About trails in Story County, Iowa

Story County has 52 named trails on the map, covering 143 miles in total, an average of 2.7 miles per trail. That is the 8th largest mapped trail network among 58 counties in Iowa. 20 of them are tagged for hiking and 44 for mountain biking.

The longest single trail is Heart of Iowa Nature Trail, at 29.0 miles. 9 trails run 5 miles or longer. Mapped points of interest in the county include 9 campsites, 2 waterfalls, and 14 boat launches. The nearest towns to these trails are Ames, Nevada, and Cambridge.

What the trails in Story County are like

By length, 30 are under a mile, 13 run 1 to 5 miles, and 9 are 5 miles or longer. 3 are loops, ending where they start; the longest is Vet Med Trail, at 2.2 miles.

Of the 17 with a difficulty rating, 8 easy and 9 moderate. Of the 52 with measured elevation, ADT - Iowa - K - Seg 4 climbs the most, about 1,550 ft.

Explore by activity

143Total miles

9Campsites

14Boat launches

2Waterfalls

Heart of Iowa Nature TrailMTB28.9 mi ADT - Iowa - K - Seg 4Hike27.2 mi Praeri Rail TrailHikeMTB9.4 mi County Road R38 Bike LaneMTB8.6 mi Lincoln Way Bike LaneMTB7.6 mi University Boulevard TrailMTB7.0 mi Skunk River TrailMTB6.4 mi Indian Creek Greenbelt TrailMTB5.6 mi Tedesco Connector TrailMTB5.5 mi bicycleMTB3.4 mi Stange RoadMTB2.8 mi Vet Med TrailMTB2.2 mi Peggy's TrailHike1.9 mi Northwestern AvenueMTB1.9 mi South Grand Avenue TrailMTB1.7 mi Clark AvenueMTB1.6 mi Ross RoadMTB1.4 mi South 5th Street TrailMTB1.3 mi 6th StreetMTB1.3 mi Duff AvenueMTB1.2 mi Green TrailHikeMTB1.2 mi Lincoln WayMTB1.0 mi Ioway Creek TrailHikeMTB1.0 mi Hertz Family Woods Gravel TrailHike0.9 mi Red TrailHikeMTB0.9 mi Yellow TrailHikeMTB0.9 mi 30th StreetMTB0.8 mi Hyland AvenueMTB0.8 mi Union DriveMTB0.8 mi Pink TrailHikeMTB0.7 mi Osborn DriveMTB0.6 mi S 3rd StreetMTB0.6 mi Blue TrailHikeMTB0.5 mi Collaboration PlaceMTB0.5 mi Audubon TrailHikeMTB0.5 mi Wallace RoadMTB0.5 mi Morril RoadMTB0.5 mi Beach RoadMTB0.4 mi Bissell RoadMTB0.3 mi Orange TrailHikeMTB0.3 mi Welch AvenueMTB0.3 mi Wilder BoulevardMTB0.3 mi Farm House LaneMTB0.3 mi Doug's Woodland LoopHike0.2 mi Robert Paul Daley PathwayHikeMTB0.2 mi Purple TrailHikeMTB0.2 mi Marjory's Wildflower TrailHike0.2 mi Bruner DriveMTB0.2 mi Wilson Farm Prairie TrailHike0.1 mi Carl's Wetland TrailHike0.1 mi Skunk River Greenbelt TrailHikeMTB0.1 mi Wetland BoardwalkHike0.1 mi

Trails by town in Story County

Ames

9 trails nearby

More Iowa counties

Trail geometry from OpenStreetMap contributors, licensed ODbL. Elevation from the USGS 3D Elevation Program. Compiled and published by Trailmonger · trail data last rebuilt September 24, 2026.