Iowa trails · Main Loop Trail
Main Loop Trail
A 9.8-mile loop in Iowa, with 194 ft of climbing. Managed by Iowa Department of Natural Resources.
Elevation profile
Most of the climbing sits in the first third — 56% of the ascent, between mile 0.0 and mile 3.3. It gives back about 515 ft along the way, so it rolls rather than climbing steadily.
3-D terrain
USGS 3DEP ELEVATION × ESRI WORLD IMAGERY · VERTICAL ×1.5
Getting there
Shooting Star access. About 45 min drive (32 mi, 3 of them unpaved) from Perry. 41.81692, -94.64783 · directions
Daylight at the trailhead
On October 14, 2026 — the day this page was generated — first light reaches this trailhead at 7:01 a.m., the sun rises at 7:29 a.m. and sets at 6:39 p.m., and the last usable light fades about 7:07 p.m. (CDT) — 11 h 10 min of daylight. At about 2.7 mph plus 30 minutes per 1,000 feet of climbing, the 9.8-mile route takes roughly 3 h 43 min, so leaving the trailhead at sunrise puts you back around 11:12 a.m. — 7 h 26 min before sunset.
Loop options
- Sunrise + Main Loop Trail — 1.2 mi loop, 287 ft gain
- Main Loop Trail + Redrock Climb Trail + Redrock Spur — 7.2 mi loop, 1,104 ft gain
- Main Loop Trail + 805 Spur + Riverside Trail — 7.1 mi loop, 929 ft gain
Nearby trails
- Sauk Rail Trail — 18.7 mi