Banner Lakes Loop (Summerset State Park) Hiking Guide
Banner Lakes at Summerset State Park was a coal mine in the 1930s and only became a state park in 2004. The mine left two lakes and a jumble of spoil ridges, and mountain bike trails have since been added through them, about five and a half miles of tight singletrack. Strung together, the trails make a hilly loop that Hiking Project's contributors call more technical than anything else in the Des Moines area.
The Loop by the Numbers
Hiking Project measures the full loop at 5.3 miles with 312 feet of climbing, between about 796 and 863 feet of elevation, with grades to 11 percent. The DNR's trail table gives the pieces: Coal Miner's Daughter 2 miles (Hard), Riverside 1.2 (Easy), Corner Pocket 0.8 (Hard), Extra Credit 0.6 (Moderate), Missing Link 0.5 and New Ed Beach 0.3 (both Moderate). Those add up to 5.4 miles; the Central Iowa Trail Association, the volunteer club that looks after them, says about 5.5.
Walking It Clockwise
Hiking Project's route starts at the first parking lot, just north of the restroom, on Coal Miner's Daughter, which runs past the lakes on small bridges and bluffs. At its end you pass the paved Summerset Trail and a shooting range, then take Missing Link and the flat, wide, unshaded New Ed Beach connector. Two short road walks of about a quarter mile link Corner Pocket, Riverside and Extra Credit, a 0.75-mile stretch of steep little hills and switchback-like turns. The park road is never far, so you can cut the loop short.
Mountain Bikes, Mud and Closures
These trails were built as mountain bike courses, and the DNR says they serve riders of all abilities, so expect bikes and yield where you can see them coming. The low ground floods most late springs, and CITA closes trails during freeze-thaw and after heavy rain; signs at the trailheads show whether a trail is open, and the club posts conditions at status.centraliowatrails.com. Strollers won't work here, and poison ivy grows along the edges.
Gunfire Next Door
Two neighbors shape the soundscape. The DNR's Banner Shooting Range, with rifle, handgun and trap areas, sits right beside the park, and the Banner Public Hunting Area next to it offers wetland and upland hunting. You may hear shooting while you hike. In the cold months, anglers come for the South Lake, which the DNR stocks with trout several times through the cold-weather months; fishing for them requires a trout stamp.
Cost, Dogs and Facilities
Entry is free, as at every Iowa state park. Leashed dogs are allowed on leads up to six feet. Facilities are basic: CITA notes primitive restrooms without running water at the main entrance lot and other lots, and no flush toilets anywhere in the park. The DNR lists Des Moines about 6 miles to the north.
Hiking tips for Banner Lakes Loop (Summerset State Park)
- Check the CITA status board before driving down; trails close when wet.
- Step aside for mountain bikers on the tight, blind turns.
- Bring your own water; the park has only primitive restrooms.
- Use the park road to shorten the loop if your legs give out on Extra Credit.
- Watch for poison ivy along the singletrack edges in summer and early fall.
Nearby trails to explore
- Lake Ahquabi Trail
- Tallgrass Trail (Neal Smith National Wildlife Refuge)
- North Sycamore Trail (Des Moines River)
Hike this trail with TrailMates
Banner's loop is a good workout to share with friends who like hills. Post it on TrailMates, use the event's group chat to check trail status together the morning of, and meet at the main lot just inside the park entrance. Download TrailMates on the App Store or Google Play.