Tuesday, September 1, 2009

Great Places to Ride Your Bike in Iowa

By Patricia J Williams

Where can you find hundreds of miles of biking trails-many constructed on old former railroad beds? Iowa! This state has converted more old railroad beds into trails for bikers than any of the other 49 states. This is great for beginning bikers because it makes for miles and miles of paved easy-to-traverse biking trails. Biking trails throughout this state follow and cross waterways and venture into prairies, forests, and hilly or rocky terrain. There's something for every biker to enjoy!

Not far from Council Bluffs, families will enjoy journeying along the Wabash Trail, a 25- mile run that is pretty easy to travel and great for beginners. Along with fantastic scenic views, this route includes lots of opportunities to stop and check out the little towns and stopping points all along this trail. This is a fun, relaxing ride with lots of great interesting attractions as an added benefit.

The Sycamore Trail near Des Moines is also known as the "Brickyard." (Because it used to be one!) Most of the trail runs along the Des Moines River for about 7 miles. However you can several miles to your ride by branching off on one of the challenging loops along the trail. The Brickyard area is very rocky and steep and technical. Part of the trail actually gets submerged under water during spring, so always ride when it's dry. Watch out for deer on the trail as well.

The Oleson Park Trail near Fort Dodge that have been designed and continually improved by Joker Racing. You'll experience a really fast downhill section as well as some wet/dry creek crossings. The terrain is hilly, but nothing too difficult. There's something here for everyone.

The Sugar Bottom Recreation Area includes a complete network of trails for inexperienced and advanced bikers alike. Many are one-way, so watch the signs or get a map. Altogether, the trails encompass 10-12 miles of riding and they're nicely maintained. This is a popular area, though, so stay alert as it can be crowded at certain times of the year. Trails designed for advanced riders feature great technical features like tree roots and double backs.

For intermediate to professional level bikers, the 14-mile trail on the Decorah Mountain Bike Trail System will get your heart racing! Home to the first MTB racing event to be held in Iowa, you'll find lots of technical features to challenge even the most advanced riders. Roots and rocks, steep inclines and rapid descents, dirt track and lots of other types of terrains and surfaces-there is something here to challenge everyone-and this track definitely will challenge most riders!

Another trail perfect for the most adventurous of bikers is the Lewis and Clark Trail near Council Bluffs. It's a good thing that there are some good bailout points along this 7-mile track because there's a lot of technical stuff here and intermediate riders may not be up for all of them. Twists, turns, roller coaster hills, sharp inclines and drops, obstacles to navigate, and more keep this one interesting. And you'll need to watch out for hikers on these trails, as well.

Iowa boasts more than 1,200 miles of trails for biking. Wow! This is one state avid bikers have got to visit. So put this state on your map of destinations to visit and plan to have fun biking!

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