Since moving to Iowa my husband and I have found that we both love riding bikes. Before Turner was born these rides were our day dates. Iowa has a lot of amazing trails that we have taken advantage of! We have taken our love of riding to Minnesota and South Dakota trails too.
Some of our favorite rides we have done are:
Bacoon Ride – This ride is a BLAST with lots of bacon treats. A 71 mile ride starting and ending in Waukee on the Racoon River Valley Trail. We have gone back to ride this same loop on our own. Trails are well maintained and easy to ride. There is a cute ice cream shop, Korner Kone in Dallas Center that we like to stop and eat at.
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| Sweaty 75-mile after photo. |
The High Trestle Trail is a 25-mile trail that connects 4 counties and 5 communities in Central Iowa. This trail includes a magnificent 13-story, 1/2-mile bridge over the Des Moines River Valley. While training for our 100 mile rides we would extend this ride to a 75+ mile trail ride. There are some great places to eat and drink along the trail so you can make a day of it.
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| High Trestle Trail bridge behind us. |
Our first 100 mile race was the Gran Fondo Cedar Valley. This ride starts and ends in the Cedar Falls Downtown District in Cedar Falls, Iowa ending with a block party on main street with food, drinks and tunes. Majority of the ride you are on the road. I am not going to lie this was a hard one for me, it could have been the 25+ mph wind + hills but we did it! Goals were met that day.
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| Crowd before starting our 100 mile ride in Cedar Falls. |
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| Goals were met that day! 101.9 you can call me an overachiever. |
Root River Trail – We took a long weekend and headed up to Minnesota to cruise the Root River Trail. We hauled our cute little camper up north with us and stayed at the Eagle Cliff Campground, in Lanesboro. The trails were well kept and shaded with tall trees. We will be back.
Mickelson Trail – My heart has always been in the Black Hills of South Dakota and honestly this is one of my favorite trails. This trail is 109 miles with 15 trailheads, from Edgemont to Deadwood on packed gravel. So we packed our mountain bikes for this ride.
MARSHMALLO Ride – This ride is for all levels starting at Riverview Park in Marshalltown, Iowa and includes a 37, 30, 55, and 100 mile ride option. Depending on the ride you choose you will start on the trail and head towards Melbourne, Iowa.
For all of my biking loving friends I have created a free printable to hang in your home or office. Let the bike riding daydreaming begin.
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