TRAILS / BIKE PATH / RIVERFRONT

Muscatine County is the place to get out there and get active. Whether you enjoy hiking through the woods or you look to riding your bike to maintain your good health, Muscatine County has a lot to offer. Lace up your shoes or pump up your tires, it is time to get moving! Call the Muscatine Parks and Recreation Department for trail information at (563)-263-0241. For information specific to cycling, check out the Melon City Bike Club’s website at http://www.meloncitybike.org. The Muscatine Parks and Recreation Department maintain several miles of pedestrian and bike paths, many of which are located at the edge of the Mississippi River. One very popular trail, the “Mississippi” takes pedestrians and cyclists from Musser Park to Riverview Park and on into Weed Park. Along this trail, at dusk, period lighting flickers to life to create Muscatine’s now famous “String of Pearls”. The 3.7 mile trail follows the levee and offers spectacular river views. The Discovery / Fuller trail is a 2.3 mile trail system located near the Muscatine County Conservation Board’s Environmental Learning Center. This trail winds its way around a small pond located in Discovery Park and before the trail crosses Cedar Street and heads on into Fuller Memorial Park. The Saulsbury Bridge Recreation Area offers both hiking and equestrian trails. This public use area, which is maintained by the Muscatine County Conservation Board, is located just a few miles northwest of Muscatine. The park’s trails take hikers and riders through the 675 acres the park encompasses and to the banks of the Cedar River, several wetland areas and to wildlife habitat plantings and food lots. Trails not open to horses are marked. Call the Muscatine County Conservation Board at (563)-264-5922 during business hours for more information. Take a self-guided walking tour through the Fairport Fish Hatchery and River Biology Station. The state-operated hatchery raises largemouth bass, bluegill and walleye. Stop by their office to pick up the brochure describing the hatchery’s operation. And during your visit be sure to see the statue of the fisherman who has had a bit of bad luck! Wildcat Den State Park, located east of Muscatine, offers hikers a chance to view and marvel over unique natural sandstone formations with names like “the Devil’s Punch Bowl” and “Steamboat Rock”. Trails can be accessed from different areas of the park. Pick up a trail map from the park ranger’s office or go online at http://www.iowadnr.com for a printable map.

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