Sioux City Riverfront Trail

Iowa

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Spanning over five miles between Riverside Park in the west and Chris Larsen Park in the east, the Sioux City Riverfront Trail provides a unique opportunity for cyclists and pedestrians to experience the scope and beauty of Sioux City's gorgeous river frontage along the Missouri River. The concrete trail provides access to a wide array of parks and cultural sites along the route, and offers any number of impressive photo opportunities along the Missouri and Big Sioux Rivers. Due to its proximity to the rivers, the trail and the surrounding area are subject to flooding, so be sure to check with the local trail manager for up-to-date conditions.

Starting in the east, the trail begins just before the confluence of the Floyd River and the Missouri, inside the city's Chris Larsen Park. Heading west, the trail passes through the circle that houses the Anderson Dance Pavilion; next to the pavilion, interested trail users can stop by the Flight 232 Memorial, which commemorates an aviation disaster from 1989 in Sioux City where 184 of the 296 passengers miraculously survived a crash landing at the nearby airport. History enthusiasts will also want to check out the trio of museums further west on the trail, which dig into the history of the Lewis and Clark expedition and the importance of the Missouri River in the area's development.

Around the Big Sioux Bend, the trail becomes sandwiched between the busy interstate highway and the river, with the noise of traffic distracting somewhat from the majestic river views. Continuing along the Big Sioux River, the trail passes through a series of wooded fields on its way to Riverside Park, a sprawling recreation site with a number of athletic fields, playgrounds, and a public pool. Trail users can continue north along the river via the Big Sioux River Trail; these trails are part of a developing route of trails and on-road segments that the state of Iowa is calling the Lewis and Clark Multiuse Trail, which will one day provide a relatively low-stress route all the way south to the Missouri border.

Parking and Trail Access

Parking and restrooms are available within Riverside Park (1301 Riverside Boulevard), by the museums and the Sioux City Marina (1000 Larsen Park Road), at the Flight 232 Memorial on Larsen Park Road, and within Chris Larsen Park (1280 Larsen Park Road) in Sioux City.