Iowa Fishing Trails and Maps

845 Reviews

Looking for the best Fishing trails around Iowa?

Find the top rated fishing trails in Iowa, whether you're looking for an easy short fishing trail or a long fishing trail, you'll find what you're looking for. Click on a fishing trail below to find trail descriptions, trail maps, photos, and reviews.

City Trails and Maps in Iowa

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Activities
Length
Surfaces
Type
40 Results
Activities
Length
Surfaces
Type

Bear River Recreation Trail

5.6 mi
State: IA
Crushed Stone

Bergfeld Recreation Trail

1.8 mi
State: IA
Asphalt

Cedar Valley Lakes Trail

16 mi
State: IA
Asphalt, Concrete

Dubuque Jaycees Trail

1.28 mi
State: IA
Asphalt

Evansdale Nature Trail

1.9 mi
State: IA
Asphalt

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

Green Valley Lake Trail

3.5 mi
State: IA
Concrete

Harry Cook Nature Trail

2 mi
State: IA
Crushed Stone

Heritage Trail (IA)

29.2 mi
State: IA
Asphalt, Crushed Stone

Kewash Nature Trail

13.8 mi
State: IA
Asphalt, Crushed Stone

Mark C. Ackelson Trail

6 mi
State: IA
Concrete

Mississippi River Trail (Riverdale to Davenport)

14.3 mi
State: IA
Asphalt, Concrete

Ottumwa Trail System

10.2 mi
State: IA
Asphalt

Pleasant Valley Trail

4.5 mi
State: IA
Concrete

Pony Hollow Trail

3.6 mi
State: IA
Crushed Stone, Dirt, Grass

Raccoon River Valley Trail

88.2 mi
State: IA
Asphalt, Concrete

Russell White Nature Trail

3.8 mi
State: IA
Ballast, Grass

South Riverside Trail

8 mi
State: IA
Asphalt

Spencer Recreational Trail

15.2 mi
State: IA
Concrete
Accordion

Three Rivers Trail

39.9 mi
State: IA
Crushed Stone

Trout Run Trail

11 mi
State: IA
Asphalt, Concrete

Union Bridge Trail

1.7 mi
State: IA
Concrete

Wabash Trace Nature Trail

63 mi
State: IA
Asphalt, Concrete, Crushed Stone

Wapsi-Great Western Line Trail

27 mi
State: IA
Asphalt, Concrete, Crushed Stone

Park to Park Trail

4.4 mi
State: IA
Asphalt, Concrete

Pine Lake Trail

2.4 mi
State: IA
Concrete

Rock Creek Recreation Bike Trail

5.8 mi
State: IA
Asphalt

Cedar River Greenbelt Trail

4 mi
State: IA
Crushed Stone

Comet Trail

7 mi
State: IA
Crushed Stone, Grass

Competine Trail

0.9 mi
State: IA
Asphalt

Lake Pahoja Trail

3.7 mi
State: IA
Concrete

Wheels to Heels Trail

3.8 mi
State: IA
Concrete

Dovetail Recreation Trail

1.3 mi
State: IA
Concrete

Green Meadows North Trail

1.02 mi
State: IA
Asphalt

Grundy County Lake Trail

3 mi
State: IA
Asphalt, Concrete

Mill Creek Fitness Trail

0.8 mi
State: IA
Concrete

North Atlantic Trails System

5 mi
State: IA
Asphalt, Concrete, Gravel

Prairie Lakes Trail

3.4 mi
State: IA
Asphalt, Concrete

Riverside Park Trail (IA)

3.5 mi
State: IA
Asphalt
Trail Image Trail Name States Length Surface Rating
The Bear River Recreation Trail follows part of the Maquoketa River outside of Spragueville and Preston, through bucolic countryside of woodlands, farms and river lowlands. You can start the trail in...
IA 5.6 mi Crushed Stone
Nestled amidst the suburban landscape on the western outskirts of Dubuque, the Bergfeld Recreation Area is a 30-acre park with playgrounds, fishing spots on the Bergfeld Pond, and the Bergfeld...
IA 1.8 mi Asphalt
The Cedar Valley Lakes Trail follows a heavily wooded route along the Cedar River, passing Alice Wyth Lake, Fisher Lake, George Wyth Lake and Brinker Lake. The opportunities for recreation are...
IA 16 mi Asphalt, Concrete
The Dubuque Jaycees Trail runs for just over a mile from Pyatigorsk Park (named for a Russian sister city to Dubuque) up to the 8-acre A.Y. McDonald Park, a popular fishing and boat launch spot...
IA 1.28 mi Asphalt
The Evansdale Nature Trail connects both residential and commercial areas in the northeastern Iowa city of Evansdale. One of the most charming aspects of the trail is the abundance of trees along its...
IA 1.9 mi Asphalt
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
The Green Valley Lake Trail is a developing multi-use trail around the perimeter of its namesake lake, located within the popular Green Valley State Park just north of Creston, Iowa. As of 2019, the...
IA 3.5 mi Concrete
The Harry Cook Nature Trail runs for 2 miles from the edge of the small city of Osage, Iowa to the city's public Spring Park. The trail, which opened in the early 1990s, occupies the bed of an...
IA 2 mi Crushed Stone
The Heritage Trail rolls along like a dream for nearly 30 miles from the Mississippi River town of Dubuque to Dyersville, home of the movie set for Field of Dreams. Along the way, it passes through...
IA 29.2 mi Asphalt, Crushed Stone
The Kewash Nature Trail winds for nearly 14 miles between the towns of Keota and Washington. These endpoints were creatively combined to form the trail's name. The trail has a crushed limestone...
IA 13.8 mi Asphalt, Crushed Stone
It may be hard to believe now when you see children laughing on the playground and neighbors out on a morning jog but Easter Lake and the park that surrounds it sit on the site of a coal mine that...
IA 6 mi Concrete
The Mississippi River Trail in Scott County resembles the setting of a Mark Twain novel as it travels 13.5 miles along its namesake within sight of barges, riverboats, and marine-related businesses...
IA 14.3 mi Asphalt, Concrete
The Ottumwa Trail System provides a scenic north-south route along the Des Moines River through the center of Ottumwa. Along the way, trail-goers can enjoy many of the city's natural treasures,...
IA 10.2 mi Asphalt
The Pleasant Valley Trail is a network of paved, multi-use trail that runs for over four miles throughout the rural city of Ida Grove in western Iowa. Sections of the trail follow the Maple River,...
IA 4.5 mi Concrete
The Pony Hollow Trail in the northeastern Iowa city of Elkader offers a scenic route through woodlands and wetlands along the former Chicago, Milwaukee and St. Paul Railroad bed. The western half of...
IA 3.6 mi Crushed Stone, Dirt, Grass
On the western outskirts of Des Moines, the Raccoon River Valley Trail offers a quintessential central Iowa experience. Over its 88.2-mile span, trail users can traverse woodlands, prairie, and...
IA 88.2 mi Asphalt, Concrete
Muscatine’s Running River Trail System offers paved and unpaved routes crossing the riverside city. One of the most beloved segments sits right on the water’s edge: The Riverside Trail is 5.3 miles of...
IA 5.3 mi Asphalt
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 South Riverside Trail is one in a series of trail systems throughout Cedar Falls, Iowa. Starting at the northern endpoint in Cedar Falls, the first section of the trail runs from Main street at...
IA 8 mi Asphalt
The Spencer Recreational Trail traverses scenic wetlands and prairies on the outskirts of the small city of Spencer, offering users a peaceful, paved path along the Little Sioux River. The trail...
IA 15.2 mi Concrete
Accordion
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 Trout Run Trail provides an experience unique to any other in Iowa, with a hilly landscape that reminds trail users of the meteorite that struck the area long ago. The trail actually loops all the...
IA 11 mi Asphalt, Concrete
Connecting the small Iowa town of Correctionville to one of Woodbury County's most popular recreation sites, Little Sioux Park, the Union Bridge Trail provides over a mile and a half of paved,...
IA 1.7 mi Concrete
The Wabash Trace Nature Trail offers an amazing trip through the rural forests and countryside of southwest Iowa. The trail stretches 63 miles from Council Bluffs (just outside of Omaha, Nebraska) all...
IA 63 mi Asphalt, Concrete, Crushed Stone
The Wapsi–Great Western Line Trail is a 27-mile pathway on the former Chicago Great Western Railroad. The trail passes through a plethora of backdrops, including wide, rolling landscapes, Iowa...
IA 27 mi Asphalt, Concrete, Crushed Stone
So named because it travels between McKinley Park in Creston and Green Valley State Park to the north of town, the Park to Park Trail provides over four miles of paved, multi-use trail to help connect...
IA 4.4 mi Asphalt, Concrete
The Pine Lake Trail runs through a heavily wooded state park of the same name, which is especially known for its 250-year-old white pine trees. The trail begins at Deer Park, a half mile east of...
IA 2.4 mi Concrete
The Rock Creek Recreation Bike Trail is a paved multi-use trail that provides a connection between the small, charming college town of Grinnell and Rock Creek State Park, a popular destination for...
IA 5.8 mi Asphalt
The Cedar River Greenbelt Trail snakes along the west side of the river between Osage and Mitchell. The limestone trail is suitable for walking, jogging, biking and horseback riding. The trail is open...
IA 4 mi Crushed Stone
The Comet Trail is built upon an abandoned right-of-way of the old Chicago Northwestern Railroad. It runs for 7 miles between the town of Conrad (City Park) and just east of Beaman, traversing a...
IA 7 mi Crushed Stone, Grass
The small city of Knoxville, about forty miles southeast of Des Moines, is chiefly known for the Knoxville Raceway and the National Sprint Car Hall of Fame and Museum, which draws racing enthusiasts...
IA 0.9 mi Asphalt
A concrete, multi-use trail that forms a loop through the Lake Pahoja Recreation Area, the Lake Pahoja Trail offers a nice pathway in an off-the-beaten-path corner of northwest Iowa. The 72-acre lake...
IA 3.7 mi Concrete
Running through a beautiful expanse of woods and fields just a short distance east of Denison, Iowa, the Wheels to Heels Trail offers residents and visitors to this western Iowa community an...
IA 3.8 mi Concrete
The Dovetail Recreation Trail is a short community pathway that runs through developing neighborhoods in the eastern edge of the suburb of Coralville, just north of Iowa City. The concrete trail...
IA 1.3 mi Concrete
Running through suburban neighborhoods on the western edge of Johnston, IA, the Green Meadows North Trail offers a pleasant dose of nature and serves as a great recreational amenity for nearby...
IA 1.02 mi Asphalt
The Grundy County Lake Trail circles its namesake 40-acre lake, where outdoor enthusiasts can enjoy fishing, boating, and many other recreational opportunities. The paved trail then continues north,...
IA 3 mi Asphalt, Concrete
*Please note: Flooding in September 2018 resulted in damage to the section of trail that crosses Mill Creek. Please check with local officials for current trail conditions* Linking the small, rural...
IA 0.8 mi Concrete
Just north of the small Iowa city of Atlantic, a sprawling network of concrete multi-use trails have been built, enabling cyclists and pedestrians to safely explore the lovely natural landscape around...
IA 5 mi Asphalt, Concrete, Gravel
A lovely concrete and asphalt path that traverses through a pleasant, tree-lined corridor in the southern edge of Cedar Falls, the Prairie Lakes Trail offers plenty of means of recreation and serves...
IA 3.4 mi Asphalt, Concrete
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

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Recent Trail Reviews

Clear Creek Trail (IA)

Wonderful Trail

May, 2026 by tkoeppel

Wonderful trail from Iowa City to Tiffin. Fun to see how it winds under the interstate. Some shade, some sun. Could use a little more directional signage. Nicely maintained and ample benches to relax and enjoy nature.

Great American Rail-Trail

Highly recommend this beautiful and well kept trail. Beautiful to ride along the trees and over the 2 epic ohiopyle bridges.

May, 2026 by sarahraekratz

Highly recommend this beautiful and well kept trail. Beautiful to ride along the trees and over the 2 epic ohiopyle bridges.

Raccoon River Valley Trail

We Will Be Back!

April, 2026 by timmorris

Rode the Raccoon River Valley trail round trip between Perry and Herndon on Wednesday, April 22, 2026. That turned out to be 27.2 miles. We parked at the Caboose Park in Perry. Interestingly, covered parking was available there. We could not find the bathrooms there, so not sure why Trail Link indicates bathrooms are available. The trail surface was fantastic; wide, smooth concrete with mowed grass on both sides. The grass had been recently mowed and the trail had been blown or swept clean. Wow! Nice! The bathrooms in the old depot in Dawson were available and in perfect condition. The trailhead in Herndon offers parking only; no water, no bathrooms. Overall, this was a great ride, one we will do again in the future.

Accordion

High Trestle Trail

Don’t Miss This One!

April, 2026 by timmorris

Rode the High Trestle trail round trip between Slater and Woodbridge on Tuesday, 4-21-26. Rode a total of 26.9 miles starting at the west Slater trailhead. Nice bathrooms and lots of parking there, with easy access to both the High Trestle trail (going south or west) and the Heart of Iowa trail (going east). The trail surface is fantastic; wide trail with new concrete, and mowed grass on both sides much of the way. Of course the highlight of this ride was the High Trestle bridge. We spent time at each of the six viewing platforms on the bridge as well as the scenic overlook on the west side. Overall, a great ride. We will do this one again sometime.

Heart of Iowa Nature Trail

Five Star Trail!

April, 2026 by timmorris

Rode the Heart of Iowa trail east from Slater to the Skunk River bridge area, and back, on Monday, 4-20-26. It was 65F with a SE wind at 17 to 25 (windy!). The trail surface was concrete in excellent condition! The trail is exposed to the wind between Slater and Huxley. The last 1.5 miles into Huxley was on surface streets. We ride rail trails so we are not exposed to the dangers presented by cars, so this was a surprise and a disappointment. The landowners who refused to grant the trail a right-of-way allowed their NIMBYism to prevent themselves from putting something beautiful in the world. The portion of the trail within Huxley could benefit from signage; there is virtually none. The Skunk River bridge was the highlight of this section of the trail; great views! If we had a do-over, we would have started in Huxley, skipping the Slater - Huxley section which is not as scenic and requires time with car traffic.

Wolf Creek Trail (IA)

Walked part of the trail starting in Gladbtook yesterday 4/10/2026. Very nice trail enjoyed the walk. Very well maintained!

April, 2026 by beth19751210

Walked part of the trail starting in Gladbtook yesterday 4/10/2026. Very nice trail enjoyed the walk. Very well maintained!

Eldridge/Long Grove Trail

Have not walked but biked and very fun also little off road side trails very fun

December, 2025 by bloomingdalex3

Have not walked but biked and very fun also little off road side trails very fun

Clear Creek Trail (IA)

Great Trail

October, 2025 by hanrahanmaggie

Well maintained trail. Busy with very curved paths, must pay attention. Beautiful scenery

Cedar Valley Lakes Trail

Great ride!

October, 2025 by gingerhikes

Idk why this trail doesn’t have more reviews. What a nice ride. Great mix of woodland and a little bit of urban. We rode from Black Hawk Park (BHP) to Waterloo with an excursion around Big Woods Lake for a total almost 30 miles round trip. In Waterloo went to Single Speed for lunch(don’t get Pizza), easy to get to. Trail is well maintained. Had no problems with bugs until the end about 2:30 p.m. when we got back to BHP and got nto grass and the No-seeums were bad! Pretty good directional signs along the way!

Raccoon River Valley Trail

Enjoyed riding on West trail

September, 2025 by 5q84tr5sc6

We really enjoyed riding from Panora almost to Adel and back. Really shady areas to ride and several bridges. The trail was really nice. Another day we road from Perry to Waukee and back and that is pretty much a straight ride. That’s good for little ones to learn. We felt that we like the west ride better. All in all was a good experience for the parts we road on.

Chichaqua Valley Trail

Baxter to Bondurant and back

September, 2025 by ken.heimendinger

Great trail , well maintained, not a lot of ruts. Beer and food stops on both ends. Mainly flat and shaded.

Neal Smith Trail

Rainbow Riders day on the Neal Smith Trail

September, 2025 by bak2bay6

11 ladies/friends make up most of the Rainbow Riders from St Louis Mo. We raved about this trail. It's interesting and takes the rider through prairies, forests, and offers beautiful Visa points of Saylorville Lake. It's well maintained and has multiple entry points. We rode from the Saylorville Visitor Center and road out and back to the recreation area and beach which might be the end of the northern part of the trail. The twists and turns, hills and curves were exhilarating too. We'll talk about this trail and it'll remain in our memory books.

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