Mason City, Iowa, has invested $13 million in recreational infrastructure, with singletrack trails, a paved bike park, and two pumptracks as the focal point.
Mason City is a small Iowa community of 27,000 surrounded by cornfields and bisected by rivers, which lend some modest topography to the landscape. Located just off I-35 and almost equidistant from Iowa City and Minneapolis, there is little else around — so Mason City has taken it upon itself to invest in its local biking and recreation infrastructure to the tune of $13 million.
This recent investment in recreational infrastructure began in 2021, and the final touches are expected to wrap up in late 2025. A grant from the State of Iowa has “covered approximately 40% of the cost, and the city covered the remaining 60%,” according to Aaron Burnett, City Administrator for Mason City. The focal point of this recreational infrastructure consists of singletrack trails for mountain biking, a fully-paved bike park, and two pump tracks. That said, the total $13M cost also includes paved trails used to connect small parks within the city.