Iowa trails · Lake Loop
Lake Loop
A 4.7-mile network in Iowa, with 52 ft of climbing. Reaches Red Haw Lake. Managed by the state.
Elevation profile
Essentially flat — no sustained climb anywhere along its 4.7 miles.
3-D terrain
USGS 3DEP ELEVATION × ESRI WORLD IMAGERY · VERTICAL ×1.5
Reaches
- Red Haw Lake (lake)
Getting there
Lake Loop junction — parking nearby. About 1 h 31 min drive (56 mi) from Des Moines. 40.99661, -93.27252 · directions
Daylight at the trailhead
On October 14, 2026 — the day this page was generated — first light reaches this trailhead at 6:55 a.m., the sun rises at 7:23 a.m. and sets at 6:34 p.m., and the last usable light fades about 7:02 p.m. (CDT) — 11 h 11 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 46 min, so leaving the trailhead at sunrise puts you back around 9:09 a.m. — 9 h 25 min before sunset.
Loop options
- Top Shelf + Lake Loop — 1.8 mi loop, 43 ft gain
- Lower Lake Loop + Lake Loop — 2.4 mi loop, 229 ft gain
Nearby trails
- Stevens Forest - Whitebreast Unit Trails — 12.4 mi
- Stevens Forest - Woodburn Unit Trails — 16.0 mi