Best Hiking Trails in Iowa | Trailmonger

About hiking in Iowa

Iowa has 949 named trails tagged for hiking on the map, covering 2,109 miles, an average of 2.2 miles each. The longest is Neal Smith Trail in Polk County, at 73.1 miles. 78 run 5 miles or longer. 57 of the state's counties have at least one; Polk County has the most, with 104 trails.

Top 100 hiking trails, longest first

Trails 1–25

Neal Smith TrailHikePolk County73.1 mi Clear Creek TrailHikeMTBJohnson County61.7 mi Raccoon River Valley TrailHikeDallas County56.1 mi Linn Creek Recreational TrailHikeMTBMarshall County50.0 mi ADT - Iowa - K - Seg 3HikeGrundy County41.2 mi Iowa River Trail - Terry Trueblood to Waterworks Prairie ParkHikeJohnson County35.8 mi Iowa Highway 330 TrailHikeMarshall County33.0 mi Dragoon Trail - Des Moines to Lake Red RockHikeMarion County30.8 mi Volksweg TrailHikeMarion County30.8 mi Sac & Fox TrailHikeMTBLinn County30.6 mi Dragoon Trail - Fort Dodge to StratfordHikeWebster County30.3 mi ADT - Iowa - K - Seg 4HikeStory County27.2 mi Martin Luther King Junior TrailHikeMTBPolk County26.9 mi Dragoon Trail - Webster City to StratfordHikeHamilton County26.8 mi Gay Lea Wilson TrailHikeMTBPolk County26.3 mi Rolling Prairie TrailHikeMTBButler County25.9 mi Denmans Mountain Bike TrailHikeMTBPolk County24.9 mi Great Western TrailHikeMTBWarren County23.4 mi ADT - Iowa - K - Seg 6HikeMontgomery County22.4 mi Dragoon Trail - Boone to Des MoinesHikePolk County21.5 mi Dragoon Trail - Stratford to BooneHikeBoone County19.8 mi Riverfront TrailHikeMTBScott County17.9 mi Dragoon Trail - Through Des MoinesHikePolk County16.7 mi Levee TrailHikeMTBPolk County16.0 mi Coal Miner's DaughterHikeMTBWarren County16.0 mi

Trails 26–50

Inter-Urban TrailHikePolk County15.9 mi ADT - Iowa - K - Seg 5HikeGreene County15.3 mi Clive Greenbelt TrailHikeMTBPolk County14.9 mi Lakeshore TrailHikePolk County14.9 mi Iowa River Corridor TrailHikeMTBJohnson County14.3 mi Sauk Rail TrailHikeMTBCarroll County14.2 mi Carl Voss TrailHikePolk County14.2 mi Meredith TrailHikePolk County13.3 mi ADT - Iowa - K - Seg 1HikeCedar County12.5 mi Kruidenier TrailHikeMTBPolk County12.2 mi Brent's TrailHikeHarrison County11.7 mi Hoover Nature TrailHikeMTBJohnson County11.5 mi Tatanka Ska TraceHikeMTBDickinson County11.1 mi Woodpecker TrailHikeJohnson County10.9 mi Lime Creek Conservation Area Trail NetworkHikeCerro Gordo County10.7 mi Oralabor Gateway TrailHikePolk County10.5 mi Cedar River TrailHikeMTBLinn County10.3 mi ADT - Iowa - K - Seg 2HikeBenton County10.1 mi High Trestle TrailHikeBoone County9.9 mi Walnut Creek TrailHikePolk County9.6 mi Hoover Nature TrailHikeMuscatine County9.6 mi Praeri Rail TrailHikeMTBStory County9.4 mi Solon TrailHikeJohnson County9.0 mi Cedar Valley Nature TrailHikeMTBLinn County8.8 mi Johnston Interurban TrailHikeMTBPolk County8.4 mi

Trails 51–75

Beaver Creek TrailHikePolk County8.1 mi Discovery TrailHikeMTBClinton County7.7 mi Maquoketa River Canoe TrailHikeJones County7.6 mi Low Line TrailHikePolk County7.5 mi Principal RiverwalkHikePolk County7.1 mi Lake TrailHikeDavis County6.9 mi Iowa River Trail - Waterworks Prairie Park to North LibertyHikeJohnson County6.6 mi Rolling Prairie TrailHikeMTBFranklin County6.6 mi mtbHikeMTBWoodbury County6.5 mi Le Mars Bike TrailHikePlymouth County6.4 mi Riverfront TrailHikeMTBWoodbury County6.2 mi Shaulis Road TrailHikeMTBBlack Hawk County6.2 mi Lake TrailHikeHenry County6.2 mi Top Shelf TrailHikePolk County6.1 mi Ellis TrailHikeMTBLinn County5.9 mi Stubb Severson TrailHikeSac County5.9 mi Fairfield Loop (DOT-South Segment)HikeMTBJefferson County5.8 mi Clear Lake Trolly TrailHikeMTBCerro Gordo County5.7 mi West River LoopHikeMTBWebster County5.6 mi Backbone Forest TrailsHikeMTBDelaware County5.5 mi Main Loop TrailHikeGuthrie County5.5 mi Rollercoaster Mountain Bike TrailHikePolk County5.3 mi Orlabor Gateway TrailHikeMTBPolk County5.2 mi Dubuque Jaycees TrailHikeMTBDubuque County5.2 mi South Snowmobile TrailHikeJohnson County5.1 mi

Trails 76–100

Cedar Valley TrailHikeJohnson County5.1 mi Lake TrailHikeVan Buren County5.1 mi Ed Winkel Memorial TrailHikeMTBOsceola County5.0 mi Cherokee TrailHikeMTBLinn County5.0 mi Prairie TrailHikeJohnson County5.0 mi Comet TrailHikeMTBGrundy County4.8 mi Field Campus TrailHikeJohnson County4.7 mi Pleasant Creek TrailHikeJackson County4.6 mi Bellevue Rivervue TrailHikeMTBJackson County4.5 mi Long Creek TrailHikeMTBGuthrie County4.5 mi Cedar Lake LoopHikeMTBLinn County4.4 mi Whitetail TrailHikeMontgomery County4.4 mi Plywood TrailHikePlymouth County4.4 mi Plum Creek Bike & Nature TrailHikeChickasaw County4.3 mi Osprey TrailHikeJohnson County4.3 mi North Shore TrailHikeJohnson County4.3 mi Rock Creek Recreation Bike TrailHikeMTBJasper County4.3 mi Prairie Park Fishery TrailHikeLinn County4.2 mi Lake LoopHikePolk County4.2 mi Gate House TrailHikeVan Buren County4.2 mi White TrailHikeMonona County4.1 mi West Oak Forest EastHikeMills County4.0 mi Karras-Kaul Connector TrailHikeMTBPolk County3.9 mi Floyd River TrailHikeMTBWoodbury County3.7 mi Sauk Rail TrailHikeMTBSac County3.7 mi

Hiking Trails by county

← All of Iowa

Trail geometry from OpenStreetMap contributors, licensed ODbL. Elevation from the USGS 3D Elevation Program. Compiled and published by Trailmonger · trail data last rebuilt October 4, 2026.