Iowa trails · West Lake
West Lake
A 3.3-mile network in Iowa, with 139 ft of climbing. Reaches Backbone Lake. Managed by the state.
Elevation profile
The climbing leans toward the final third: 47% of the ascent falls between mile 2.2 and mile 3.3. It gives back about 218 ft along the way, so it rolls rather than climbing steadily.
3-D terrain
USGS 3DEP ELEVATION × ESRI WORLD IMAGERY · VERTICAL ×1.5
Reaches
- Backbone Lake (lake)
Getting there
West Lake access — parking nearby. About 50 min drive (32 mi) from Independence. 42.60537, -91.54381 · directions
Daylight at the trailhead
On October 14, 2026 — the day this page was generated — first light reaches this trailhead at 6:49 a.m., the sun rises at 7:17 a.m. and sets at 6:25 p.m., and the last usable light fades about 6:54 p.m. (CDT) — 11 h 08 min of daylight. At about 2.7 mph plus 30 minutes per 1,000 feet of climbing, the 3.3-mile route takes roughly 1 h 17 min, so leaving the trailhead at sunrise puts you back around 8:34 a.m. — 9 h 51 min before sunset.
Nearby trails
- East Lake — 0.3 mi