Iowa trails · Neal Smith Trail
Neal Smith Trail
A 21.5-mile network in Iowa, with 184 ft of climbing. Reaches Horseshoe Lake. Managed by County Parish Borough.
Elevation profile
The climbing leans toward the final third: 50% of the ascent falls between mile 14.4 and mile 21.5. It gives back about 296 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
Neal Smith Trail junction. About 29 min drive (16 mi) from Des Moines. 41.75127, -93.68939 · directions
Daylight at the trailhead
On October 14, 2026 — the day this page was generated — first light reaches this trailhead at 6:57 a.m., the sun rises at 7:25 a.m. and sets at 6:35 p.m., and the last usable light fades about 7:03 p.m. (CDT) — 11 h 10 min of daylight. At about 2.7 mph plus 30 minutes per 1,000 feet of climbing, the 21.5-mile route takes roughly 8 h 04 min, so leaving the trailhead at sunrise puts you back around 3:29 p.m. — 3 h 06 min before sunset.
Loop options
- Ding Darling Greenway + Neal Smith Trail — 4.1 mi loop, 10 ft gain
- Neal Smith Trail + Riverview Park Spur + Riverview Park Walking Loop — 3.0 mi loop, 56 ft gain
Nearby trails
- Mark C. Ackelson Trail — 16.3 mi
- Kate Shelley Trail — 23.2 mi
- Skunk River Greenbelt Trail — 24.8 mi