Lake and Valley View Trail Loop is a 5 mile moderately trafficked loop trail located near Oxford, Iowa that features beautiful wild flowers and is rated as moderate. The trail offers a number of activity options and is best used from January until November. Dogs are also able to use this trail but must be kept on leash.
Note: Majority of the trail is CLOSED due to construction. Please check with the park page for more information. Explore the prairies, forests and wetlands, camp or enjoy a swim after an afternoon of fishing, hiking or participating in any of the other activities at F.W. Kent Park. The hiking trails feature grassed and crushed rock surfaces run through Kent Park's many native communities. The crushed rock trail around the lake provides anglers with access to the entire shoreline. In the winter some of the trails can be used for cross country skiing. Seven historic country road bridges have been relocated to Kent Park and utilized on the trail around the 27-acre lake.
The Kent Park Family Campground was voted the BEST PLACE TO CAMP in a public opinion poll conducted in 2002 by the Iowa City Press Citizen. Best known for its secluded campsites, the campground features 86 electric (30 & 50 amp service) with pit toilets and shower facilities that include flush toilets. Individual vehicle campsite pads are black topped and feature a picnic table and ground fire ring. Firewood is available for purchase and there is a sanitary dump station nearby. All sites are $15.00 per night. No reservations are required for campsites; they are all on a first come first serve basis. Campground hosts reside on the site from mid-May through mid-September. Rangers periodically patrol the area. The park closes at 10:30 PM and opens at sunrise. Closing hours are rigidly enforced for your protection. A new wetland wastewater treatment system serves the shower house/restroom. This environmentally friendly system utilizes native plants to naturally process wastewater. It is another extension of the Board's commitment to environmental education. This type of system is applicable to home use in areas not served by municipal sewer systems.
F.W. Kent Park 2048 Hwy 6 NW Oxford, Iowa 52322 http://www.johnson-county.com/dept_conservation.aspx?id=4055
located 3 miles west of Tiffin on Highway 6
December 6, 2020Beautiful!!
November 8, 2020Great hike around Kent Lake. Trail is exactly 1.5 miles and fully gravel/ paved. Fairly flat and accessible
October 11, 2020October 6, 2020Perfect day for a hike. My favorite time of year. Leaves are starting to turn b
October 1, 2020Decent. 1/2 rock 1/2 mowed grass.
September 16, 2020Nice. Lots of prairie and sun. Not perfectly marked or cleared.
August 22, 2020The track around the lake is flat and easy, the prairie area has some nice hills if you like elevation.
July 31, 2020July 25, 2020July 10, 2020July 9, 2020June 19, 2020June 19, 2020June 11, 2020Very easy, nice view.
March 28, 2020September 20, 2019Most of the trail is closed right now, and looks like it has been for quite awhile
July 26, 2019overall nice park... for running you have variety; gravel trail around lake, asphalt road around park, and grass trails all over...bad part on them is many are on sidehills, which can be hard on ankles. if you like hills, there plenty of climb here ,
September 21, 2018I went last weekend. the pond is drained and there is a significant amount of work being done around the trail. the paths are mostly closed as of 9/2018. I'm sure they will be open and great in the future but it was a disappointment for now.
June 12, 2018Drive through some grass trails that I believe were for hiking. Oh well! The lake is dry due to reconstruction.
June 3, 2018As of June 2018, much of the park is under construction.
February 26, 2018I used to come fishing here quite a bit.. sad to see the lake is gone. There are some other smaller ponds around the trails I noticed. In terms of hiking, the trails are pretty and variable, though can be tricky to spot at times off the gravel paths / roadways.
July 29, 2017No lake there, which was sad. Otherwise, super pretty field and tons of flat trail to hike.
September 9, 2016Beautiful view at the top
January 5, 2021November 26, 2020November 26, 2020November 23, 2020November 22, 2020October 12, 2020October 11, 2020
