Explore the best rated trails in Muscatine, IA. Whether you're looking for an easy walking trail or a bike trail like the Court Hill Trail and Muddy Creek Trail. With more than 44 trails covering 4167 miles you’re bound to find a perfect trail for you. Click on any trail below to find trail descriptions, trail maps, photos, and reviews.
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The Mississippi River Trail in Scott County resembles the setting of a Mark Twain novel as it travels 13.5 miles along its namesake within sight of barges, riverboats, and marine-related businesses...
A concrete pathway that runs for just shy of a mile, the Lower Finkbine Trail forms a crucial link in the Iowa City area's multi-use trail network, connecting residents of the University Heights...
Iowa City's Sycamore Greenway Trail is a paved trail running alongside the Sycamore Greenway, a stormwater management system comprising a series of cells planted with native flowers and grasses, which...
The Lester Matzen Bike Path is named in memory of an Eldridge man who is fondly remembered for collecting and restoring bicycles. The trail stretches along Le Claire Road between 1st Street and 18th...
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One day spanning 1.75 miles, the Westside Trail will serve as an important connector in the southeast Iowa community of Muscatine, providing access to Kent Stein Park and Discovery Park. Currently,...
Passing over the same ground that Mormon pioneers once crossed on their way out west, the Mormon Trek/Coralville Strip Nature Trail provides a welcome dose of historical reflection and natural beauty...
The Oakdale Boulevard Trail is a sidepath trail that runs along the north side of Oakdale Boulevard through suburban Coralville, Iowa. While most of the trail is little more than a wide sidewalk,...
Note: This developing route is not yet fully contiguous – it is just over 50% complete. Please refer to the Trail Map for more information on the existing sections of trail, as well as the online...
Located in the scenic riverside city of Clinton, the Clinton Discovery Trail offers trail users a wonderful way to make the most of the city's prime location on the banks of the Mississippi River....
The Cedar Valley Nature Trail follows the fertile Cedar River between Evansdale and Ely. The 69-mile trail comprises three former trails—the Cedar Valley Nature Trail, Cedar River Trail and parts of...
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Muscatine’s Running River Trail System offers paved and unpaved routes crossing the riverside city. One of the most beloved segments sits right on the water’s edge: The Riverside Trail is 5.3 miles of...
Paul Skeffington Memorial Trail is a 5-mile pathway in Dewitt, Iowa. The trail provides safe, well-shaded access from residential neighborhoods to the 100 acre Westbrook Park. It includes a concrete...
Running throughout Iowa City and the surrounding area, the Iowa River Corridor Trail provides residents and visitors alike with an invaluable off-road means of getting around the city. The trail has...
Located in the quaint community of Lost Nation, the Gilroy Rustic Park Trail is one of the most picturesque places in Clinton County. The half-mile path is lined with trees and, although the trail is...
The Kent Stein to Deep Lakes Park Trail (also known as the Wiggens Road Trail) provides an important connector in the southeast Iowa community of Muscatine, which is separated from Illinois by the...
While you might have to look a bit far afield to find any living reefs near the city of Coralville, Iowa, you don't have to look far to find a nice trail for biking and walking, thanks to the Coral...
The Hennepin Canal Parkway, administered by the Illinois Department of Natural Resources as a state park, follows an old towpath along a canal opened in 1907 and quickly abandoned due to competition...
The Ranshaw Way Trail is a sidepath trail for biking and walking in the suburban community of North Liberty, outside Iowa City. The trail runs along the side of Ranshaw Way/Highway 965 for over a...
The Court Hill Trail is a concrete pathway that provides a connection between four local parks in the neighborhoods of eastern Iowa City. Starting in the west at Creekside Park, the trail passes...
The Hoover Nature Trail is a developing rail-trail in southeastern Iowa being built on a former Chicago, Rock Island and Pacific Railroad right-of-way. The trail is named for President Herbert Hoover,...
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The Government Bridge is both an engineering marvel and a significant part of US history. The predecessor to the present-day bridge was the first bridge built across the Mississippi River. Three...
The SolonLake Macbride Recreation Trail runs for 5 miles between the scenic state park and the town of Solon to the east. The popular trail is perfect for cycling or walking and skiing or...
The Kent Stein to Deep Lakes Park Trail (also known as the Wiggens Road Trail) provides an important connector in the southeast Iowa community of Muscatine, which is separated from Illinois by the...
The Cedar Street Trail begins on Houser Street in northwest Muscatine and runs until Parham Road over a mile east. It’s a neighborhood trail connecting residents to the homes, schools, businesses,...
While you might have to look a bit far afield to find any living reefs near the city of Coralville, Iowa, you don't have to look far to find a nice trail for biking and walking, thanks to the Coral...
Located in the scenic riverside city of Clinton, the Clinton Discovery Trail offers trail users a wonderful way to make the most of the city's prime location on the banks of the Mississippi River....
The Highway 1 Trail is an urban sidepath trail that follows a stretch of the highway through southwestern Iowa City, providing a useful commuting alternative to the busy roadway. The trail, while...
Passing over the same ground that Mormon pioneers once crossed on their way out west, the Mormon Trek/Coralville Strip Nature Trail provides a welcome dose of historical reflection and natural beauty...
The small community of Mount Pleasant, Iowa is home to a nice, long series of recreational trails and sidepaths. The trail system enables many residents to easily get around the community by foot or...
Located in a creekside park on the outskirts of the campus of the Univeristy of Iowa, visitors who travel on the Mormon Handcart Trail will learn quite a bit about the journey that the Mormon handcart...
A sidepath trail that runs follows a section of highway east of the Iowa River in Iowa City, the Highway 6 Trail is a paved pathway that helps connect residents with shopping destinations and...
The Ranshaw Way Trail is a sidepath trail for biking and walking in the suburban community of North Liberty, outside Iowa City. The trail runs along the side of Ranshaw Way/Highway 965 for over a...
This off-road trail parallels the Beacon Harbor Parkway in East Moline as it gradually winds north towards the Mississippi River. The trail begins on 7th Street and cuts through a lush wetland where...
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The Flint River Trail, when complete, will run for approximately 20 miles between downtown Burlington, Iowa, and the Big Hollow Creek Recreation Area in the northern part of Des Moines County. The...
Note: This developing route is not yet fully contiguous – it is just over 50% complete. Please refer to the Trail Map for more information on the existing sections of trail, as well as the online...
The North Ridge Trail is a real gem of a trail, located northwest of Iowa City in the suburban communities of Coralville and North Liberty - the trail is the result of the combination of the North...
The Lester Matzen Bike Path is named in memory of an Eldridge man who is fondly remembered for collecting and restoring bicycles. The trail stretches along Le Claire Road between 1st Street and 18th...
Iowa City's Sycamore Greenway Trail is a paved trail running alongside the Sycamore Greenway, a stormwater management system comprising a series of cells planted with native flowers and grasses, which...
Ellis Trail gets you as close to the Cedar River as you can get without getting your feet wet. The paved path traces the west bank of the river, running for over three miles one-way, with a sidewalk...
The Oakdale Boulevard Trail is a sidepath trail that runs along the north side of Oakdale Boulevard through suburban Coralville, Iowa. While most of the trail is little more than a wide sidewalk,...
Located in a creekside park on the outskirts of the campus of the Univeristy of Iowa, visitors who travel on the Mormon Handcart Trail will learn quite a bit about the journey that the Mormon handcart...
The Oakdale Boulevard Trail is a sidepath trail that runs along the north side of Oakdale Boulevard through suburban Coralville, Iowa. While most of the trail is little more than a wide sidewalk,...
The Flint River Trail, when complete, will run for approximately 20 miles between downtown Burlington, Iowa, and the Big Hollow Creek Recreation Area in the northern part of Des Moines County. The...
Running throughout Iowa City and the surrounding area, the Iowa River Corridor Trail provides residents and visitors alike with an invaluable off-road means of getting around the city. The trail has...
The Hennepin Canal Parkway, administered by the Illinois Department of Natural Resources as a state park, follows an old towpath along a canal opened in 1907 and quickly abandoned due to competition...
The Hoover Nature Trail is a developing rail-trail in southeastern Iowa being built on a former Chicago, Rock Island and Pacific Railroad right-of-way. The trail is named for President Herbert Hoover,...
The Ranshaw Way Trail is a sidepath trail for biking and walking in the suburban community of North Liberty, outside Iowa City. The trail runs along the side of Ranshaw Way/Highway 965 for over a...
The Duck Creek Recreational Trail, also known as Duck Creek Parkway Trail, traverses three riverfront cities in the Quad Cities region of eastern Iowa, offering residents the opportunity for a...
The Sac and Fox Trail offers 7.2 miles of beautiful, shady recreation along the Cedar River and Indian Creek on the outskirts of Cedar Rapids. The oldest designated National Recreation Trail in Iowa,...
Ellis Trail gets you as close to the Cedar River as you can get without getting your feet wet. The paved path traces the west bank of the river, running for over three miles one-way, with a sidewalk...
Located in the scenic riverside city of Clinton, the Clinton Discovery Trail offers trail users a wonderful way to make the most of the city's prime location on the banks of the Mississippi River....
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The Clear Creek Trail is a paved trail for cyclists and pedestrians that spans a lengthy, beautifully-wooded corridor along the Clear Creek, which travels along the southern edge of the communities of...
The Cedar Valley Nature Trail follows the fertile Cedar River between Evansdale and Ely. The 69-mile trail comprises three former trails—the Cedar Valley Nature Trail, Cedar River Trail and parts of...
Paul Skeffington Memorial Trail is a 5-mile pathway in Dewitt, Iowa. The trail provides safe, well-shaded access from residential neighborhoods to the 100 acre Westbrook Park. It includes a concrete...
The Dovetail Recreation Trail is a short community pathway that runs through developing neighborhoods in the eastern edge of the suburb of Coralville, just north of Iowa City. The concrete trail...
The Great River Trail is a breathtaking journey along more than 60 miles of the Mississippi River in northern Illinois. In places, the paved trail follows the former spur route of the Chicago, St....
A sidepath trail that runs follows a section of highway east of the Iowa River in Iowa City, the Highway 6 Trail is a paved pathway that helps connect residents with shopping destinations and...
Iowa City's Sycamore Greenway Trail is a paved trail running alongside the Sycamore Greenway, a stormwater management system comprising a series of cells planted with native flowers and grasses, which...
Passing over the same ground that Mormon pioneers once crossed on their way out west, the Mormon Trek/Coralville Strip Nature Trail provides a welcome dose of historical reflection and natural beauty...
The SolonLake Macbride Recreation Trail runs for 5 miles between the scenic state park and the town of Solon to the east. The popular trail is perfect for cycling or walking and skiing or...
Not that much shaded areas but it was a good time.. very windy at times cause it’s next to the river.
Very enjoyable bike trail.. great workout awesome scenery. Definitely recommend
It has very good bike trails and obstacles to try out. Definitely not a trail to go on after it rained but other than that it’s a great trail and not many people there!
Started at the Bureau Jct TH. Walked bikes across the bridge, started out and found the trail to be a combo of slightly paved, not paved, gravelly, sandy, and deep sandy. A real challenge but not advisable for a road bike. Lots of debris (rock, branches, husks, etc). However, there was no-one else on this section so privacy over crowds is the tradeoff. Saw at least 4 snakes on the trail - prairie kingsnakes and one trapped in the canal. Rode all the way to Lock 6. Nice trail except for the beginning. On the way back we bailed the trail and rode thru Bureau Jct to get to the TH.
In 2021, the longest segment of the trail was extended further west within Marion and now ends at 7th STREET. That stretch is about six miles long from the east endpoint at Oxley Road. The trail goes underneath Highway 13/151.
There is also another segment of trail within Marion that is about 1.3 miles in length. The western endpoint is just east of C Avenue NE. The trail has a high bridge over Indian Creek, and the trail dead ends just west of Marion Blvd. When I visited on 10/04/2021, there was construction underway to complete the 4/10's of a mile gap between the two sections described above. Hopefully, my review will also soon be out of date, and the connected stretches making one eight-mile trail.
The middle 2.3 mile stretch from Creekside Road to Springville Road is primitive, but passable. I would describe that stretch as grass growing through a narrow, gravel footpath. The grass is kept mowed. That stretch is scenic, with full-sized trees. However, with the primitive surface, I had to carefully watch where I was riding, instead of being able to gaze around.
The eastern-most stretch, between Alderman Road and Martelle should not be listed as a trail. It is not maintained, and there are multiple places with trees blocking the abandoned right of way.
Great trail to run, well marked. One thing would be to add some lighting but otherwise it’s easy to access and plenty of parking along the route.
We started at the Visitor Center, (very close to Interstate 80); headed west till we came to the feeder basin and headed north for 4 miles, turned around (due to poor conditions) and went back to the feeder basin to continue west for another 4 miles, then headed back to the visitor center. Total round trip around 27 miles.
We are not from the area and were looking to break up a long car drive, this seemed like the perfect location. I must say the scenery is beautiful, we saw many wild animals, biked thru a patch of grasshoppers (hundreds of them), saw beautiful herons, a long nosed fish and a flock of wild turkeys - stunning!
But as for the path, well I could not tell any paved stretches. Most was light soft gravel or overgrown tire tracks, but the worst part was how overgrown the side brush was, covering 1/2 to 3/4 of the path, especially in the northern section. I was hit by so many branches (we were there in late August, it didn't look like any mowing or trimming had been done all summer). Between that and having to watch for obstructions in the path, it was not very enjoyable. To me the path was very "bumpy" and trying even a pace of 10 - 12 miles an hour was tough.
If you're out for a leisurely stroll, this may be a good path, but the section we rode needs maintenance. And it was very disappointing when we arrived at the Visitor Center on a Monday afternoon, for it to be all closed up, no maps, no bathrooms. The one bathroom we stopped at on the northern section was a mess.
This path has potential, it's a shame it seemed to me no one maintains it.
Overgrown foliage and thorn vines across the path. Bring your own clippers or take another route for access to Clear Creek.
Parked where I-74 crosses the river Headed west along the trail but the headwinds were so strong I turned around and went east but ended up in a warehouse district alone so came on back. A well maintained trail with lots of bikers and walkers enjoying it
Great job of clean up on the east end since last fall. Grass area west of Springville is a nice ride even on a hybrid. Last September it was largely impassable with downed trees from the derecho, but looks good now.
Hi everyone-- did the trail July 31, 2021 on a Diamondback Insight Hybrid, 75 degrees and partly cloudy day.
The trail is...not bad. I wanted to give it 3 1/2 stars, so will round up here. I crossed the state --largely using I&M Canal + Hennepin along the way-- starting at Co. road 1200 E (NW of Wyanet) going all the way to Colona, near the Quad Cities. Generally, the further west you go the better in terms of trail surface. Where I started on the eastern portion it was like riding on 'crushed peat' -- grassy and narrow. The asphalt-ish surface starts around I-80 and goes northwesterly from there. There are a few spots that are 'large' gravel but I wouldn't get too worried about that.
I wish the Hennepin was more marked (mile markers, etc) like the I&M Canal. Not much you can do about the lack of services, so bring plenty of water, snacks and a fully-charged cell phone. Princeton and Geneseo are great bookend towns, so to speak, although Princeton is a bit north of the trail. Very peaceful ride, although a little monotonous after a while. The feeder basin area (where the Rock Falls spur branches off) is pleasant.
A hybrid or mountain bike is 'probably' the best way to go here...especially on a dry surface...which I had, thankfully.
Dreaming a bit here...but I think a fully-paved trail between the Quad Cities to the Indiana border, largely using the Hennpin, I&M Canal and Old Plank Road Trails would be amazing and a financial boon to towns along the way. But the cost of constructing such a thing.............
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