Iowa is another state that probably doesn't jump to mind quickly when considering hiking destinations.  I've only done a pair of hikes here but, if you take the time to glance at them, you might just be surprised at what you'll find...

Adventure Log:  7.5 miles

Each of the galleries below have two numbers in parenthesis alongside their name. The first is the TOTAL MILEAGE of the route, the second is what I’m calling the “Petzoldt Rating” of DIFFICULTY. Developed by Paul Petzoldt, founder of NOLS, this rating system is the best I’ve found for standardizing the difficulty of hikes. It works as follows: One ‘energy unit’ is given for very mile travelled on flat terrain. You then add one more ‘energy unit’ for every 500-feet of elevation gain. For example, a one mile hike with 1,000-feet of gain would give you a rating of 3.00. Consequently a two mile hike with only 500-feet of gain would also give you a rating of 3.00. Please note, however, these ratings do not take into account weather, rough terrain, fitness level, etc. I’ve divided levels of difficulty into five levels, based on the following Petzoldt difficulty ranges:

0.00-2.49=EASY;

2.50-4.99=MODERATE;

5.00-7.49=CHALLENGING;

7.50-9.99=HARD;

10.00-12.49=VERY HARD;

12.50 & up=EXTREME