For those who enjoy driving fast on winding roads (dirt or paved), the following may be of use.
Enjoy.
So, you live in Ames, or go to Iowa State. And you have a sports car. Iowa roads are really rather boring, aren't they? Long, straight, flat. Fortunately, there is hope. There are a few scattered winding roads in the area, and one particularly "loop of joy" that can be followed.
Some of the winding roads are paved. Some are gravel/dirt. Some people don't enjoy taking their cars on gravel, or ride a motorcycle (and aren't crazy enough to ride on gravel). Not a problem. It's entirely possible to avoid gravel completely.
However, if you drive something resembling a rally car, don't mind getting your car dirty, and want some nice winding dirt roads to travel on, there are options. The Dragoon Trail north of Boone is your road. Take Hwy 30 west to the 4 way stop (Story St.) and go north. After you clear Boone, continue following Dragoon Trail signs. You'll find some nice dirt roads. Once you clear the YMCA camp, and a small town, the road continues to be a winding rural dirt road with very little traffic or housing. There are some areas with steep drop-offs, so scouting the road out before driving it hard is a good idea.
For those who don't enjoy getting their cars filthy, or just prefer pavement, follow the Loop of Joy. Speeds listed are the suggested speed from the road warning signs, and not in any way my suggested speed.
This loop starts in Ames, though it could be started from elsewhere. Start by taking North Dakota Ave north. Past the railroad tracks it turns into a winding residential road with several good corners in it. The road is heavily wooded, and as a result is often damp and somewhat slick. The final corner at the north end is almost always slick or gritty, and should be taken at a lower speed than it might appear.
Once the road straightens out, you can either continue north, turn left at the T intersection, turn left on R38 (where the pavement ends), and continue south to Lincoln Way, or you can run down North Dakota again. When going south, be especially careful of the first corner. It's slicker than it appears, and is a perfect place to set up an accidental braking drift, or spin out - depending on your skill. The ditch will generally keep you from damaging anything, but it's not the easiest thing to get out of.
Regardless of how you get to Lincoln Way, go west. It eventually turns into Hwy 30. Continue west until you reach the 4 way stop in Boone. Turn left.
Follow signs for the Dragoon Trail. You'll make a right at a stop sign, and then continue along some high speed curves. Once you make a sweeping 45mph left with a large drop-off on the right, the fun starts. The speed limit gradually decreases as the corners get sharper, and it culminates in a steep S-curve 20mph uphill section. From here, you eventually reach a T intersection. Several options exist.
If you turn right, you enter the only gravel section of the Dragoon Trail on this loop. It involves 2 right angle turns, and several reasonably sharp S curves before rejoining paved road.
If you turn around, you can take the 20mph section as a downhill. The first corner is almost always wet, and is a completely blind corner. Going down it is significantly more hazardous than going up it.
If you turn left, you stay on pavement and approach the entrance to Ledges State Park. If the canyon trail is open, I highly suggest it. It's a one way road that makes a fairly steep winding descent into the canyon, followed by 3-4 stream crossings (4-6" of water normally). You exit the canyon run, turn left, and pick up the road you drove on previously, giving another shot at the 20mph uphill section.
If at the entrance to Ledges you turn right, you head out to 17. This is the suggested path for people who want to avoid the gravel segment. Turn right on 17, right on 270th St (right outside of Luther, with signs pointing to camps & such), and you'll rejoin the Dragoon Trail where the gravel section spits out.
Now you're on the Dragoon Trail again, having either come from the gravel or avoided it. The next section involves a number of 45mph curves and several nice hills. Some corners are sharper than they first appear. Eventually you'll come to the outside of Madrid. As always, following the speed limit in town is highly suggested. Follow the Dragoon Trail signs. You'll come to 17 and turn right. A mile or so later, you'll see another Dragoon Trail sign pointing left. Follow it.
The next segment is a winding highway with some 45mph curves and reasonably long straightaways. Be aware of your brakes, because this stretch is quite capable of causing brake fade on normal brakes if driven hard. There is a side road labeled with a 20mph winding road sign and a dead end sign. It's some fun 90 degree turns on gravel, but has residents who do not appreciate cars speeding down their road. You've been warned.
You'll cross a bridge, and the Dragoon Trail continues on straight into Polk City. It gets boring from here, so turn left right after the bridge. There's a parking lot on the right that can be used to allow your brakes to cool, if needed.
Continuing along the road, you'll see Hugg Drive just past the bridge. Continue going straight, and you enter a several mile stretch of park road. It's all 35mph with very few straight parts. There are multiple side roads, but I don't know if they actually go anywhere or are dead ends. This is a road you'll have to double back on, so drive accordingly. If someone sees you and decides you're going too fast, they just have to wait for you to come back out. At the end you reach a parking lot/turnaround, follow it around, and come back out the way you came in.
Now you can turn left on Hugg Drive. It's slightly under a mile of winding 30mph road. When you reach the stop sign, turning right will take you into Polk City to get gas, and turning left will lead you back towards Ames. To get back to Ames, follow the road (it had a few curves) until it crosses over a railroad track. Turn right at the flashing yellow warning light, and make the first left. You're now on R38, and if you follow it you will end up on South Dakota entering Ames from the south.
Enjoy, and don't get busted.
-=Russ=-
Posted by rgraves at January 21, 2005 03:41 PM