Cedar Valley Nature Trail (southeast B.H. county)

The Cedar Valley Nature Trail is a 52 mile long trail leading from Evansdale to Hiawatha.  This GPS location marks the southern boundary of the stretch of trail leading through Black Hawk County.  The nature trail runs through Black Hawk,  Buchanan, Benton and Linn counties.  Along the 52 mile stretch you will find everything from restaurants to several bed and breakfast.  The scenic trail offers views of river bottomlands, rock outcroppings, and open grassland.  Along the way you can expect to encounter deer,  wild turkey,  songbirds and many other types of wildlife found throughout the state. 

The trail winds through lowland forest,  upland forest, and prairie.  The stretches of prairie will often provide trail users sights such native prairie flowers in bloom.  Along with the flowers of the prairie those who use  the trail may see native grasses also that once represented the majority of Iowa's historical landscape.  Quite often the trail will also provide views of the Cedar River and other wetland formations.  The trail utilizes an old railroad bed and consequently those who bike, hike, skate or ski the trail will encounter a relatively flat slope with very little incline.    

In addition to hiking and biking the trail you can utilize the trail for icross country skiing in the winter.  The northern section of the trial has been designated an area important to songbirds as well as other non-game species.  Portions of the trial are asphalt while other parts crushed limestone.  Due to the floods of 2008,   some lengths of the trail are not accessible at this time due to damage done to bridges along the trail.  In the future,  those bridges are scheduled for repair and the trail will once again be open from Evansdale to Hiawatha.