West Lake Trail
Photo: christinejwarner, CC BY 2.0 (via Flickr)- 2.8 mi
- round trip
- 865 ft
- climb
- 1,140 ft
- high point
- Out and back
- route
- Apr, Jun–Oct
- best months
West Lake Trail is a 5.6-mile out-and-back hike in Backbone State Park in Iowa, managed by the State Department of Natural Resources. The trail rises from about 997 feet to a high point of 1,140 feet, with a total elevation gain of 292 feet. The climb is moderate, and the steepest stretch comes early, at about 0.19 miles in, with a grade of 13 percent. Late spring and early fall are the most comfortable times to go. Typical averages from a nearby weather station in Manchester put May highs around 70°F and September highs around 74°F, while July peaks near 82°F and January highs sit around 26°F. Backbone Lake and the East Lake Trail both lie about 0.6 miles away, and the Bluebird Trail is about 0.8 miles off. Climbers can find Backbone East about 1.6 miles away.
- Backbone LakeLake fishing0.6 mi
- East Lake TrailHikingPhoto: christinejwarner, CC BY 2.0 (via Flickr)0.6 mi
- Bluebird TrailHikingPhoto: christinejwarner, CC BY 2.0 (via Flickr)0.8 mi
Backbone TrailHikingPhoto: christinejwarner, CC BY 2.0 (via Flickr)1.5 mi- Backbone EastRock climbing1.6 mi
- Drive In WallRock climbing1.6 mi
- Devil's BackboneRock climbing1.6 mi
- Maquoketa River Water TrailCanoeing3.5 mi
Source: Roamze catalog (indexable pages within 10 miles, PostGIS distance)
- East Lake TrailHiking · ~1 min drivePhoto: christinejwarner, CC BY 2.0 (via Flickr)
- Backbone TrailHiking · ~3 min drivePhoto: christinejwarner, CC BY 2.0 (via Flickr)
Heritage TrailHiking · ~1h 7m drivePhoto: Mitch199811, CC BY-SA 4.0 (via Wikimedia Commons)- Bluebird TrailHiking · ~1 min drivePhoto: christinejwarner, CC BY 2.0 (via Flickr)
Six Pines TrailHiking · ~3 min drivePhoto: christinejwarner, CC BY 2.0 (via Flickr)- Backbone Forest TrailsHiking · ~4 min drive
- Forest EquestrianHiking · ~4 min drive
Barred Owl TrailHiking · ~4 min drivePhoto: christinejwarner, CC BY 2.0 (via Flickr)- West Hickory RidgeHiking · ~57 min drive
Weeping RockHiking · ~57 min drivePhoto: Zonie_Zambonie, CC BY 2.0 (via Flickr)
Best time to visit West Lake Trail
Best months: April and June–October. Best months have typical highs of 55–85 °F, lows of 30 °F or warmer (32 °F where the station doesn't record snow), at most one snowy day and no more than 12 wet days.
Jan
26° / 8°
9 wet · 7 snow
Feb
31° / 12°
8 wet · 6 snow
Mar
44° / 24°
10 wet · 4 snow
Apr
58° / 35°
11 wet · 1 snow
May
70° / 47°
13 wet
Jun
79° / 58°
12 wet
Jul
82° / 61°
10 wet
Aug
80° / 58°
10 wet
Sep
74° / 49°
9 wet
Oct
61° / 37°
9 wet
Nov
45° / 26°
8 wet · 2 snow
Dec
32° / 15°
9 wet · 6 snow
Typical high / low (°F) and days with rain or snow, 1991–2020. Measured at Manchester #2, IA, 9.8 mi away at 990 ft. Source: NOAA NCEI U.S. Climate Normals 1991–2020.
Map and trail data © OpenStreetMap contributors
