There’s nothing better than a delectable ice cream cone on a hot summer bike ride. This route takes you through North Liberty, Kent Park and Jon’s Ice Cream in Tiffin, and on the Clear Creek trail. Have a family? This is a great introduction to gravel riding!
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.
One of the newest additions to our off road adventures is the Coralville Flow Trail, a gravity-fed smooth textured dirt roller coaster. Starting at the Coralville Creekside Cross Trailhead, you’ll venture your way along a tree-lined climbing path, emerging at a clearing where you can Choose Your Own Adventure: the fun and flowy Flow Trail #1 or the fast and furious Flow Trail #2. Further along — if you’re up for the challenge — take a lap on the Sand Crane Trail which features sloping berms on the corners and a wood frame that drops riders over the remains of an old car.
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!
This route begins and ends in downtown Solon, where there are plenty of options for après-ride refreshments. You’ll take a zig-zagging route generally northward, passing through the town of Ely, until reaching a point where you can take a spur to go out and back to visit the Cedar River at beautiful Palisades-Kepler State Park. About your halfway point, this would be a lovely spot for a snack…and reenergizing for the climb back out of the river valley. You’ll retrace the spur portion of the route then head generally east and south until you circle back around to end in Solon.
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!
One of the premier mountain biking destinations in Iowa is located in the midst of hardwood forest along the Coralville Lake, just north of Iowa City and between North Liberty and Solon. The Sugar Bottom mountain bike trail system, in the Sugar Bottom Recreation Area, includes roughly 12 miles and 1,400 climbing feet of outstanding hand-built trails. The one-way trails range from beginner to expert and are configured in a stacked loop system. You can enjoy a green ride on a continuous loop through the whole system, or check out the blues and blacks that loop off of the main trail. Along the way, you might hear the calls of barred owls, startle a group of deer or turkeys, or see an osprey working on its nest.
Races are held at the trail system several times a year and draw riders from across the Midwest.
Trail status is updated here and via signage at the trails; fines are imposed for riding closed trails.
Camping is available at the Sugar Bottom Recreation Area, along with disc golf, a beach area, playground, barrier-free asphalt trail, nearby boat access, and more. There is plenty to do between mountain bike rides!
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.
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!
This ride will give you a chance to fully experience the rolling topography of western Johnson County and beyond in a lollypop-type route. You’ll head west and west, then turn north. You won’t have to navigate many turns until the route heads back east. At roughly miles 27 and 39, you’ll arrive at towns with some C-store options if you’re in need of refreshment, and in between you’ll pedal along the edge of Kent State Park, a hilly gem in the countryside.
