National Historic Site · Iowa

Trails in Herbert Hoover National Historic Site

4 named trails · 5 miles · 1 with the Park Service's own write-up. The lines, trailheads and points are the Park Service's; the write-ups are the Service's own words; the climbing is read from USGS elevation along each line.

4 trails, A to Z.

Downey Street

0.1 mi one way · 712 ft–717 ft · asphalt surface · hiking

History

Along the way Blacksmith Shop Friends Meetinghouse Herbert Hoover's Birthplace Cottage Laban Miles House Leech House Varney House

On the parks map · Drive to the trail's end

Downey Street (road trace)

713 ft–716 ft · asphalt surface · hiking

History

Along the way Friends Meetinghouse Herbert Hoover's Birthplace Cottage House of the Maples (site)

On the parks map · Drive to the trail's end

Penn Street

0.1 mi one way · 714 ft–714 ft · hiking

History

Along the way Blacksmith Shop Herbert Hoover's Birthplace Cottage Leech House Schoolhouse Varney House

On the parks map · Drive to the trail's end

Prairie Trails

2.3 mi one way · about 80 ft of climbing · 200 ft of descent · 715 ft–789 ft · native surface

Walk the Nature Trails the Park Service's write-up

30-60 Minutes · dogs allowed

Start Tallgrass Prairie Observation Deck

Herbert Hoover National Historic Site offers over two miles of trails through the tallgrass prairie and along Hoover Creek for hiking, cross-country skiing, snowshoeing, and nature study. Trail maps are available from the visitor center. In the winter the snow-covered trails are not groomed for skis.

Accessibility The tallgrass prairie trails are mowed grass over rolling hills. The prairie may be viewed from a ground-level observation deck along the wheelchair-accessible trail to the Gravesite, which passes through part of the prairie.

This hike on nps.gov

On the parks map · Drive to the trail's end

74 more mapped segments without a name are on the map, not in the list.

About these trails

The lines are the National Park Service's public trails layer, the trailheads and the waterfalls, views, peaks and historic places along them the Service's public points of interest, read 2026-10-14 and simplified for the map. The write-ups are the Service's own "things to do", unedited. Heights come from USGS 3DEP through Terrain Tiles on AWS (Mapzen/Tilezen), read along each line and rounded; a short trail on steep ground can be off by a few tens of feet. Closures change: check the park's own site before you go.