Review Date
July 8, 2012

Overall Rating
 4 of 5

Aerobic Difficulty
 3 of 5

Technical Difficulty
 3 of 5

Ridden Trail:
Every few months

Reviewed by: killarbb ,  Weekend Warrior

Summary:
I was pleasantly surprised by the variety available at these trails. it takes about an hour drive to get to brushy, and i think we will be making the trip on a monthly basis.


you have to watch your speed when the horses are out on the trails, but we never met any that were rude. you just have to go in knowing that you will encounter horses.

Recommended Route:
Pick up a map at any of the camp kiosks......then just start riding.

Other recommended trails in the same area:
7 Oaks in boone
Center in DSM

Review Date
August 24, 2011

Overall Rating
 4 of 5

Aerobic Difficulty
 3 of 5

Technical Difficulty
 2 of 5

Ridden Trail:
Every few months

Reviewed by: nater3 ,  Weekend Warrior

Summary:
I live 15 minutes from Brushy and never knew about the great MTB trails there. I went out there twice in the past month and had a blast. As mentioned there is some incredible scenery if you take the trails that follow the Des Moines River south of the equestrian campgrounds. There is also a trail that goes around the entire lake, but I have not made that trip yet. As a plus, if your bike is super dirty when you are done, there are spray off areas in the equestrian campgrounds for the horses that work great to hose of your bike real quick before you leave. There are trail maps available in the kiosk at the equestrian campground that I found very useful.

Recommended Route:
Be sure to hit the river routes near the equestrian campground.

Review Date
August 5, 2002

Overall Rating
 3 of 5

Ridden Trail:
Ridden Once

Visitors rate this review
5.00 of 5, 2.00 votes

Reviewed by: Darin Paoli , from Overland Park Ks

Summary:
This is a fun fast HORSE trail thats fun to ride. The ride is fast and for the most part easy. There are maybe 3 good climbs and the rest is up and down winding fast single and doulbe track with a 2-3 river crossings. Me and a buddy were the only mountain bikes on the trail. However, there were many people on horses. Everyone we came across riding horses were very nice. I thought for sure they would not like us being on the trail but they were all very nice. Be very careful riding fast around corners or you may run into a horse. If you are in the area this trail is worth a ride. Just dont be let down because there are no rocky fun tough sections. I think there is more like 20 miles of trail unless we missed some do to brush growth. We rode everything we could find both Saturday and Sunday and didnt come close to 30 miles on the bike computer. If riding in the summer months ride over to the swimming beach and take a dip in the lake to cool down.

Recommended Route:
any

Other recommended trails in the same area:
??????

Review Date
March 20, 2002

Overall Rating
 5 of 5

Ridden Trail:
Every few months

Reviewed by: KaZam , from Des Moines

Summary:
This is the best mountain biking in the midwest- Miles and miles of good singletrack near the river and up & down the bluffs. Uncrowded and pristine area- Just keep an eye out for the horses-they don't seem to like us. All routes south of the lake area are great for mountain biking, with narrow tracks, great elevation changes, and fantastic scenes. Try to get away from the horse camping area for a little less congestion- Anyone looking for top-quality singletrack riding in - You'll find it here. I've been all over Iowa and the midwest- none better.

Review Date
January 27, 2002

Overall Rating
 5 of 5

Ridden Trail:
Once a month

Reviewed by: Snowman , from Iowa

Summary:
This was my first time mountain biking at Brushy Creek, but certainly will not be the last. We went in at the South Equestrian parking area on the dead end gravel road. There is a fun little little track through the timber just NE of the main parking area, then you can go back and follow the top of the bluff heading east along the Des Moines River. We went up this trail away, then headed back to the end of the dead end road, and road along the river to the west. Good single track most of the way. Nice scenery and good wildlife viewing. Probably some of the best biking and scenery you can find in the midwest. Lots of room to explore with thousands of acres, and about 50 miles of multi-use trails. We only rode a fraction of the whole trail system - Will work on the rest this spring / summer!

Recommended Route:
South end