Great Western Trail (Iowa)

41.374109°N 93.745539°W / 41.374109; -93.745539

Great Western Trail
The Great Western Trail south of Cumming
Length16.5 mi (26.6 km)
LocationCentral Iowa, United States
Established1992 (1992)[1]
TrailheadsDes Moines
Cumming
Martensdale
UseHiking, biking
SurfaceAsphalt
Right of wayFormerly the Chicago and North Western Railway.[2]
Trail map
Not to be confused with Great Western Trail.


The Great Western Trail is a rail trail in the Des Moines metropolitan area south-central Iowa, United States. There is also the Great Western Trail in Illinois, which utilizes the same right-of-way.

Description

The trails is 16.5 miles (26.6 km) long and paved with asphalt.[3] Starting in Water Works Park in Des Moines at its north end, it passes through suburban areas, Willow Creek Golf Course, fields, farmland, and the wooded valley of the North River, with a southern terminus in Martensdale.[4]

The trail follows the route of an abandoned line of the Chicago, St. Paul and Kansas City Railroad, constructed in 1899. It is named after the Chicago Great Western Railway, which last operated trains over the segment in 1968.[1] The trail is maintained by the Conservation Boards of Polk and Warren Counties.[2]

See also

References
  1. "Great Western Trail". Retrieved November 5, 2020.
  2. "Great Western Trail". My County Parks. Retrieved November 27, 2022.
  3. "Great Western Trail". Des Moines Outdoiors. Retrieved November 27, 2022.
  4. "Great Western Trail". Iowa By Trail. Retrieved November 27, 2022.
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