Iowa trails · Neal Smith Trail
Neal Smith Trail
A 18.0-mile out-and-back in Iowa, with 179 ft of climbing. Reaches Horseshoe Lake. Managed by County Parish Borough.
Elevation profile
Most of the climbing sits in the final third — 67% of the ascent, between mile 18.0 and mile 27.1. It gives back about 378 ft along the way, so it rolls rather than climbing steadily.
3-D terrain
USGS 3DEP ELEVATION × ESRI WORLD IMAGERY · VERTICAL ×1.5
Reaches
- Horseshoe Lake (lake)
Getting there
Gay Lea Wilson Trail access. 41.68497, -93.66856 · 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 6:39 a.m. and sets at 7:49 p.m., and the last usable light fades about 8:18 p.m. (CDT) — 13 h 11 min of daylight. At about 2.7 mph plus 30 minutes per 1,000 feet of climbing, the 36.0-mile round trip works out to roughly 13 h 31 min of walking — more than a single day of daylight here, so plan it as an overnight or hike it in sections.
Loop options
- Ding Darling Greenway + Neal Smith Trail — 4.1 mi loop, 10 ft gain
Nearby trails
- Kate Shelley Trail — 27.8 mi