Imagine what’s possible with a trail that connects the country
Iowa
The first state in the nation to put the Railbanking Act of 1983 to use, Iowa has a long history of leadership in trail development. Its rich network of trails includes well-established pathways such as the picturesque Cedar Valley Nature Trail—one of the state’s first rail-trail conversions and the state’s Great American gateway trail—and the nationally renowned High Trestle Trail with its famous mine-shaft-themed art installation. These trails will join with dozens of other trails to create a 465-miles-plus route from Davenport to Council Bluffs.
Iowa is rich in railroad and western trail history, with Council Bluffs having served as the eastern terminus for the first transcontinental railroad and a stop along the 1804–1806 Corps of Discovery Expedition—now the headquarters for the 3,700-mile Lewis and Clark National Historic Trail.
From Rails to Trails Magazine’s Spring/Summer 2019 issue
Lewis and Clark and Western Historic Trails
Council Bluffs draws its name from trailblazers Meriwether Lewis and William Clark, who reached the area in late July of 1804. There, they held the first meetings between U.S. officials and chiefs of the Oto and Missouri tribes. Clark named the meeting place, in present-day Fort Calhoun, Nebraska, “Council Bluff.”
Just up the Missouri River in Iowa, Council Bluffs took the name and ran with it. Information about the Lewis and Clark expedition, as well as the Oregon, California and Mormon Trails, abounds at the Western Historic Trails Center, which also serves as the southern starting point of the Iowa Riverfront Trail. The 7-mile trail runs alongside the Missouri River, past city parks and the Blackbird Marsh County Preserve. It also offers a connection to the Bob Kerrey Pedestrian Bridge, which spans the Missouri. Not far from the trail’s northern endpoint, in the Loess Hills, visitors can take in a sweeping view of the West from the scenic outlook at the Lewis and Clark Monument. Read about more historical connections along the Great American Rail-Trail here.
The “Great American” Route Through Iowa
RTC’s route analysis defines the preferred route of the Great American Rail-Trail through Iowa as 465.3 miles and 53% complete—comprising 246.6 existing trail miles and 218.7 gap miles. The Great American will be hosted by 38 existing trails through the state. Click the links below to view full trail descriptions on TrailLink.com.
Trails Along the Route
• Government/Arsenal Bridge
• Mississippi River Trail/Riverfront Trail
• Running River Trail System
• Kent Stein to Deep Lakes Park Trail
• Hoover Nature Trail
• Cedar Valley Nature Trail
• Gilbert Drive Trail
• Evansdale Nature Trail
• River Forest Road Trail/Cedar River Levee Trail
• Cedar Valley Lakes Trail
• South Riverside Trail
• Cedar Prairie Trail
• Sergeant Road Trail
• Pioneer Trail
• Iowa River Trail
• Linn Creek Recreational Trail
• Iowa 330/US 30 Trail
• Heart of Iowa Nature Trail
• High Trestle Trail
• Raccoon River Valley Trail
• T-Bone Trail
• Railroad Highway Trail
• Valley View Trail
• Lake Manawa Trail
• Veterans Memorial Trail
• Western Historic Trails Center Link
• Iowa Riverfront Trail
• Bob Kerrey Pedestrian Bridge
Gateway Trail
Cedar Valley Nature Trail
Experience America’s Heartland up close on the Cedar Valley Nature Trail through eastern Iowa. The 52-mile pathway, one of the first rail-trail conversions in the state, follows the beautiful Cedar River through agricultural fields and scenic swaths of prairie and wildflowers, while also connecting the urban centers of Waterloo, Cedar Falls and Cedar Rapids.
Be a Part of the Movement to Complete the Great American Rail-Trail
Like you, we can’t wait to see the Great American Rail-Trail vision come to life—but we can’t do it alone.
Support at the state and local levels is critical to the trail’s success. Help us reach 1 million pledges for the Great American, showing the strength and solidarity of the trails community. This is America’s trail. Together, let’s make it a reality.
Completing the Great American Rail-Trail: Catalyst Initiatives in Iowa
In every state along the preferred route of the Great American, needs for completing the trail vary. To spur trail completion, RTC has identified initial catalyst initiatives—projects or challenges that would most benefit from RTC’s national breadth of resources. (View the complete list of catalyst initiatives and criteria here.) Through these initiatives, RTC will support local and state partners, investing time, expertise and organizational resources in specific projects that are critical to the ultimate completion of the Great American Rail-Trail.
Statewide Trail Funding
RTC will continue to support statewide advocacy efforts seeking to renew existing state trail funding as well as to create a $20 million annual state investment in trails via the Outdoor Recreation Trust Fund. During the 2020 legislative session, RTC will work with the Iowa Natural Heritage Foundation and the Iowa Bicycle Coalition in pursuit of these goals. In addition, RTC will work to ensure allocation of federal Transportation Enhancement funds toward Great American Rail-Trail priorities.
The Great American Rail-Trail is a signature project of Rails-to-Trails Conservancy, the nation’s largest trails organization—with a grassroots community more than 1 million strong—dedicated to connecting people and communities through a nationwide network of public trails, many from former rail lines. The “Great American” is the most ambitious project in its TrailNation™ portfolio—the organization’s initiative to encourage the rapid replication of regional trail networks across the country. Follow @greatamericanrailtrail on Facebook and Instagram.
