The Terry Trueblood Recreation Area is located on the south side of Iowa City and, specifically, on the the corner of South Gilbert Street and McCollister Boulevard. Walking, biking, running, fishing, and boating were the popular activities. Parking was free and abundant. We parked near the playground in the northwest corner. Restrooms and water were found in the Fin & Feather H2O building. My cell phone service strength was medium.
The adults in our group walked while our two kids, ages six and two, rode their bikes 2.15 miles around Sand Lake.
We started near the playground and walked clockwise.
The park had three picnic shelters but the one featured in the next picture was the only one with a grill. Also, the Fin & Feather H2O building can be seen in the background of the next picture. When it is open, concessions and water sport rentals can be purchased there. We hope to come back soon and rent paddle boats.
Our kids had a lot of fun riding their bikes on the wide, paved path. It was gently sloping so our two year old was able to zip around on his Boot Scoot Zoomer balance bike.
Our six year old was exited to find Lamb’s Ear near the trail because she likes to feel its furry leaves.
There were two lookout points with rock benches. The first of which can be seen below.
The southeast corner of the property had a smaller parking lot, a single port-o-potty, and a bike tool station. A second bike tool station and a boat ramp can be found outside of the Fin & Feather H2O building.
The southeast corner also had a small beach but the water looked murky and not appealing for swimming.
We saw several other people biking and even more running.
At the half way point around the loop, there was an offshoot trail that led to the end of the peninsula on the south side of the lake. Walking out and back on this segment added 0.3 miles and without it the total loop distance can be reduced from 2.15 to 1.85 miles.
On the peninsula trail, we saw what I believed to be a fox snake.
The following video was recorded while standing at the end of the peninsula.
From there, we continued walking clockwise and found the second lookout point.
The last segment was beautifully shaded.
Our loop ended at a four way intersection. Signs here stated that snow will not be removed so as to allow for snowshoeing and cross country skiing. A left turn (seen below) would have led us to the Iowa River Trail. Instead, we turned right to complete a loop.
We finished our loop at the small playground.
Lastly, on our walk from the playground to our car we spotted some animal tracks that have been fossilized in concrete. They were near the dumpster that was surrounded by a wood fence. My best guess was that they were skunk tracks. Please comment if you determine otherwise.
In sum, the adults in our group enjoyed walking and our kids had a blast riding their bikes. We plan to visit again soon to try some of the water sports offered by Fin & Feather H2O. Ryerson’s Woods Park was a fun place to hike and only minutes from here. And, the Willow Creek paths was the other place we liked to take our kids biking.
Two Knobby Tires 