Discover Iowa by hiking through some of its hundreds of miles of trails, an extensive system often traversing through greenways - natural areas along waterways, old railroad corridors and other linear corridors. In Eastern Iowa, the Cedar Valley Nature Trail is a 52-mile route through the Cedar River bottomlands and along
... more forested banks, an excellent way to observe wildflowers and abundant wildlife such as deer, woodchucks, wild turkey and songbirds. For boating and fishing, the Great Lakes Region in the northwest provides for great variety and choice. These glacial lakes include Big Spirit Lake, with over 40 species of fish within its 5,684 acres, and West Okoboji Lake, one of the few blue water lakes in the world, popular for boating, water sports and great catches of smallmouth bas, white bass and tiger muskie. With over 400 golf courses, 290 which are public, golfers of all skill levels have plenty of challenging holes and greenways to face. Of the several areas for winter sports, Seven Oaks Recreation Area has one of the best snowboard areas in the Midwest, and Sundown Mountain is nestled in Dubuque, where 21 downhill slopes