About trails in Clayton County, Iowa

Clayton County has 19 named trails on the map, covering 17.0 miles in total, an average of 0.9 miles per trail. That is the 17th largest mapped trail network among 59 counties in Iowa. 16 of them are tagged for hiking.

The longest single trail is Pony Hollow Trail, at 3.4 miles. Mapped points of interest in the county include 5 trailheads, 31 campsites, 5 waterfalls, and 20 boat launches. The nearest towns to these trails are McGregor, Marquette, and Elkader.

What the trails in Clayton County are like

By length, 12 are under a mile and 5 run 1 to 5 miles.

Every one carries a difficulty rating: 10 easy and 7 moderate. Of the 17 with measured elevation, Chinquapin Ridge Trail climbs the most, about 620 ft.

Explore by activity

Hiking

16 trails

17Total miles

31Campsites

20Boat launches

5Waterfalls

5Trailheads

Pony Hollow TrailHike3.4 mi Chinquapin Ridge TrailHike2.4 mi Point Ann TrailHike2.4 mi Horn Hollow Loop TrailHike1.8 mi Weeping Rock TrailHike1.5 mi Trail to Marching Bear Group at the Effigy Mounds National MonumentHike0.6 mi Trail to Marching Bear Group of Effigy MoundsHike0.6 mi Bridal Veil TrailHike0.6 mi West Hickory Ridge TrailHike0.6 mi Bluebird TrailHike0.5 mi Ponu Hollow TrailHike0.4 mi Spur Trail to an unnamed mound group with overlook at Effigy Mounds National MonumentHike0.4 mi East Hickory Ridge TrailHike0.4 mi Edgar St Trail0.3 mi Deer Ridge TrailHike0.2 mi Myotis TrailHike0.2 mi Whispering Pines TrailHike0.2 mi

Trails by town in Clayton County

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Trail geometry from OpenStreetMap contributors, licensed ODbL. Elevation from the USGS 3D Elevation Program. Compiled and published by Trailmonger · trail data last rebuilt October 25, 2026.