![]() Winding 69 miles through a beautiful natural landscape of cottonwoods, elms, native grasses and wildflowers, the Cedar Valley Nature Trail is Iowa’s first rail-trail and one of its longest. TRAIL OF THE MONTH: High Trestle Trail (July 2016)Ĭedar Valley Nature Trail Iowa's Cedar Valley Nature Trail | Photo by Nathan Houck, courtesy Iowa Natural Heritage FoundationĬounties: Benton, Black Hawk, Buchanan, Linn For a present-day railroad experience, the Boone & Scenic Valley Railroad offers passenger excursions between nearby Boone and Fraser in 1920s-era train cars. Railroad enthusiasts can stop in the Madrid Historical Museum, just three blocks from the trail, to learn about the history of the circa 1880s Chicago, Milwaukee & St. The 28-mile route pops in and out of the trees with expansive pastoral vistas in between, and the trailside ponds found in some areas were once used as water sources for the steam engines that ran through the corridor. From the west end of the bridge, the paved trail rolls to Woodward and, from the other end, east to Madrid and Slater before pivoting south through Sheldahl and Ankeny-friendly suburbs of Des Moines. Towering 130 feet above the Des Moines River and wrapped in 43 twisting diamond-shaped steel ribs, the bridge is meant to elicit the sensation of traveling down a mine shaft, a nod to the area’s coal-mining history. The signature bridge on central Iowa’s High Trestle Trail is a showstopper, providing an experience you won’t encounter on any other trail in the country. High Trestle Trail Iowa's High Trestle Trail | Photo by TrailLink user dj123_45 TRAIL OF THE MONTH: Wabash Trace Nature Trail (May 2011) South of the city, the trail rolls through a handful of rural communities, where you’ll find some intriguing attractions, like Malvern’s growing collection of public art, the childhood home of the famed Everly Brothers in Shenandoah, and Imogene’s unusual trailhead offering a restroom and showers inside a refurbished grain bin. While traversing these habitats, keep an eye out for foxes, pheasants, red-tailed hawks and other wildlife that abounds here. Spanning 62 miles, from Council Bluffs to the Iowa–Missouri border, the crushed-stone pathway is known for its native prairies, secluded woodlands and unique mounds of windblown silt known as the Loess Hills. Tucked into the southwestern corner of the state, the Wabash Trace Nature Trail was the first Iowa pathway to earn a place in the Rail-Trail Hall of Fame. Wabash Trace Nature Trail Iowa's Wabash Trace Nature Trail | Photo by Martha WickerĬounties: Fremont, Mills, Page, Pottawattamie TRAIL OF THE MONTH: Raccoon River Valley Trail (September 2021) As if connecting two of the state’s premier trails wasn’t thrilling enough, both are also part of the country-spanning Great American Rail-Trail. Current plans call for a connection between Perry on the Raccoon River Valley Trail and Woodward on the High Trestle Trail, with pieces of this 9-mile route already built or under construction. Its distinctive loop-in fact, the largest paved loop trail in the country-is dotted with dozens of small towns, so there is no shortage of amenities to meet traveler’s needs, including bathrooms, food and rest areas. Lively art pieces also pop up along the route, including a colorful lighted bridge in Adel and, at its southeastern trailhead, the stunning Waukee Railroad Pergola, which looks like railroad tracks hoovering above the trail. Leaving the outskirts of Des Moines, the 89-mile pathway swoops west and north through a Midwestern canvas awash in color: emerald expanses of farmers’ fields, meadows flecked with wildflowers and glimmers of silver silos. In pastoral west-central Iowa, the Raccoon River Valley Trail has won the blue-ribbon prize: entrance into the Rail-Trail Hall of Fame. Raccoon River Valley Trail Iowa's Raccoon River Valley Trail bridge in Adel | Courtesy Raccoon River Valley Trail Association Some of these amazing rail-trails are highlighted below, along with other outstanding multiuse trails that showcase the beautiful terrain and welcoming communities of the state. ![]() Looking forward, many of these routes are being utilized for the Great American Rail-Trail™, a developing 3,700-mile route across the country. Today, Iowa offers more than 900 miles of trail built along former railroad corridors, a result of its long history of leadership in trail development, including being the first state in the nation to put the Railbanking Statute of 1983 to use. In 1856, the first trains to ever cross the mighty Mississippi River entered Davenport, Iowa, ushering in a new wave of east–west travel across the burgeoning nation. Iowa's High Trestle Trail | Photo by TrailLink user dj123_45 ![]()
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