Hello, Hoover!

▢ Intermediate
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From rolling gravel hills surrounded by woodlands to a peaceful roll down the Hoover Nature Trail, this ride has it all. Our only advice? Slow down and soak the beauty in.

This route features a stretch on the The Hoover Nature Trail, which 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, who was born in West Branch—one of 16 towns that the corridor connects. This route will take you through the Oasis to West Branch segment, which is 3.5 miles of trail that connects two counties, Johnson and Cedar, and two towns, Oasis and West Branch. Much of the route is tree-canopied so you’ll have a pleasant, shady ride on this crushed-stone pathway. On the occasions when you pop out of the trees, you’ll see the surrounding agricultural landscape.

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Shadows of three bicycle riders on a gravel road.

Iowa City Gravel Imperial Century

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October is when gravel adventurers can test themselves with the Iowa City Gravel event. But you can ride the 2018 100-mile route any day you’d like, exploring north and south in eastern Johnson County and beyond. You’ll roll out from River Junction, the teeny unincorporated town at the confluence of the Iowa and English rivers, founded in 1873; roll across the Sutliff Bridge, a three-span Parker truss design originally built in 1898 and rebuilt after catastrophic flooding in 2008; pedal past the cheerful red Secrest Octagonal Barn, built in 1883 and on the National Register of Historic Places; and pass a few local, small-town watering holes that would welcome a stop. Aid stations noted on the race route are only there on race day, so if it ain’t race day, you’re on your own for aid!

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Gravel road in the fall of the Iowa countryside.

Iowa City Gravel Metric Century

▢ Intermediate
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In October, gravel adventurers can enter the Iowa City Gravel event with fellow gravel grinders—or they can ride the 2018 IC Gravel metric century any time they like on their own. The route starts out amid the small handful of buildings that make unincorporated River Junction, where the Iowa and English rivers converge. The route will take you past the iconic red-painted Secret Octagonal Barn, built in 1883; through West Liberty, with a downtown district on the National Register of Historic Places and a bountiful selection of restaurants, many of which feature foods of Latin and South America; and through a few small towns that, like so many other small American towns, appeared with the expansion of the railroad. The map shows aid stations that are only there on race day, so unless it’s race day, you’re on your own!

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Road sign off of a flat, paved road with corn fields in the background.

Pancakes, Anyone?

◯ Beginner
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Wanting to get out on gravel but not feeling like dealing with a bunch of hills? This is the route for you! This route manages to find and string together some of the most flat-like-a-pancake roads Johnson County has to offer. Be warned, however: there’s a total of 3 miles of B road on this route — minimally maintained dirt roads that are lots of fun in good weather and that can get impassably sloppy in wet conditions. You might want to choose another adventure if you’re heading out after any significant precipitation.

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Secrest Octagonal Barn in West Liberty, Iowa

Octagonal Barn Loop

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This friendly loop takes you past the 1883 Secrest Octagonal Barn, which is on the National Register of Historic Places. The barn is part of a private farmstead just west of the town of Downy, and its unique shape has helped it withstand the storms and winds of the prairie over all those decades. You’ll pedal past this red-painted landmark not quite halfway through this route. About 18 miles into your ride, you’ll arrive at a one-mile stretch of B road, minimally maintained dirt road. Given the regular rectangles of roads in this part of the county, it’s easy to navigate a mile north or south to circumvent that stretch in muddy conditions…or you might end up taking your bicycle for a walk. Choose wisely!

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