Iowa trails · Sauk Rail Trail
Sauk Rail Trail
A 35.0-mile loop in Iowa, with 144 ft of climbing. Reaches Provost Bay and other lake/summit destinations. Managed by County Parish Borough.
Elevation profile
Most of the climbing sits in the final third — 57% of the ascent, between mile 23.3 and mile 35.0. It gives back about 188 ft along the way, so it rolls rather than climbing steadily.
3-D terrain
USGS 3DEP ELEVATION × ESRI WORLD IMAGERY · VERTICAL ×1.5
Reaches
- Provost Bay (lake)
- Arrowhead Lake (lake)
- Gun Shot Hill (summit)
- Swan Lake (lake)
- Black Hawk Lake (lake)
Getting there
Sauk Rail Trail access. About 1 h 15 min drive (54 mi) from Perry. 42.03939, -94.85572 · directions
Daylight at the trailhead
On October 14, 2026 — the day this page was generated — first light reaches this trailhead at 7:02 a.m., the sun rises at 7:30 a.m. and sets at 6:39 p.m., and the last usable light fades about 7:07 p.m. (CDT) — 11 h 09 min of daylight. At about 2.7 mph plus 30 minutes per 1,000 feet of climbing, the 35.0-mile route works out to roughly 13 h 03 min of walking — more than a single day of daylight here, so plan it as an overnight or hike it in sections.
Nearby trails
- Main Loop Trail — 18.6 mi