Iowa trails · Broken Toe
Broken Toe
A 2.1-mile out-and-back in Iowa, with 181 ft of climbing. Reaches Mount Lucia and other summit/viewpoint destinations. Managed by the state.
Elevation profile
Most of the climbing sits in the final third — 60% of the ascent, between mile 1.4 and mile 2.1. It gives back about 202 ft along the way, so it rolls rather than climbing steadily.
3-D terrain
USGS 3DEP ELEVATION × ESRI WORLD IMAGERY · VERTICAL ×1.5
Reaches
- Mount Lucia (summit)
- Mount Lucia (viewpoint)
Getting there
Broken Toe access. 42.54746, -96.45441 · directions
Daylight at the trailhead
On August 31, 2026 — the day this page was generated — first light reaches this trailhead at 6:20 a.m., the sun rises at 6:49 a.m. and sets at 8:02 p.m., and the last usable light fades about 8:31 p.m. (CDT) — 13 h 13 min of daylight. At about 2.7 mph plus 30 minutes per 1,000 feet of climbing, the 4.1-mile round trip takes roughly 1 h 43 min, so leaving the trailhead at sunrise puts you back around 8:32 a.m. — 11 h 30 min before sunset.
Loop options
- Loess + Springbrook + Broken Toe — 1.6 mi loop, 342 ft gain
- Loess + Ruth's Ridge + Broken Toe — 1.7 mi loop, 240 ft gain
- Mark's Glen + Broken Toe + Ruth's Ridge — 2.4 mi loop, 240 ft gain