Iowa is spoiled with some really great OHV riding trails near Des Moines, Cedar Rapids, Sioux City and Davenport worth riding.
These spots have been closed secrets for years by the local riding community. They would prefer that you didn’t know about these, but we’ve left the cat out of the bag!
Best Dirt Bike Tracks Iowa
You’d rather spend time behind the handlebars rather than researching the best places to explore on 2 wheels. That’s why we’ve done the research for you. Frontaer has created this epic resource for dirt bike and adventure motorcycle riders nationally.
Plenty of people pass through the state and totally miss out out some epic riding areas. Iowa offers so much with numers offroad vehicle parks just begging to be discovered.
Essentially, these are the best places to ride a dirt bike in Iowa:
1. Bluff Creek OHV Park
Head south-east from Des Moines and you’ll find Bluff Creek in Mahaska County. There are more than 20 miles of epic trails to ride here with rolling hills and heavily wooded trails as you would expect. This place is an abandoned strip coal mine and some reminants remain in the area if you’re into fossicking around for treasures.
2. Lakeview OHV Park
While not as big (150+ acres), Lakeview is worth the visit. It’s sometimes known as Coralville Lake ORV Area or some locals refer to this as Ely OHV Park and it’s open for much of the year. Here you’ll find several trails from sand to mud and everything in between. The fishing and camping here is excellent so don’t just bring your dirt bike.
3. Rathbun ATV & Dirt Bike Park
Found within Appanoose County is the Rathbun ATV Park. This is an abdandoned rock quarry and the trails surround the lake. It’s all terrain access so you’ll find ATV’s and 4×4 vehicles sharing these tracks.
4. River Valley OHV Park
Located right on the borner of Omaha City (Nebraska), you’ll find River Valley OHV Park. This is in Pottawattamie County and there are 350 acres to explore with looping trails in dense forest. Expect to remain in 2nd or 3rd gear for much of the trail and the area becomes very muddy early in the season.
5. Tama County OHV Park
A great spot to avoid the mud is Tama County OHV Park. Here are 300 acres of forest trails which are open to offroad vehicles. The best part? There is a kids track to help your children develop their skills in a controled and non-confrontational environment.
6. Gypsun City OHV Park (Iowa)
Funnily enough, Gypsun City OHV Park also has 300 acres for you to explore. It’s almost becoming a coincidence on this list, right? Yet they are planning to expand this to 1,400 acres of epic riding terrain soon so watch this space! In addition to enduro trails, you’ll find a well maintained MX track.
7. Riverview OHV Park
Not to be confused with River Valley above, Riverview is an alright dirt bike trail. There are only 180 acres so it’s good for a day-visit. There are some trails and 2 motocross tracks. You can camp here with your RV too.
Getting Started
There you have it! No excuses to get out there now if the sun is shining. And no excuses that you need to travel out of state to get some decent riding in. That said – some people do given that these trails are shorter in most instances and heavily wooded. If you want to open up the throttle in 5th gear then Utah and Nevada have the terrain that you’re looking for.
Most of Iowa’s riding areas are great for those on dual-sport adventures. Bring your big bore and the camping gear with panniers as you’ll find some great spots to camp overnight. Keep an eye out for the bears though which are occasionally seen as they have crossed state lines.