Urban Terrain Tour

Miles

Feet of Climbing

Kick off your journey at Iowa City’s newest gem, the Ice House Singletrack Trail at Terrell Mill Park. Warm up on beginner and intermediate loops winding along the Iowa River, past reclaimed-wood bridges, and around the historic ice house foundation. Don’t miss the skills area—perfect for practicing balance and technique before you hit the next trail.

Next, hop onto paved paths toward Coralville, taking in views of fish and birds at the Iowa River Power Co. Dam before rolling on to the Woodpecker Singletrack: a shady, creekside system dotted with wooden bridges and urban wildlife. Need a quick rest? Pull over at the Tom Harken Trailhead for water, shade, and restrooms.

Continue on via the Pecker Connector and Smokey’s Treat segments into the Creekside area, where freshly minted trails cross island boardwalks and playful stream features. If you’re feeling bold, test your skill on the Creekside Flow Trail with its two gravity-fed routes, or go all-in on the “Deadwood” segment’s sloping berms and alt lines.

When you’re ready to wind down, join the paved trail for a relaxed spin back through Coralville and along the Iowa River to Iowa City. Want to keep the adventure going? Stop by a Bike Friendly Business for post-ride fuel and refreshments. Or make a weekend out of it at one of our Bike Friendly Hotels, where you and your bike will be warmly welcomed. Around here, Bike Iowa City isn’t just a place to ride—it’s a place to relax, refuel, and reconnect.

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Millstream Brewing Co. Tour de Brew

Iowa City Gravel Imperial Century

♢ AdvancedLeave a comment

Miles

Feet of Climbing

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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Large group of gravel bicyclists riding on a foggy day.

Let’s Go Look at the River

▢ Intermediate

Miles

Feet of Climbing

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.

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Gravel road in the fall of the Iowa countryside.

Iowa City Gravel Metric Century

▢ Intermediate

Miles

Feet of Climbing

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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Two bicyclists riding on a gravel road on the east side of Iowa city.

The Gritty

♢ Advanced

Miles

Feet of Climbing

Another route to test your inner endurance adventurer, this route from a now-defunct race called the Gritty Brevet combines the flatter southeast quadrant of Johnson County with the rollers in the western part of the county. From the Johnson County Fairgrounds (site of the famous Jingle Cross cyclocross races!), you’ll head generally east and south first to get good and warmed up. Then you’ll head west, arriving at Riverside, future home of Star Trek’s Captain James T. Kirk (really!), about 45 miles into your journey. As you make your way farther west and gradually north, the traffic on the road will likely include the horse-drawn buggies of the local Amish farm families. Your next opportunity for convenience store refreshments won’t come until you reach Tiffin at 86 miles into the adventure, so be sure to bring along plenty of water and food to get you through. After all the work on the rolling hills, you’ll end your ride with a final, fun descent.

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Secrest Octagonal Barn in West Liberty, Iowa

Octagonal Barn Loop

◯ Beginner

Miles

Feet of Climbing

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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Westward Ho!

▢ Intermediate

Miles

Feet of Climbing

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.

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Turn Here!

♢ Advanced

Miles

Feet of Climb

This is another shorter route for the Advanced Adventure routes, and its challenge lies in two characteristics: significant climbing and punchy hills, and a lot of turning. Bring your cue sheet! The good news is that you’ll come across plenty of options for a refueling stop if needed in Coralville and North Liberty—or just at your start-finish point. This route takes you across the Coralville Dam Spillway. During severe flooding in 1993, water rushed over the spillway and uncovered a prehistoric treasure trove in what is now called the Devonian Fossil Gorge. You might stop and look around!

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Trains and a Tree

♢ Advanced

Miles

Feet of Climbing

So many American towns sprang up next to rail lines, and this route takes you through a couple of those. It also takes you past a town, Lone Tree, named for a giant elm tree said to be so large that bison grazed beneath its shade, removing all grass around it and thus protecting it from prairie fire. (Sadly, though, the tree was no match for Dutch Elm Disease.) You’ll pedal along part of Historic US 6, and you’ll visit 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. You might want to take a break and sample one before pedaling the last 13 or so miles of your adventure.

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Tag Archives: Points of Interest