Trails
Ankeny has both year-round and seasonal trails. Seasonal trails are specified in their description and are open from April 1st - September 30th.
Download Our Trails Brochure: English / Spanish
Here is a refuge map to help you find trailheads and other viewing areas! Ankeny NWR Map
Visit our homepage to view any current alerts, including trail closures.
Please note, dogs are not allowed on any refuge trails.
Trails, Viewpoints & Boardwalks
The Dike Trails
Length: Variable
Open: April 1st-September 30th
Seasonally accessible dikes weave around most ponds and marshes on the refuge. Take a stroll down one of these paths for a closer look at activity on the water. See the refuge map for trail locations.
Rail Trail Boardwalk to Observation Blind
Length (one-way): .75 mile
Open: Year Round
Difficulty: Easy
Type of trail: Out and Back
Trailhead location: The start of Rail Trail is at a parking lot on the south side of Wintel Road. Interpretive signs at the trailhead provide information about the refuge. From the Rail Trail parking lot, follow the gravel trail to the boardwalk.
Trail description: The boardwalk will take you through seasonally flooded ash woodlands. Stop at benches and interpretive panels along the way to look for Downy Woodpeckers pecking away at the branches or listen for Black-capped Chickadees in the shrubs. At the viewing blind, make sure to stop for a look at Wood Duck Pond where Hooded Mergansers, Great Egrets, and Canada geese are often seen. From here, you can return the way you came or continue a short way down the boardwalk as it wraps around Wood Duck Pond to a dike where the loop portions of the trail begin.
Note: Boardwalk can be slippery when wet or icy. Please use caution during winter months.
Rail Trail, Woodland Loop & Prairie Extension
Length: .5 to 1 mile
Open: April 1st-September 30th
From the end of the boardwalk, follow the trail across the dike and into an oak woodland habitat. An excellent summertime trail, the Woodland Loop is shaded under the forest canopy and provides opportunities to listen for songbirds in the branches above. After hiking about a quarter mile you come out of the forest onto a dike. Here you can complete the Loop by following the dike back to the boardwalk junction or turn left for the Prairie Extension. This mown trail wraps around an open prairie for a half mile and back to the Rail Trail parking lot. This is a great spot to look for raptors such as northern harrier hunting over the fields.
Rail Trail, Dunlin Pond & South Pond Loops, Killdeer Marsh Extension
Length: Variable
Open: April 1st-September 30th
From the end of the Rail Trail Boardwalk, follow the dike around Dunlin Pond. Look for great blue herons and great egret hunting in the waters, or shorebirds feeding along the pond-edges on the mudflats. The three-quarter-mile Dunlin Pond Loop will connect you to the start of the boardwalk on Rail Trail. The half mile South Pond Loop leaves Dunlin Pond Trail to extend viewing opportunities of the ponds and marshlands around the Rail Trail riparian riparian
Definition of riparian habitat or riparian areas.
Learn more about riparian area. Marsh wrens and dragonflies may be seen zipping through the cattails on the pond banks. To give yourself an extra 0.45 mile of wetland trails, follow the Killdeer Marsh Extension and listen for red-winged blackbirds singing near the water. These trails are best in the early morning or evening due to lack of shade.
Eagle Marsh Viewing Blind
Open: Year Round
Viewpoint description: Stop by the Eagle Marsh Viewing Blind on the south side of Buena Vista Rd for incredible wildlife viewing without hiking. This large marsh hosts Canada geese, cinnamon teals, and bald eagles. Interpretive signs offer insights into seasonal activity.
Eagle Marsh Berm Trails
Distance: Varies
Open: April 1st - September 30th
Difficulty: Easy
Type of trail: Loops
Trail description: The berm roads on either side of the parking area are open for hiking.
Pintail Marsh Overlook
Open: Year Round
Viewpoint description: Visit the Pintail Marsh Overlook for incredible wildlife viewing. Park at the Pintail Marsh Parking Lot on the North side of Wintel Road and spot bald eagles, white pelicans, and diverse duck species. Every season brings new wildlife to discover in this scenic marsh setting.
Pintail Marsh Berm Trails
Distance: Varies
Open: April 1st - September 30th
Difficulty: Easy
Type of trail: Loop
Trail description: The berm road on the East side of the parking area is open for hiking.
Ankeny Hill Nature Center Little Loop & Big Loop Trails
Distance: 0.71 miles
Open: Year Round
Difficulty: Easy
Type of trail: Loop
Surface Type: Dirt or gravel with some plants.
Trail description: The Little Loop goes around the Nature Explore Area and passes by the Oak Overlook and Pollinator Patch. The Big Loop visits riparian habitats, multiple education nodes, a storywalk, and the David B. Marshall outdoor classroom by Peregrine Marsh before returning to Gehlar hall.
The Dike Trails
Length: Variable
Open: April 1st-September 30th
Seasonally accessible dikes weave around most ponds and marshes on the refuge. Take a stroll down one of these paths for a closer look at activity on the water. See the refuge map for trail locations.
Pintail & Egret Marsh Boardwalk
Length: .25 mile
Open: Year Round
Trailhead location: Pintail & Egret Marsh Boardwalk begins at a parking area on the north side of Wintel Road. An interpretive sign at the trailhead describes the Marshes.
Trail description: The boardwalk follows Bashaw Creek where red-legged frogs are often seen. Make sure to pause along the way to look for animal tracks in the muddy banks, listen for songbirds, and read interpretive signs to learn more about the different residents of this habitat. The boardwalk ends at an observation blind overlook Pintail and Egret Marshes. If you are quiet, you might be rewarded with spotting an osprey soaring overhead. Flocks of waterfowl frequent these marshes, so keep a lookout for various duck species as well as Tundra Swans and Canada geese.
Note: Boardwalk can be slippery when wet or icy. Please use caution during winter months.
The trail is open April 1 through September 30.
This is a great stop for families and the kiosk is handicap accessible. Interpretive signs describe seasonal variations on the marsh, and how the refuge provide sanctuary for wintering waterfowl.