strong and it was tough going but the ride back was nice. The map is a little off. The trail is now paved completely from Elma to the border north of Riceville. I would ride on this trail again just because it is a nice trail and there are some scenic features.

Living in Ridgeway this an easy go to trail. I have biked from Ridgeway to Cresco and that portion is nice and flat. It is also next to a highway which i dont care for. The part from Ridgeway to Calmar is the go to section i frequently ride. Nice and flat and you also get a feel of being out in the country. Only a few roads to cross but other than that its nature and you. Well worth your time if you want a nice and comfortable bike ride. Going through Ridgeway would be your only querk. Just follow the signs and you should be ok. Trail is well marked and both Cresco and Calmar have gas stations close.

Started out in Elma. The start of the trail was very welcoming with a visitor center that was well kept. The trail portion to Riceville was groomed nice. There was enough to see to keep things interesting with nice tree cover through small portions. A couple of bridges to crossover. For the most part it is mostly flat but towards Riceville you will have some hills. Nothing to dread but they will kick your butt alittle. During this portion you will travel through some open spaces. This is something that i dont prefer but non-the less there is open-ness. Then you are thankfull to hit Riceville. The trail takes on a new feel even though you can tell the trail has that old feel. Moss growing on portions of it. I opted out of exploring the lake area as pending storms were looming. The treats during this portion is the covered bridges and the marsh area bridge. There is plenty to see. Honestly wished i had more time to explore a bit more. When i arrived at McIntire there is a very large gap in the trail. There is a sign to instruct you to where it picks up again. At that point i turned around and headed back. At that point i was 2hrs in and didnt want to be hunting for where it picks up again. Oh also if your wondering at this point it was 19.2 miles. The trip back wasnt dull. Honestly bucking head winds on the route thus far really takes alot out of you. Having a tailwind at your back for the return trip was a delight.
Four star rating... PROS..awesome trail for any level of biker. Very well marked so you wont get lost. For the most part mostly flat. Where there is scenery it is nice.
CONS...Only two. The open section that you go on seem to never end. Not much to look at except open ness.. The large gap at McIntire was something unexpected. It may be a personal preference but it was something that just seemed so out of place.
Overall...I would not do this particular route again. From Riceville to McIntire I most certainly would.

I rode the Prairie Farmer Trail from Calmar to Cresco on an early Sunday morning in June, 2019. It's a beautiful ride. The trail is in good shape. Navigation is easy except through the town of Ridgeway, but even that isn't too difficult. I highly recommend this trail if you're in the area.

Nice trail for a run or walk!

This is a local trail for us so we ride it frequently. We normally ride from Ely to check village in Cedar Rapids or from Hiawatha to Center point. When we ride in Cedar Rapids in Hiawatha there are quite a few streets to cross that are fairly busy. This can slow you down a little bit and you need to be extremely cautious. We have never ridden past Center point so I don’t know what the trail is like after that however the trail is in excellent condition and a joy to ride from Ely to Center Point

This was an awesome ride. It was well groomed and you can tell that the people that maintain this trail care about it. We had a picnic at Ridgeway and rode to Calmar for ice cream. But it was closed. Thankfully the restroom was open.

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!

I headed south from Evansdale toward La Porte City. It's a good trail in the fact that it's flat so I didn't have to struggle with lots of hills like some other trails around the Cedar Valley. However there is a part of the trail closer to Evansdale that is gone in which you have to take your bike on a little dirt path to continue riding. There is also a bridge out closer to La Porte City. I hope they plan on fixing these issues so that the trail is in better shape.