Jefferson County Loop Trail (Part 3)

Since 2010 I have documented my visits to Fairfield, Iowa, for extended TM (Transcendental Meditation) practice at Maharishi International University, plus occasional Ayurvedic treatments at The Raj. The most popular of these blog posts is here.

I've never written explicitly about the Jefferson County Loop Trail, which circles Fairfield, although references to it are scattered through the last eleven years of this blog. Now I'm remedying that. The first post in this series is here, and the second here.

My photos are from any time in the last ten years, usually in March/April or October/November, and, depending on the direction of the sun, facing the way I'm headed or the way I just came. I will sort them into physical, not chronological, order and hope they make sense.

Here is a map that contains the parking areas around the loop.

The previous post ended at Chautauqua Park, where the loop trail passes by, and a walker can head either north or south.

I continued south, towards Lamson Woods State Nature Preserve. First, the trail more or less followed the east bank of Troy Creek, and then passed underneath Business Route 34.

Image from Google Street View

From here the path criss-crossed the creek four times. In November the water was capped with a skim of ice.

As seen with a touch of spice via Deep Dream Generator.

The trail then crossed Glasgow Road, and I passed through the Nef Wetland.

Mile Marker 13 is here.

Then the final stretch, not so long,

A younger version of myself.

to the Lamson Woods parking area, at the southern extent of the reserve.

The loop trail now shares the road, Mint Boulevard, for a distance.

There is little traffic on this section, for on the left (heading south) is Lamson Woods, and on the right an occasional house on the hill.

There is a working farm at the end of Mint, where the path turns right to parallel the Route 34 bypass.

The trail wiggles and dips gently as it heads west. This photo was taken looking back towards the farm.

Further on, another boldly colored bridge, also looking back.

The fifteen mile marker leaves only 0.9 miles left to complete the loop.

Highway 1, where this account began, is in sight!

A footsore or tired hiker must trudge north for two long blocks to reach the trail crossing of Highway 1. Unlike the bridge north of town, it's a surface crossing.

Then after two blocks south on the far side of the highway there it is -- the end and origin of the Jefferson County Loop Trail.

The trail is a gem among trails, and a feather or two in the hat of Jefferson County. Thanks to them for supporting this endeavor.

I'll try to bike it sometime, and experience the whole loop in one go. As you can see from these blog entries, some sections (woods, lakes, and such) are excellent for slow, appreciative walks, and others are more for the exercise, or to get from here to there.