Iowa Mountain Biking Trails and Maps

863 Reviews

Looking for the best Mountain Biking trails around Iowa?

Find the top rated mountain biking trails in Iowa, whether you're looking for an easy short mountain biking trail or a long mountain biking trail, you'll find what you're looking for. Click on a mountain biking 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
28 Results
Activities
Length
Surfaces
Type

Bear River Recreation Trail

5.6 mi
State: IA
Crushed Stone

Copper Creek Trail

0.75 mi
State: IA
Crushed Stone

Fairfield Loop Trail

16 mi
State: IA
Concrete, Crushed Stone, Gravel

Fort Dodge Nature Trail

2.6 mi
State: IA
Cinder

Grant Wood Trail (Jones County Segment)

2.7 mi
State: IA
Crushed Stone

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

Harry Cook Nature Trail

2 mi
State: IA
Crushed Stone

Mapleleaf Pathway

1.5 mi
State: IA
Grass, Gravel

Pony Hollow Trail

3.6 mi
State: IA
Crushed Stone, Dirt, Grass

Russell White Nature Trail

3.8 mi
State: IA
Ballast, Grass

Solon-Lake Macbride Recreation Trail

5.3 mi
State: IA
Crushed Stone

Wabash Trace Nature Trail

63 mi
State: IA
Asphalt, Concrete, Crushed Stone

Cinder Path

13.5 mi
State: IA
Cinder, Crushed Stone

Ed Winkel Memorial Trail

4.7 mi
State: IA
Gravel

Grant Wood Trail (Linn County Segment)

15 mi
State: IA
Asphalt, Grass, Gravel

Heart of Iowa Nature Trail

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

Old Creamery Nature Trail

15.3 mi
State: IA
Cinder, Crushed Stone, Gravel

Paint Creek Trail (IA)

2.5 mi
State: IA
Dirt

Pine Lake Trail

2.4 mi
State: IA
Concrete

Pioneer Trail (IA)

11.5 mi
State: IA
Crushed Stone
Accordion

Comet Trail

7 mi
State: IA
Crushed Stone, Grass

Hoover Nature Trail

27.7 mi
State: IA
Asphalt, Concrete, Crushed Stone, Grass, Gravel

Prairie Land Trail

13.6 mi
State: IA
Crushed Stone

Galloping Goose Trail (IA)

0.5 mi
State: IA
Ballast, Dirt, Grass

Hubbard Prairie Trail

1.3 mi
State: IA
Crushed Stone

Korth Nature Trail

0.6 mi
State: IA
Asphalt

Praeri Rail Trail

10.5 mi
State: IA
Crushed Stone, Dirt, Grass

Reumpers Nature Trail

0.3 mi
State: IA
Cinder
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
The Copper Creek Trail runs for a short distance from the town of Preston, heading northwest along Copper Creek to meet with the Bear River Recreation Trail. You'll find a nice picnic spot with a...
IA 0.75 mi Crushed Stone
The Fairfield Loop Trail forms a 16-mile ring around the town of Fairfield, mostly in the outlying areas of the countryside. The trail links two major preserves and connects city and county parks....
IA 16 mi Concrete, Crushed Stone, Gravel
The Fort Dodge Nature Trail begins at the city's Snell-Crawford Park and runs northeast for nearly 9 miles. The trail travels adjacent to overhead power lines and crosses a couple of bridges over...
IA 2.6 mi Cinder
Nearly 3 miles of the Grant Wood Trail in Jones County has been constructed so far (2012) along a former Milwaukee Road right-of-way in Marion and Olin. The trail is named for the early 20th-century...
IA 2.7 mi Crushed Stone
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 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 Mapleleaf Pathway is located in the small community of Diagonal, Iowa. The trail occupies an abandoned Chicago and North Western Railway corridor, which once formed part of a larger system that...
IA 1.5 mi Grass, Gravel
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
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 Solon–Lake Macbride Recreation Trail runs for 5 miles between the scenic state park and the town of Solon to the east. The popular trail is perfect for cycling or walking and skiing or...
IA 5.3 mi Crushed Stone
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 Cinder Path in southern Iowa is notable as the state’s first rail-to-trail conversion. Following a shady route past farms and wetlands along the Chariton River between Chariton and Humeston for...
IA 13.5 mi Cinder, Crushed Stone
The Ed Winkel Memorial Trail runs for nearly 5 miles from the small town of Sibley in Osceola County, Iowa to just west of the unincorporated community of Allendorf. Offering a hint at much of Iowa's...
IA 4.7 mi Gravel
Running along a former railroad corridor in Linn County, the Grant Wood Trail is being developed in phases. The trail is named for the early 20th-century Iowa artist, perhaps best known for his...
IA 15 mi Asphalt, Grass, Gravel
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 Old Creamery Nature Trail, running between Vinton and Dysart, is so named for the Old Creamery Theater Company building in Garrison, another tiny farm community through which the trail passes. The...
IA 15.3 mi Cinder, Crushed Stone, Gravel
Iowa's Yellow River State Forest contains a sprawling network of hiking, equestrian and bicycle trails. The Paint Creek Trail, which occupies a segment of an abandoned railroad corridor, is the only...
IA 2.5 mi Dirt
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
Central Iowa's Pioneer Trail—which gets its name from the early settlers of Grundy County—is built on a former rail line that once connected the towns of Holland and Reinbeck and the communities in...
IA 11.5 mi Crushed Stone
Accordion
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 Hoover Nature Trail is a developing rail-trail in southeastern Iowa being built on a former Chicago, Rock Island and Pacific Railroad right-of-way. The trail is named for President Herbert Hoover,...
IA 27.7 mi Asphalt, Concrete, Crushed Stone, Grass, Gravel
The Prairie Land Trail follows an abandoned railroad corridor 13.6 miles between 240th Street in Mason City and 1st Street S in Thornton. With a surface of crushed limestone, the rail-trail runs...
IA 13.6 mi Crushed Stone
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. Along with the neighboring Raccoon River Valley Trail system,...
IA 0.5 mi Ballast, Dirt, Grass
The Hubbard Prairie Trail is a one-mile rail-trail extending between the northwest edge of the small town of Hubbard in central Iowa and the Meier Wildlife Refuge. The refuge offers a pleasant place...
IA 1.3 mi Crushed Stone
The Korth Nature Trail extends the Hynes Spur Trail along the Winnebago River in Forest City, Iowa. The short paved trail is bordered by restored prairie with views of the Winnebago River along the...
IA 0.6 mi Asphalt
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

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Recent Trail Reviews

Bill Riley Trail

Great Connector Trail

July, 2026 by 5q84tr5sc6

We only road part of this trail to connect from Great Western Trail to Kruidenier Trail. Very pretty area and smooth even though short. Well kept up.

Kruidenier Trail

Beautiful short trail

July, 2026 by 5q84tr5sc6

Path is great to ride on and so beautiful to go around the lake.

Great Western Trail (IA)

Pretty views but path needs a lot of work

July, 2026 by 5q84tr5sc6

We road yesterday the whole path. Needless to say that from Martensdale only 2 miles out is wonderful new path but there to Cummings is terrible. Cummings to Des Moines is much better, but even that has a few area that are bad. Overall the beauty of the trail is great just the path needs a lot of work. Nice stop to eat along the way at The Chicken.

Accordion

Cedar Valley Lakes Trail

The part we road was great. Unfortunately, 2 and a 1 miles down the path. There was a closure, and they were working on a bridge. Also, the past must close in in. The park further out

July, 2026 by kay1358

The part we road was great. Unfortunately, 2 and a 1 miles down the path. There was a closure, and they were working on a bridge. Also, the past must close in in. The park further out

Chichaqua Valley Trail

Scenery is pretty

June, 2026 by 5q84tr5sc6

Enjoyed this Trail. Started at the Pectocka Trail, went to Mingo and back. . Love all the bridges. Only thing is closer to Mingo the trail is bumpy and some of bridges are rough getting on and off throughout trail. We will do this trail again.

Ed Winkel Memorial Trail

Route Update

June, 2026 by kfulleteach

Route needs updating. It says it starts at 8th Ave but it’s really 9th Ave. Parked at business after asking for permission. Route no longer crosses Highway 60 as shown. It goes along the highway and up to 170th and then across and down the other side of 60. The paths up and down these embankments are not for the faint of heart - very large rocks. The trail itself was fun and nicely mowed - just watch out for the badger and gopher holes!

Cedar Valley Nature Trail

Great ride Laporte to Center Point

June, 2026 by lindag01bike

While I’d ridden the northern portion from Evansdale to Gilbertville which is a bit bumpy , this was my first ride past Urbana on newly paved trail. We started in LaPorte City and rode 26 miles to Center Point and back. Very nice smooth riding. Loved the coffee / ice cream shop right next to the trail in Urbana. Center Point has a restaurant just a block off the Iowa cross street . It’s a beautiful trail with lots of birds and we saw a couple deer. Plenty of other cyclists , more the further south we went. Great portion of the trail , I’ll look forward to exploring further south .

High Trestle Trail

great trail

June, 2026 by cabin6700

This trail is wider than most with pavement in great shape and park like maintenance.

T-Bone Trail

great flat ride - Good Iowa scenery with lots of bumps

June, 2026 by diboy89

We rode the trail from the trail head on the far South End (Pymosa) to Audubon and back.

Highlights: Very Flat, the old trestle midway where the trail diverted was very cool to see. Nice stretch around Exira.

For awareness: The Asphalt is very cracked in a majority of the trail. You can see efforts to repair and smooth it out but still some 2-3 inch cracks for most of the trail.

We enjoyed the trail, the small towns and drove over to Elk Horn for the Dambo troll after riding as a bonus.

Volksweg Trail

Beautiful Trail

June, 2026 by bcm8dfd6p2

This odds a beautiful trail except that is closed at the half way point and we could not find anything online telling us when it would reopen. We were expecting to take a 30 mile round trip ride today only took a 13.5 mile ride.

Mark C. Ackelson Trail

Nice loop and amenities!

June, 2026 by thefinchfarmers_tl

Nice loop and amenities!

Hoover Nature Trail

Over grown with grass most of the way. The underlying surface is reasonable. All that is needed is to be mowed. Then this section of Trail would be quite serviceable.

June, 2026 by kenbird07

Over grown with grass most of the way. The underlying surface is reasonable. All that is needed is to be mowed. Then this section of Trail would be quite serviceable.

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