Campus Compass

Mercy College of Health Sciences, by bike.

Mercy College of Health Sciences sits about 1 miles southwest of the middle of Des Moines — bike distance, and usually the quickest way in. Des Moines rides well about 7 months a year, with winter the stretch to plan around, on rolling ground. It's a campus of roughly 900 undergraduates. Here's the rundown — whether to bring a bike or buy one, and the kit that matters.

Mercy College of Health Sciences is a small private university in a city.

See something off? Tell us →

What riding Des Moines is like

The lay of the land

The quick read on getting around Des Moines by bike — terrain, weather, and how far you can go.

TerrainRolling

CalmGrowinglow-stress riding

WelcomingGrowingeasy to start

ConnectedGrowinggetting around

Good riding7 moof the year

Campus → center1 misouthwest · straight line

Undergraduates900private

The ride between campus and town

Mercy College of Health Sciences to the middle of Des Moines is about 1 miles in a straight line — the real route will be a little longer, and the ground is rolling. This is the distance a bike wins outright — quicker than waiting for a bus, and no parking to find.

Source · Campus location, enrollment and setting from the US Dept. of Education College Scorecard · read 2026-07. Distance is straight-line from the campus to the point the Compass uses as Des Moines's center — not a routed distance.

Open the full Des Moines Compass →

Campuses we cover in Des Moines

How Des Moines's campuses compare

Cycling here is mostly a fact about Des Moines itself — the same terrain, weather, and network serve every campus in town. What differs school to school is where you sit in it: how far out, which way, and how big a student body shares the racks. Nearest the center first.

Among the 3 campuses we cover in Des Moines, Mercy College of Health Sciences sits closest of the 3 to the middle of Des Moines, and is the smallest of them by enrollment.

Campus	To center	Which way	Undergrads
Mercy College of Health Sciences you're here	1 mi	southwest	900 private
Grand View University	1.4 mi	north	1,500 private
Drake University	2.2 mi	west	2,500 private

Distances are straight-line to the point the Compass uses as Des Moines's center — not routed. Campus location, enrollment and control from the US Dept. of Education College Scorecard.

Bring it or buy it there?

At Mercy College of Health Sciences, the bike is a short-distance tool: campus and the middle of Des Moines are practically the same errand. If you already have a bike you like and it's in good shape, bringing it is usually worth it — you know it fits and you trust it. If you don't, buy after you arrive, not before: a local shop will size you properly and do the first tune-up, and a campus or town bike co-op (most college towns have one) is the cheap, friendly way to find a sound used bike and learn basic repairs. Skip the big-box "bike-shaped object" — it costs more in repairs and frustration than a decent used bike.

The ground rolls a little, so give yourself a low gear or two — nothing exotic, just enough that the hill on the way home isn't a reason to drive.

The theft reality — lock like it matters

A small campus doesn't make a bike thief-proof — it just makes the racks quieter. Bikes still disappear from college towns, most often the ones locked with a cable "because it's only for an hour." In a city this size, lock it properly even for the ten-minute stop — that's the theft, every time. Get a hardened U-lock, always lock the frame and rear wheel to a fixed rack, account for quick-release wheels and your saddle, and register your serial number with campus security or a national registry. A good lock used well is the single biggest thing between you and a bad week.

Locks & theft prevention →

Class, groceries, and everything else

Everything is close, and that changes what you should spend on. Put the money into the lock and the lights, not the frame — you're making a lot of short trips and a lot of short stops, and the short stop is where bikes get stolen. A rack or a basket will do more for your week than anything else you could bolt on.

A note for parents

The most useful send-off isn't the flashiest bike — it's the boring kit that keeps a student riding safely all year: a serious lock, lights that stay charged, fenders for the wet months, and a rack so they'll actually carry books and groceries. Run the Assessment together in Des Moines and it'll turn your student's real situation into a short kit list — and flag the one item worth spending real money on.