The Sauk Rail trail - The trail between two lakes
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5 Friendly Communities,
2 Beautiful Lakes and
ONE Great TRAIL!


The Sauk Rail Trail is a 33 mile concrete or asphalt multi-use recreational trail located and managed by both the Sac and Carroll County Conservation Boards.  It is the first recreational trail in the state of Iowa to connect two state parks.  You can start in Lake View near Blackhawk Lake State Park or in Swan Lake State Park south of Carroll.  Both state parks have lakes and camping facilities.

Trail Map
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June 27th, 2018 - The last five bridges in Sac County have been resurfaced.  
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New Trail Head in Lake View.  The new bike arch in Lake View is up. Thanks Mayor Westergaard and Hometown Pride for making sure this project got done.
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Houlihan Access Shelter House is nearing completion!  
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The trail head shelter and restroom facility at Houlihan's Access is coming along.  Thank you to all of those who have donated time, assets, material, and sweat.  The Sauk Rail Trail Association is continually trying to improve the trail by adding conveniences such as this shelter house.  Also, three port-a-pots have been placed along the trail through September.  

In addition, we are working with the Sac County Conservation Board to resurface three or four bridges in Sac County during the summer of 2017.  Thanks to the generosity of those who support the SRTA along with funds raised from grants, we were able to donate $6,000 for this project.

Would you like to help?  Donations are accepted at:  
​Sauk Rail Trail Association, P.O. Box 241, Carroll, IA  51401   
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Despite the rain and cold, the SRTA raised $15,000 at the 2017 Spring Ride on April 30th. 
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 fix it stations equipped with tools & a pump!

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Thanks to the hard work of the Black Hawk Bike Coalition and the Sauk Rail Trail Association, SEVEN bike Fix-It Stations have been added to the Sauk Rail Trail!  The locations of the station and the donor(s) are as follows: 
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1.  Swan Lake State Park main campground - Carroll County Conservation Board
2.  Houlihan Access in Carroll - United Bank of Iowa, Carroll
3.  Whiskey Run in Maple River - Whiskey Run
4.  Breda (by Depot) - Red's Place, D& K 10th Hole in Breda, City of Breda, Breda Feed and Grain and Toyne
5.  Carnarvon Trail Head - Black Hawk Bike Coalition
6.  Lake View (West Side of Black Hawk Lake) - Black Hawk Bike Coalition
7.  Lake View (East side of Black Hawk Lake) - City of Lake View

We are excited for these additions!  ​A big Thank You to all of those who worked to make it happen!
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There are several rest stops along the way, benches, shelters, bars, and restaurants. The trail surface is concrete from Lake View to Maple River and asphalt from Maple River to Swan Lake in Carroll. It is an excellent place for biking, walking, jogging and in-line skating and is open for snowmobiling and cross-county skiing during the winter, and portions of the trail are open for hunting during the appropriate seasons. Check with the SCCB for details on hunting on the Sauk Rail Trail.  The part of the trail around Swan Lake is hilly. A more level section of trail runs from Carroll to Lake View along an old rail bed. This section goes through the Hazelbrush Wildlife Area, an 80-acre county park.

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