Connecting Trails

By Joe Jayjack on May 25, 2018 in Blog

Construction crews will break ground this year on a trail that connects two of Iowa’s most popular trails — but the project still has a long way to go.

The connector trail between the Raccoon River Valley Trail (RRVT) in Perry and the High Trestle Trail (HTT) in Woodward will be 9 miles long when finished. The first mile-and-a-half will be paved this year heading east out of Perry. INHF helped in the planning, land acquisition and fundraising of both the RRVT and HTT, and is doing so with the connector.

The route for the connection, which will go through the small town of Bouton, will include a mix of former railroad corridor, rural road right of way and newly acquired land.

The $4.8 million project is more than halfway funded thanks to generous community organizations and private donors.

“Getting these two trails connected will do so much for the communities along the trails and the people that use them,” said INHF Trails and Greenways Director Andrea Boulton. “These trails are public recreation facilities, and they are big economic drivers for these communities.”

The 89-mile RRVT and the 25-mile HTT, once connected, will create multiple options for giant loops that connect into the greater Des Moines trail system.

Help make this connection a reality by visiting inhf.org/connect-the-trails