Iowa trails · Lake Loop
Lake Loop
A 4.7-mile network in Iowa, with 55 ft of climbing. Reaches Red Haw Lake. Managed by the state.
Elevation profile
Most of the climbing sits in the final third — 61% of the ascent, between mile 5.2 and mile 7.8. It gives back about 169 ft along the way, so it rolls rather than climbing steadily.
3-D terrain
USGS 3DEP ELEVATION × ESRI WORLD IMAGERY · VERTICAL ×1.5
Reaches
- Red Haw Lake (lake)
Getting there
Lake Loop junction. 40.99656, -93.27868 · directions
Daylight at the trailhead
On August 31, 2026 — the day this page was generated — first light reaches this trailhead at 6:10 a.m., the sun rises at 6:38 a.m. and sets at 7:47 p.m., and the last usable light fades about 8:15 p.m. (CDT) — 13 h 09 min of daylight. At about 2.7 mph plus 30 minutes per 1,000 feet of climbing, the 4.7-mile route takes roughly 1 h 45 min, so leaving the trailhead at sunrise puts you back around 8:23 a.m. — 11 h 24 min before sunset.
Loop options
- Top Shelf + Lake Loop — 1.8 mi loop, 43 ft gain
Nearby trails
- Stevens Forest - Whitebreast Unit Trails — 12.1 mi
- Stevens Forest - Woodburn Unit Trails — 15.7 mi