Trails
General Information · The Trails · Photo Gallery · What You Can Do to Help Future Plans · Future Plans (Fantasy)

http://www.atostogoskaime.lt/pic/paslaugos/ss_26.gif General Information

Iowa City and its surrounding communities are quickly realizing the importance of area trails that are placed in convenient areas of the cities. Bicycling is becoming more of a way of commute than simply a recreation sport and so over the years the area has quickly amassed a fine trail system. Below is the most current map of the trail system as provided by JCCOG. To get the latest version, click here. There's also a map for Coralville trails as well. To view that map, click here. (This includes the extension to the Clear Creek Trail)

Have a concern regarding the trail system? JCCOG also has a form you can fill out and mail in to let them know of possible repair jobs and such. Download that form here.

http://www.atostogoskaime.lt/pic/paslaugos/ss_26.gif The Trails

Currently, Iowa City and surrounding communities have an estimated total of 40 miles of trails, with about a third of them consisting of wide sidewalks. The longest is the Iowa River Corridor Trail which is approximately 6 miles long. Check out the Links section of the website for trails outside the county. Another wonderful source for sharing trail maps is the Bikely website. You can create a profile there and begin to create your own map immediately. For a listing of user-created maps on trails in Iowa, click this link.

Trails
Trail Name Length Completed/Total Point A Point B
Iowa River Corridor Trail 6 miles out of 13 miles Napoleon Park, Iowa City 1st Avenue, Coralville
Clear Creek Trail (Tiffin Trail) 3 miles out of ?? miles West High School, Iowa City U.S. Hwy 6, Coralville
North Ridge Trail (North Liberty Trail) 5 miles out of ?? miles Coral Ridge Mall, Coralville Penn Street, North Liberty
Sycamore Greenway Trail 2 miles Sycamore St./Lakeside Dr., Iowa City I.C. Kickers Soccer Park, I.C.
Willow Creek Trail 2 miles Willow Creek Drive, Iowa City Tipperary Rd., Iowa City
U.S. Highway 6 Trail 1.5 miles out of ?? miles Broadway St./Hwy 6, Iowa City IRC Trail Intersection, I.C.
U.S. Highway 6 Trail 1 miles out of ?? miles Rocky Shore Drive, Iowa City 12th Avenue, Coralville
Dubuque St./Waterworks Park Trail* 5.5 miles out of 8.5 miles Church St./Dubuque St., Iowa City Cty Rd W66/Dubuque St., I.C.
Auburn Hills Trail 2 miles out of ?? miles Oakdale Blvd./Glen Oaks, Coralville Cty Rd W66/Dubuque St., I.C.
Windsor Ridge Trail 1.5 miles out of ?? miles American Legion Rd./Arlington Dr., I.C. E. Court St., Iowa City
Court Hill Trail (Ralston Creek Trail) 0.1 miles out of 2 miles Scott Blvd., Iowa City Arbor Circle, Iowa City
Hunter's Run Trail 1.5 miles out of ?? miles Duck Creek Road, Iowa City Rohret Court, Iowa City

Bike Lane/Paved Shoulder Road Trails
Benton Street 1 mile Mormon Trek Blvd., Iowa City Greenwood Drive, Iowa City
Rohret Rd. 1.5 miles Mormon Trek Blvd./Rohret Rd., I.C. Rohret Court, Iowa City
Melrose Avenue 2.5 miles Camp Cardinal Blvd./Melrose Ave., I.C. Grant Ave./Melrose Ave., I.C.
Camp Cardinal Boulevard 2.5 miles Camp Cardinal Blvd./Melrose Ave., I.C. U.S. Highway 6, Coralville
U.S. Highway 6 1.5 miles Lakeside Drive, Iowa City Sioux Avenue, Iowa City

Extra-Wide Sidewalk Trails
Scott Boulevard 5 miles U.S. Highway 6, Iowa City Iowa Highway 1, Iowa City
First Avenue 0.5 miles Rochester Avenue, Iowa City Scott Blvd., Iowa City
Mormon Trek Boulevard 4 miles Old U.S. Hwy 218/Oakcrest Hill Rd., I.C. U.S. highway 6/2nd. St. C'ville
U.S. Hwy 6/Second Street 1.5 miles out of 4 miles Newton Road, Iowa City 12th Avenue, Coralville
Oakdale Boulevard 3 miles out of ?? miles Pembrokeshire Drive, Coralville Coral Ridge Avenue, Coralville
Dodge Street 1.5 miles Prairie du Chien Road, Iowa City Northgate Drive, Iowa City

County Trails
Mehaffey Bridge Rd/180th St. Trail* 3.5 miles Sugar Bottom Rd. NE, Iowa City area Racine Ave., Solon
Lake McBride Nature Trail 5 miles Lake McBride State Park, Solon area Solon Nature & Rec. Center
Hoover Nature Trail/IA Hwy 382 Trail* 2.5 miles out of 15 miles** Main St., Solon Ely Road & Iowa Hwy 382
Sand Road/County Hwy W66 Trail* 5.5 miles Napoleon Park, Iowa City County Hwy F62, near Hills

*Name is unofficial        **In Johnson Co.

http://www.atostogoskaime.lt/pic/paslaugos/ss_26.gif Photo Gallery

Check out pictures of our wonderful trails in the "Photos Galleries" section. For a quick jump to the page, click here.

http://www.atostogoskaime.lt/pic/paslaugos/ss_26.gif What You Can Do to Help

The Iowa City/Coralville area is greatly taking note of the importance of trails, not just as a recreational purpose, but as a vital link for commuters as well. Increased traffic, noise and overall stress have made commuters think twice about taking a motor vehicle to work. It would be safe to say that rising gas prices have also had an impact as well. Thus, the number of commuters to work by bike has greatly increased over the years. In most cases, bicyclists can get to work with fewer obstacles between two points than a motor vehicle can, and sometimes, in even less time! There are many things the average joe can do to help the city continue to realize the need for new trails and the importance of maintaining existing trails.

http://www.atostogoskaime.lt/pic/paslaugos/ss_26.gifFuture Plans

JCCOG and city governments already have plans to move forward with trails, and now with the recent adoption of the "Complete Streets" policy and plan, bicyclists will have more options than ever.  You can check out the full plan that was reviewed in July of 2006 right here. Below is a summery of the plans that will hopefully be developed within the next few years.

Trail Plans for the Future (City)
Trail/Road Name Plan Summery
Court Hill Trail Extend the trail West from Arbor Circle to Creekside Park and east from Scott Blvd. to Windsor Ridge
Willow Creek Trail Extend the trail from Willow Creek Drive to Napoleon Park. Possible extension under U.S. Hwy 218 to Hunter's Run Trail from near West High.
Longfellow Trail Pave the trail.
U.S. Highway 6 Trail Extend the trail from Hollywood Boulevard to Scott Boulevard
Sycamore Greenway Trail Extend the trail from the Soccer Park to Napoleon Park.
Windsor Ridge Trail Extend trail from Court Street to Rochester Street.
Hickory Hill Trail* Develop a trail in the new development area from First Avenue to Scott Blvd (West to East).
Clear Creek Trail Access Point* An unnamed trail connecting the Mormon Handcart Park in Iowa City to First Avenue in Coralville alongside Clear Creek.
Trail Plans for the Future (County)
Trail/Road Name Plan Summery

Level One Priority
Dubuque Street Trail (Iowa River Corridor Trail Extension) Extend the trail from the Coralville Dam entrance to North Liberty on Dubuque Street.
Clear Creek Trail Extend the trail from 25th Street/U.S. Hwy 6 to Tiffin using either paved shoulders on Hwy 6, or a dedicated trail expanding alongside the creek, underneath I-80 towards Tiffin City Park.
Mehaffey Bridge Road Trail (CR-F28)* Continue adding paved shoulders alongside the road from Sugar Bottom Rd. to North Liberty. Replace the Mehaffey Bridge.
Hoover Nature Trail Conduct further studies about the current status of ownership along the former railway. Build the trail from Solon to Ely first, then Solon to Oasis next.
Coralville Reservoir Trail* Build a trail, or add paved shoulders from Prairie du Chien Rd/Newport Rd. to Saddle Club Rd.
Iowa Highway 1 (Dillon's Furrow Trail*) Repave the road from Iowa City to Solon. Adding turning lanes at Northgate Development, Morse Road, Newport Road, and possibly at other areas. Pave 4 to 6 foot shoulders along the road.
Trail/Road Name Plan Summery

Level Two Priority
Rohret Road Trail* Pave the road, adding paved shoulders from I.C. City Limits to Black Diamond Road (Cty Hwy F52).
Cty Hwy W64 (Oak Crest Hill Road) Re-pave the road, adding paved shoulders from Old US Hwy 218, I.C. to Washington County line.
County Highway F62 Re-pave the road, adding paved shoulders from Hills to Johnson-Muscatine County line.
County Highway W66 Extend the Sand Road Trail to 3 miles South of the intersection with F62 while adding a paved road.
County Highway X14 Re-Pave the road, adding paved shoulders from F62 to Lone Tree.
U.S. Highway 6 Trail Re-pave the road, adding paved shoulders from Tiffin to Kent Park and Oxford. A dedicated trail from Tiffin to Kent Park alongside Clear Creek is also a possible option.
County Highway F60 (IA Hwy 965) Re-pave the road, adding paved shoulders from North Liberty to Cedar Rapids.
County Highway F12 Re-pave the road, adding paved shoulders from Swisher to Ely Road.
County Highway W6E (Ely Road) Re-pace the road, adding paved shoulders from F16 to Ely.

Note: Another thing to keep in mind with regards to paved shoulders is that there's no guarantee that they can be applied to both sides of the roadway. There are some roads will very narrow shoulders, and so to offset costs a bit, it might only be fruitful to add a paved shoulder to one side of the road. Paved shoulders can be asphalt, concrete or a mixed blend of the two, and possibly some other elements as well. They can come in 4-foot, 6-foot, up to 10-foot shoulders, although 6-foot so far seems to be the norm.

*Name is unofficial

http://www.atostogoskaime.lt/pic/paslaugos/ss_26.gif Future Plans (Fantasy)

Just for fun one week, I designed a map consisting of possible trail segments and connections. When a trail was not feasible, I also included possible wide-sidewalk segments. I then went to the area and took actual photographs to further enlighten on the possibilities. Please consider using this map as a guide to future segments you'd like to see built, but don't take it as an actual planning map! Again, this was only done for fun and for further awareness, although I sure wouldn't mind seeing a few of these trails developed!

Trail Plans for the Future (Fantasy)
Location / Trail Plan Summery

East Iowa City
Check out this old railroad map with insight of possible trails and historical preservation.
Scott Park (Court Hill Trail) So far, with the proposed Court Hill Trail, there is a strong possibility of extending the trail from Scott Blvd. to the trail near Cumberland Lane. There's currently plenty of space alongside the creek in Scott Park. I would like to see it further extended alongside the creek all the way to H.H. Highway. This route also once served as an old railroad, and the historical sight near Taft Ave is an old stone railroad bridge. If at all possible, this would be a excellent way to get to Oasis, and the future Hoover Nature Trail, just like the old railway did up until 1922.
Court Hill Park (Court Hill Trail) There is definitely road for a small trail extending from the proposed Court Hill Trail to Court Street along the creek. There is already a wide sidewalk towards Friendship St., why not extend it further?
Lemme School (Lemme Trail?) Lemme Elem. School already has some sidewalks present on the school grounds. It could be possible to extend the sidewalks/trail all the way north towards Rochester Ave. Currently, there is a active prairie growing, so this could help further preserve the area. The trail would have to extend from beyond the dead end at Westminster. There may also be an option to connect towards the end of Green Mountain Drive.
Pheasant Hill Park (Pheasant Hill Trail?) Pleasant Hill Park can hold a key link for a trail from Washington St. to Rochester Ave. The problem here is space beyond Mt. Vernon Drive and the fact that this area is quite hilly. Still, having a trail at least in the park is certainly doable.
City High School (Little Hawk Trail?) There is already paved roadway from First Avenue to Morningside Drive. However, I'd like to see a loop around Bates Field as there is already evidence of heavy use of pathways here by students. Paving, or even gravelling these segments could add additional options for bicycles. Also a trail behind the tennis courts could be possible. Also, 4th Avenue has no sidewalk on one side up to Court, and thereafter no sidewalk at all. A trail connection from City High to the Court Hill Trail could be a fairly easy task. An option could be to paved the alleyway from A St. to the creek. Also, from A St. to B. St. there are currently no sidewalks here either.
City High School (Little Hawk Trail?) Part 2 From Court St., there is some space towards Wilson Ave. and even possibly towards 7th Ave. As you venture down College St, you'll notice a large gap between houses towards Washington Place near Glendale/Jefferson. This is indeed part of the old rail-line. This would be a perfect opportunity for a trail, and a worthy time saver and alternative to Muscatine Ave. There could be an option to extend the trail all the way to Glendale Rd., but this is privately-owned property, so that would certainly make it more difficult.
Longfellow School (Longfellow Trail Ext.) The Longfellow Trail is a great connection. But it could be better! While a connection from the trail towards my idea of the Little Hawk Trail would be more difficult due to land amounts, a wide sidewalk/trail combination towards the school could be more of a possibility. There is already an alleyway in place that could maybe be paved, and then all that would be needed is a trail on the school grounds. This trail could also prove useful during soccer season when City High plays their soccer games here. There's also restrooms currently present (though probably often locked), so this amenity could be used by trail users. 
Regina/Hickory Hill Park (Hickory Hill Trail) There's been debate for the longest time about a bicycle connection from 1st Avenue to Bloomington St. for commute and recreation. I can see a point about safety being an issue. That's why I would suggest widening the trail a bit and maybe even paving it. Currently, there is a crushed limestone surface which still is a fairly good surface for most bikes. There needs to be at least one dedicated trail for bikes throughout the park, and I feel the main trail from 1st Ave. to Bloomington should be the one. All other trails are more narrow and have more lower branches and such, but not this route. Bicycle and pedestrian education is a must, and bicycles should be advised that this is not a speed trail, or a mountain bike training trail. Nothing would have to really be changed, except for possible widening. There may also be an option to connect to Regina and to have a trail on their school grounds. This could be a useful shortcut to Rochester Ave.
Wide Sidewalks / Paved Shoulders While Scott Blvd., and some parts of Muscatine have wide sidewalks as does Rochester, there are still larger gaps as we get closer inward. Court St. needs a wide sidewalk at least one one side across near its entire length. Muscatine from Towncrest to Iowa Ave. is also a main thoroughfare. Kirkwood students tend to ride their bikes on Lower Muscatine and Kirkwood Ave. as well. First Avenue is used for a lot of K-12 students. There is also a key gap of no sidewalk on Rochester from Green Mountain to Amhurst. As for paved shoulders, American Legion Rd may eventually need some as traffic levels increase in this developing area. This road is also a popular bicycling route. Some of the older wide sidewalks may also need repair, especially true for corners and crossing points.

West Iowa City
Hwy 6 Trail This probably won't be very possible, as here is already a railroad passing through here. However, seeing as there is a similar trail/rail past Crandic Park, it might still be a key link to look more into. There is certainly some space present, if not very much.
IA Hwy 1 / Riverside Drive There's already been a great deal of talk about having a trail / wide sidewalk that would loop around the Airport. Also, I'm sure a lot of people who use the Hwy 6 Trail East would like to cross the bridge and continue on Hwy 1 towards the West. Therefore a paved shoulder could be a fantastic addition here. However in some cases, there is a little room on the grass beyond the shoulder near the Plaza. A trail alongside Ruppert Road could also be another option to bypass the high traffic density of Highway 1.  A trail alongside Riverside Drive on the East side is certainly doable, but trail further beyond the S. Ferry Park is a tougher challenge. Another possible connection is a trail up towards the new Benton Hill Park.
Greenwood Drive (Finkbine Trl Ext.) This is a possible opportunity to construct a trail alongside the rail tracks between Greenwood Dr. / Myrtle and Melrose Ave. This could be a useful shortcut for student hosing in the area, and for people in the area looking to get from Benton to Knnick Stadium / UI Hospitals quickly.  
Weber School / Hunter's Run Area (Willow Creek / Hunter's Run Trail Ext.) The Hunter's Run trail is already a popular trail for area residents, but it could become even more popular with a tunnel under Hwy 218 to connect to the Willow Creek Trail on the other side. Also it could be further extended towards Weber School and perhaps further beyond. A possible future connection would be a trail towards Melrose Ave., probably a better possibility on the Hunter's Run side.
Coralville Reservoir Trail* Build a trail, or add paved shoulders from Prairie du Chien Rd/Newport Rd. to Saddle Club Rd.
University Heights Trail There might be an option to have a trail from George St. towards Hawkins Drive. There is a patch of forest between the two streets, and therefore to further preserve the forest, a trail could be constructed. It could also prove to be a nice shortcut for people wanting to cut from Sunset to Highway 6. While there is already a road nearby that connected Melrose and Hawkins, it is still a road, and not a trail.
Wide Sidewalks / Paved Shoulders There are a ton of major roadways in this area, many without wide sidewalks. Melrose Ave and Benton Street have some bike lanes, but this is not enough, especially on Benton where the shoulders are at a meager and unsafe length. Sunset St. has bike lanes past Benton, but these double as parking spaces. The downtown district also has a lot of small length sidewalks that could use widening, although in this case, the street is probably a more useful option anyways. Park Rd is also another heavy traffic road. Governor and Doge while wide in length in general could benefit also with wide sidewalks.

Southeast Iowa City
Sycamore Greenway Trail Extension As the SE side of Iowa City grows, new roads and trails should be constructed to meet the demands of area residents. An excellent possibly for a trail exists between Heinz Road in Saddlebrooke, to the Iowa City Kickers Soccer Park. There could be many options for connections, but many might agree that the biggest connection would be the the longer one from Scott Blvd. to Riverside Drive. Further connections to Wetherby Park, which already has a small trail system could be explored further as well.
Lower Muscatine Road / Kirkwood Trail? There may be a possibility of constructing a trail alongside the railroad tracks from the Longfellow Trail to Southeast Junior High and beyond to Mercer Park. The only major problem is Mid-American Energy and a large dumping zone near Pine St. If Mid-American could move some of their equipment a little further inward, then maybe a trail could be constructed. The most obvious drawback besides this would be the fact that trains roll on through here sometimes three times a day, so it might not be a very pleasant ride if you've got a train blaring near you. If nothing else, a trail could definitely be constructed from Mall Drive to Kirkwood, with approval by Oral-B of course.
Mercer Park Trail While in a similar situation as the Kirkwood Trail, this area has been a popular shortcut for residents. Possible development could take it as far as Scott Blvd.
Wide Sidewalks / Paved Shoulders First Avenue, Lower Muscatine, and Kirkwood should be top priority as these are all heavily used by pedestrians and bicyclists. Highland Ave. is another possible option.

 

 

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