The way points of this bicycle route:
The hub of many, many train connections in years past. The city has started to build their trail system along the old railroad tracks. Plenty of parking at the auditorium which has been entertaining its citizens since 1939.
If the trail is done, continue going northwest, else, use Bluff Rd/Main St./IA Hwy 99
Approaching the Flint Hills Golf Course. I would imagine the railroad tracks have been replaced by a golf cart path, but don't take my word for it. http://www.flinthillsgolf.com/ If there is no trail beyond the golf course, you'll have to resort to either taking US Hwy 61 or IA Hwy 99. Hwy 99 will have less traffic, but you'll have to backtrack to Mediapolis later on.
A very small village. Take a break here if you're tired.
Population: 1,644 If you took IA Hwy 99, backtrack on Mediapolis Road. Mediapolis, or "Middle Village" is the halfway point between Wapello and Burlington. If there isn't yet a trail here, continue north of U.S. Route 61.
To save you some mileage, you COULD take County Hwy X37 all the way to Columbus Junction, if you'd prefer not to stop in Wapello. To get there, head West on IA Hwy 78 to Main Street and take that road out of town heading North.
Population: 872 http://www.morningsun.info If you came from US Hwy 61, turn left onto IA Hwy 78. 3 miles of the trail is completed here. Some nice attractions await you here including: Locust Grove Park, Sunshine Gardens, Rural Free Delivery Postal Museum, and other historical buildings.
The trail will probably end at the Indian Hills Golf & Country Club. If it does, take County Hwy H16 (40th St.) towards US Hwy 61. You may have to deal with 1 mile of gravel.
Population: 2,124. The trail is not done yet, so you'll have to take County Hwy G62 out of town to the west, then turn right (north) onto County Hwy X37.
Keep your eyes peeled. Somewhere around here is another 3 miles of the trail that leads towards Columbus Junction.
Population: 1900. http://www.cjiowa.com/ Some of the original railroad tracks still remain. Check out the 1886/1922 Louisa County Swinging Bridge on 3rd & Elm. The bridge spans 262 feet in length. When you are done here, take 2nd Street or Hwy 70 North out of town.
Prepare to make your way across the Iowa River. Take special notice of this historical bridge. Eventually, it will be repaired and fitted for the trail.
Population: 424 HALFWAY POINT During the summer, there will be Conesville Melons everywhere. Definitely love at first bite.
There's 7 miles of developed trail surface from here until just outside of Nichols. WARNING: Chances are, it will be covered in brush (except in winter), thus you'll have to resort to taking Hwy 70
Be sure to stop and be on the lookout for moving vehicles here.
The trail will end here currently, so follow IA Hwy 70 into Nichols.
Population: 374 http://www.nicholsnews.com/ There is 2.5 miles of trail surface past here. Hwy 70 turns into Main Street, and then heads East out of town. You'll want to continue North past the Hwy 70/Hwy 22 intersection.
As previously mentioned, there's 2.5 miles of developed trail (crushed limestone) starting from around here. Continue to follow the trail NNE. Typically it will be brush covered about halfway. Take the gravel road out of town...
If you took the gravel road, you should hopefully find slightly better trail conditions here. Follow the trail just a little further from here
The trail surface currently ends at 155th Street. So, you'll have to turn left onto this gravel road, then right onto Eliason Avenue, which is paved all the way to West Liberty.
Population: 3,332. http://www.westlibertyiowa.com/ Turn right onto Cty Hwy X34 (Prairie St.). After crossing the railroad tracks, turn left onto 4th St. Right on the corner is the Railroad Park playground, but the big attraction here is the restored Rock Island Depot, complete with a caboose and a little white church. The depot is open to the public during visiting hours (MF 1-3:30pm, S 9-12am, MW 8-11am)
From Elm St., is the very busy Rainbow Drive, aka U.S. Highway 6. From here, there is no trail, yet, so you'll have a choice between two routes. The first option is to take US6 West out of town towards Baker Avenue (Cty Hwy X30) and Downey. The second option is to take Rainbow Dr. 1500 feet right to Garfield Avenue (Cty Hwy X40), and then take that road North out of town. X30 is more direct to the next trail segment, but X40 is on brand new road surface yet you'll have to backtrack later.
There used to be a train depot here. There appears to still be one old building standing.
Beranek Memorial Park is located here. It's pretty easy to tell where the old railroad used to pass through. There's remnants of an old bridge here too.
Population: 2,188 http://westbranchiowa.org/ If you took X30, you'll be taken straight to West Branch, which is where the next completed segment of the trail is. If you took X40, you will be in Springdale. Just take the Herbert Hoover Highway West for five miles. West Branch is the birthplace of Herbert Hoover, the 31st president of the USA. Take a tour of the area museum and his farm home if you'd like. It's worth it. When finished, take Main St. to 2nd St., then 2nd St. to College St.
The trail continues from here. The crushed limestone is generally well-maintained here.
The trail crosses Cty Hwy X30. Beware, from here, the trail isn't quite as maintained. It's also very muddy after rainstorms.
This very small community is where the trail currently ends. By the way, Fairview Cemetery Rd that leads SW out of town generally ran along the same line as an old rail-line from Iowa City to Clinton, until 1922. Perhaps it will become a trail eventually too?
You have another decision to make. Oasis Rd NE is blacktop, but you'll have to get back onto gravel eventually. Take Oasis Rd to White Oak Ave. Then it's 2 miles of gravel on Strawbridge Road to Putnam Street. If, however, you wish to stay as close to the trail as possible, head North on Oasis, west on Elmira Rd, North on Rapid Creek Rd, East on 280th, North on Vincent Ave., and finally West on Strawbridge Rd. All these roads are gravel.
It's pretty easy to imagine that something was once here... This used to be the sight of an old railroad depot.
At this point, you could actually take the dirt trail into Morse as it is generally accessible from 280th Street. There's also plenty of shade here
Interesting enough, the Trail does "exist" on some maps :) If you took Strawbridge Rd as suggested, you'll end on Putnam St. Putnam is thankfully a blacktop road.
A quiet community with some nice houses and one historical store that has since been repaired and beautified. The trail isn't paved here yet, so you'll have to take County Hwy F8W/F28 to the Southwest towards IA Hwy 1 to get to Solon, your next stop. If you don't mind gravel, you can take Turner Avenue NE (a mile west) all the way to Solon. Hwy 1 has very heavy traffic...
Somewhere along here, the old railroad line would have crossed. However regardless of this fact, Solon is still not a town to miss! Until the trail is completed here, take IA Highway 1 North into Solon. Then turn left onto 5th Street. There's a brand new Dairy Queen here on Hwy 1 in the new housing addition
5th Street will cross here. Continue until you see the High School, turn right onto Racine Avenue.
Population: 1,350 http://www.solon-iowa.com/ A great place to take a break. If you'd like, you can take the McBride Nature Trail from the Solon Nature & Rec Center to McBride State Park, then backtrack 2 miles. Otherwise, just take IA Hwy 382 (Main Street) out of town. The side of the road is paved completely for bicyclists, hurrah!
This is where the trail will eventually cross. It isn't hard to miss. Unless you decide to try it out, just go another 2000 feet and turn right onto Ely Rd.
From here, cross Wright Brothers Blvd. The trail is completed here on the left for 2.5 miles.
The tracks would have continued from here over the farmland. However the trail goes around instead.
The trail will resume at this point near Ely Road, and continue West. Currently, the road is dirt, but it should be paved sometime in 2007. From this spot and North, the trail is paved.
Kirkwood Community College is about two miles off to your left. Eventually a trail to the campus will connect around here.
You are now technically on the Cedar River Trail. Cross U.S. Highway 30/151 under the bridge.
A parking lot access point is right here past the railroad bridge on your left.
Technically, the trail will curve alongside the Cedar River towards the next marker starting from around here.
Continue to follow the trail towards 16th Avenue SW. The trail will resume the old railroad route when it enters the Downtown District. The old railroad bridge is still here though so take a look at it as you go under it.
Greene Square Park.
You can continue to ride the Cedar River Trail all the way to the famed Cedar Valley Nature Trail if you'd like. (I have a map and directions for that route on Bikely too) Congratulations! You've finally finished riding Iowa's longest nature/bicycle trail! Perhaps eventually, the trail will continue all the way to Albert Lea, Minnesota where the old rail line used to go! Hope you found my map/directions useful!
Welcome to Bikely, take a step by step tour of this path:
Press Start Tour - then use the navigation buttons below to move along the path.
Tagged with: Recreational, Onroad, MTB, Basic, Intermediate, Offroad, Low traffic, Safe, Rural, Scenic
