Iowa Trails and Greenways, Rail Trails, and guide to hiking, biking, and trail riding

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Agencies

Hitchcock Nature Center harbors some of the largest remaining prairie remnants in Iowa

For information on the 600 miles of trails and bicycle
routes in Iowa's state parks: www.iowadnr.com/parks/

The Mississippi River Project, US Army Corps of Engineers, includes trails, camping and recreational opportunities along the River: www.missriver.org

National Park Service units in Iowa

Bicycling and Mountain Biking

Bike rides on Iowa roads and paved pathways from road biking books at Trails.com:

Road Bike Rides in Iowa

The 2005 version of the Iowa Transportation Map for Bicyclists is now available.

BIKEIOWA.com has a list of nearly 40 trails across Iowa with contact information: http://www.bikeiowa.com/asp/trails/trails.asp

Iowa City Off-Road Riders is a mountain bike club in Iowa City that designed, built, and maintains mountain bike trails in the Sugar Bottom Recreational Area: www.icorrmtb.org

Bike World Iowa has a variety of bike-related information: http://www.bikeworldiowa.com/

The Mississippi River Trail is a 10-state cycling route planned from the headwaters of the Mississippi in Minnesota to the Gulf of Mexico: www.mississippirivertrail.org/

RAGBRAI is the "Register's Annual Great Bicycle Ride Across Iowa," one of the oldest and largest cross-state bike events in America: http://www.ragbrai.org/

Lake Country Cyclists has sponsors events including trail rides: www.lakecountycyclists.com

Equestrian Trails

The Iowa Horse Council has information on trails, events, and contacts: http://www.iowahorsecouncil.org/

Greenways and Community Trails

Flint River Trail is part of the Great River Gateway Vision Iowa project om Burlington and Des Moines County: www.seirpc.com/Trails/Home.html

Greater Des Moines Recreational Trails provides online maps of 300 miles of existing trails and parks: www.ci.des-moines.ia.us/departments/PR/trails.htm

The Jefferson County Trails System includes 33 miles in the Fairfield, IA area: http://www.jeffersoncountytrails.org/

The Smith's Island Nature Trail is a National Recreation Trail located near Pleasant Valley: www.mvr.usace.army.mil/missriver

Information on the Story County Trail System is at: www.public.iastate.edu/~wwilke/storytr.html

Hiking Trails

Hiking trail maps, hike descriptions, and Iowa topographic maps at Trails.com:

Hiking Trails in Iowa

American Volkssport Association year-round walking and Volkssport Event Calendar

Long-Distance Trails

For information on the coast-to-coast American Discovery Trail in Iowa: http://www.discoverytrail.org/states/iowa/index.html

The Iowa Mormon Trails Association: http://www.iowa-mormon-trails.org/

The Mississippi River Trail is a 10-state cycling route in the process of development; see maps and information for Iowa: http://www.mississippirivertrail.org/mrt-explore-ia.php

Off-Highway Vehicle Trails

Iowa Off-Highway Vehicle Association

www.iowaohv.com/

The River Valley Trail Riders Club is building the 350 acre State sponsored River Valley OHV park in southwest Council Bluffs: http://www.rivervalleytrailriders.com/

Rail Trails and Canal Trails

Cedar Valley Nature Trail

www.cedarvalleytrail.com

Rolling Prairie Tri-County Trail System is a network planned for North Central and Northeast Iowa: www.butler-bremer.com/web/rollingprairietrail/

Wabash Trace Nature Trail runs 60 miles through southwest Iowa from Council Bluffs to Blanchard: www.WabashTrace.org

Snow Trails

Iowa State Snowmobile Association

www.iowasnowmobiler.com/

WaterWaterway and Boating Trails

Iowa DNR Water Trails Program supports the development of water trails in Iowa: www.iowadnr.com/watertrails/

Statewide Advocacy and Resources

The Iowa Trails Council is the statewide advocacy organizations for trails, greenways, and rail trails throughout Iowa: www.iowatrails.org

The Iowa Natural Heritage Foundation creates new parks and wildlife areas and has helped establish more than half of Iowa's trails for recreation and conservation. INHF and IADOT sponsor the Iowa by Trail site for details of over 40 trails.

Iowa Trails 2000 is a vision of an interconnected, multi-modal, easily accessible statewide trails system: www.dot.state.ia.us/trails/execsummary.html

Need trail skills and education? Do you provide training? Register with the National Trails Training Partnership!

Promote your trail through the National Recreation Trails Program

Find out which National Trails Day events are taking place in your area

Recreational Trails Program funding: The Federal Highway Administration has been providing $50 million annually in funding for trails, greenways, and motorized trails to the States. See how much your state received. Contact your state trails coordinator.

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