When is the best time to ride motocross near Des Moines?

July, August, September — warm and typically the driest — based on six years of climate data across 13 verified open tracks within 125 miles of Des Moines.

What are the muddiest months for riding near Des Moines?

May, June, July are the wettest, highest mud-risk months in the area.

Which tracks near Des Moines ride best right after rain?

Sandy, fast-draining tracks like New Hartford Racing and NCC MX (National Cattle Congress) shed water faster than clay or hard-pack tracks, so they ride well within a day or two of a storm.

Best Months to Ride Motocross Near Des Moines (2026 Riding-Season Guide)

Wondering when to ride near Des Moines? We took six years of climate data (Open-Meteo / ERA5) for the 13 verified, open motocross tracks within about 125 miles of Des Moines and turned it into a practical riding calendar — the best months to ride, the wettest mud-risk stretch, and the riding window for each track, sorted by drive distance.

The short answer

Best months to ride near Des Moines: July, August, September — warm and typically the driest.
Driest / hardest-packing window: April, September.
Wettest (mud / closure risk): May, June, July.
Peak heat: around July — ride early and hydrate.

Where to ride right after rain

Sandy tracks drain fast and ride well within a day or two of a storm, while clay/hard-pack tracks stay greasy longer. If it just rained around Des Moines, the closest fast-draining (sandy-soil) tracks are New Hartford Racing (~89 mi) and NCC MX (National Cattle Congress) (~90 mi). During the wet May, June, July stretch, these are your best bet for a dry-ish line.

Riding window for every track near Des Moines

Distances are straight-line from the metro. Each track’s best and wettest months come from the climate record at its own location:

Track	Distance	Best months	Wettest (mud risk)	Season
The Farm MX — Indianola	~20 mi	Aug, Sep, Oct	May, Jun, Jul	Apr – Oct
Riverside Raceway — Winterset	~29 mi	Apr, Aug, Sep	May, Jun, Jul	Apr – Oct
314 Compound — Scranton	~55 mi	Jul, Aug, Sep	May, Jun, Jul	Apr – Oct
Oak Ridge MX — Garwin	~56 mi	Jul, Aug, Sep	May, Jun, Oct	Apr – Oct
Gypsum City OHV Park — Fort Dodge	~66 mi	Jul, Aug, Sep	May, Jun, Aug	Apr – Oct
FDMX at Sports Park Raceway — Fort Dodge	~67 mi	Jul, Aug, Sep	May, Jun, Aug	Apr – Oct
Keokuk County Expo MX — Sigourney	~77 mi	Aug, Sep, Oct	May, Jun, Jul	Apr – Oct
New Hartford Racing — Shell Rock	~89 mi	Jul, Aug, Sep	May, Jun, Jul	Apr – Oct
NCC MX (National Cattle Congress) — Waterloo	~90 mi	Jul, Aug, Sep	May, Jun, Jul	Apr – Oct
Northland MX — Klemme	~97 mi	Jul, Aug, Sep	May, Jun, Aug	Apr – Oct
CronkyTonk MX — Fairfield	~102 mi	Aug, Sep, Oct	May, Jun, Jul	Apr – Oct
Sandy Corners MX — Ionia	~115 mi	Jun, Aug, Sep	May, Jun, Jul	Apr – Oct
Razors Edge MX — Farragut	~115 mi	Apr, Sep, Oct	May, Jun, Jul	Apr – Oct

How we built this

For each track we sampled six full years (2019–2024) of daily temperature and precipitation from the Open-Meteo ERA5 archive at the track’s exact coordinates, then derived the warm-and-dry “best” months and the wettest mud-risk months. It’s a long-run climate guide, not a forecast — always confirm current conditions and hours with the track before you load up.

Plan your next ride

For the full rundown of each of these tracks — hours, fees and what they’re known for — see our guide to motocross tracks near Des Moines. See what’s open right now on the This Weekend tracker, and if you’re still kitting out, read our first dirt bike buyer’s guide.