The shining star of Iowa's trail system, the High Trestle Trail runs for 25 miles through five towns and four counties. The trail includes an iconic, 1/2-mile, 13-story high bridge across the Des Moines River valley, one of the largest trail bridges in the world.
The High Trestle Trail was one of INHF's most complicated trail projects, but numerous donations and grants, paired with incredible public support, made the project possible.
The birth of rails-to-trails projects like High Trestle Trail dates back to the early ’80s, when the idea to convert discontinued railroads into community trails gained support through public policy and private collaboration all across the country. It was then that INHF began helping Iowa communities identify and organize the intricate pieces involved in “rails-to-trails” projects with such Iowa legends as the Heritage Trail, Cedar Valley Nature Trail, Raccoon River Valley Trail and Wabash Trace Nature Trai