Raccoon River Valley Trail

Raccoon River Valley Trail (RRVT) is a rail trail running 56 mi from Waukee, Iowa, to Jefferson, Iowa. In 2013, an additional 33.1 mi north loop was completed on the RRVT, making the RRVT nearly 90 mi of paved trails and having a paved interior loop of more than 72 mi. The 39 mi portion of the trail from Waukee to Herndon is part of the American Discovery Trail, which runs between Cape Henlopen State Park in Delaware and Point Reyes near the Bay Area of California. In Iowa, the American Discovery Trail will be concurrent with U.S. Bicycle Route 50 (see United States Numbered Bicycle Routes).

The recreational trail runs through the counties of Polk, Dallas, Guthrie, and Greene in Iowa. It is a paved trail, mainly asphalt, though three sections are concrete. One concrete section extends from Jefferson south for four miles (6 km). Another concrete section is an eighteen-mile (30 km) section connecting Redfield, Linden, Panora, and Yale. Constructed during 2010–2013, the 33.1 mi North Loop, which runs between Dawson and Waukee through Perry, Minburn, and Dallas Center, is the third concrete section. In March 2024, the Dallas County Conservation Director Mike Wallace announced that the bridge over the North Raccoon River on the east side of Adel will be closed in the fall of 2024 in order to resurface and widen the bridge from 10 feet to 12 feet which will allow emergency vehicles and maintenance equipment better access to the trail.

Between Yale and Ortonville, which was a trail head 3 miles east of Adel, the 31 mi of trail is very scenic and mostly tree covered. The north loop between Herndon and Waukee, is wider, nearly flat, and is much more exposed to the sun and wind.

In March 2024, Dallas County Conservation Director Mike Wallace stated that the connector between the High Trestle Trail and the Raccoon River Valley Trail will be completed and opened for use on August 16, 2024.

On April 8, 2024, Waukee officials discussed a Hickman Road Pedestrian Crossing study which would involve constructing a tunnel for pedestrians and bicyclists under Hickman Road at 10th Street near the RRVT trailhead in Waukee and a bridge or overpass for pedestrians and bicyclists at Warrior Lane over Hickman Road.

By 2007, the conservation board directors estimated that more than 125,000 people use this trail each year. In 2014, the Dallas County Conservation Department estimated over 330,000 trail users of the RRVT annually. In March 2024, the Dallas County Conservation Director Mike Wallace stated that 150,000 persons used the RRVT in 2023 which was the last year of the annual fee: 2024 is the first year of no daily or annual fee for trail users; however, special permits will be needed for event organizers for events held on the trail.

Since the late 2000s, Snyder & Associates has been the engineering firm which supports development and upkeep of the Raccoon River Valley Trail as well as the High Trestle Trail and the nine-mile connector between the two trails.

Locations of trailheads
Original RRVT


 * Waukee (41.61222°N, -93.79611°W)
 * Waukee - junction with North Loop (41.61528°N, -93.89°W)
 * Adel
 * Redfield
 * Linden
 * Panora
 * Yale
 * Herndon - junction with North Loop (41.84611°N, -94.34972°W)
 * Cooper
 * Jefferson (42.01611°N, -94.36806°W)

North Loop RRVT


 * Herndon - junction with Original Trail (41.84611°N, -94.34972°W)
 * Jamaica
 * Dawson
 * Perry
 * Forest Park Museum (south of on K Ave.)
 * Minburn
 * Dallas Center
 * Waukee - junction with Original Trail (41.61528°N, -93.89°W)

History
Original RRVT

The RRVT trail between Waukee and Yale runs along the rail line established in 1881 as a narrow-gauge line of the Des Moines Western Railroad, which became part of the Wabash Railroad. About 10 years later, the Milwaukee Road took over the line and converted it to standard gauge. Passenger service ended along the line in 1952. Freight service continued along the line until 1987. In 1982, the Chicago & North Western purchased the line. In 1987, the Central Iowa Energy Cooperative (CIECO), an affiliate of the Central Iowa Power Company, purchased the line and hundreds of acres of land located south of Panora, Iowa. CIECO intended to build a coal-fired power plant on the land it had acquired south of Panora, near the railroad line. However, plans for this power plant were abandoned. Much of the land that was to have been the site of the power plant was placed in the 1236 acre Lennon Mill Wildlife Area south of Panora. In late 1987, CIECO, Iowa Trails, and the Conservation Boards of Dallas and Guthrie Counties agreed to develop the railroad line as a recreational trail.

On October 7, 1989, the first section of the Raccoon River Valley Trail opened. In 1990, 34 mi of this paved trail were opened between Waukee, and Yale. North of Yale, the RRVT lies along an old Union Pacific Railroad line which was abandoned in the late 1990s. In 1997, the trail was extended with a paved trail from Yale to Jefferson. In 1999, the trail was extended with a 5 mi paved trail link from Waukee to the 11.3 mi Clive Greenbelt Trail in Clive.

North Loop

The 33.1 mi North Loop is an additional paved branch from Herndon through Perry to Waukee. This paved branch follows the old Union Pacific Railroad line which was abandoned in late 2005. From Herndon, it travels through Jamaica and then northern Dallas County to Dawson, Perry, Minburn, Dallas Center, and then to Waukee. On May 14, 2011, the six mile (10 km) concrete segment from Dawson to Perry opened for use. A six-mile (10 km) concrete segment from Waukee to Dallas Center opened for use on October 15, 2011 On December 15, 2012, the section from Perry through Minburn to Dallas Center was completed.

The remaining sections of the North Loop were completed during early 2013 and opened for use on June 1, 2013.

In downtown Perry at noon on Saturday, June 1, 2013, the grand opening of the new 33 mile "north loop" occurred with Chuck Offenburger as Master of Ceremonies and a keynote speech by Kevin Cooney.

Connections to other trails
5 mi east of Waukee in Polk County, the RRVT connects to the 11.3 mi Clive Greenbelt Trail in Clive and forms part of the Central Iowa Trails network.

Krushchev in Iowa Trail
A connection is planned at Herndon to the 22 mi Krushchev in Iowa Trail in northern Guthrie County. This link will give Coon Rapids, Bayard, and Bagley a paved trail connected to the RRVT.

High Trestle Trail
Another future 9 mi connector will link the RRVT at Perry to Woodward and the 25 mi High Trestle Trail which is in northern Polk and Dallas counties and southern Boone and Story counties. Upon the completion of this connector to the High Trestle Trail, two trail loops of more than 100 mi near Des Moines would be created with a western loop using the Raccoon River Valley Trail and the Clive Greenbelt Trail and an eastern loop using the Heart of Iowa Nature Trail, the Chichaqua Valley Trail and the Gay Lea Wilson Trail.

In the middle of April 2016, the Dallas County Supervisors approved the connecting route between the two trails. The connector will depart Perry and travel generally along 130th Street in Dallas County and along 128th Place in Dallas County into Bouton to Woodward utilizing both the existing railroad bed and road shoulders. In 2016 from Perry to, 130th Street is a 3 mi crushed limestone rock road in Dallas County. From US 169 to Bouton, the trail will be near the .7 mi 128th Place in Dallas County which is a crushed limestone road lying just north of Beaver Creek. Between Bouton and Woodward, 130th Street, also known as, is a 4 mi paved concrete road. The $5 million connector was expected to be completed by 2022 but will be completed in 2024. The portion of the connector in Perry was completed in 2018 with the trail bridge over Beaver Creek to M Avenue completed in 2021. In March 2020, construction began from the Woodward end of the connector.

As of April 20, 2023, the paved connector trail from Perry to Woodward is completed in two sections: one section is from the Perry High School over Beaver Creek to the intersection of M Avenue and 130th Street in Dallas County and the other section is from Quinlan Avenue in Dallas County to S Avenue in Dallas County at the northwest corner of Woodward. To take the connector route from Perry to Woodward proceed on the paved trail from 18th Street in Perry in front of the westside of the Perry High School building over Beaver Creek on a trail bridge to the intersection of M Avenue and 130th Street in Dallas County. Eastward from here, the connector route has a 2.1 mi surface of crushed limestone rock and is on 130th Street in Dallas County with a short portion northward on the shoulder of then eastward on 128th Place in Dallas County entering the northwest corner of the city of Bouton. The connector route leaves from the southeast corner of Bouton eastward for 2 mi on the concrete surfaced 130th Street in Dallas County, also known as, to the gravel surfaced Quinlan Avenue in Dallas County on which the connector route follows north of 130th Street for about 0.25 mi to the completed paved connector trail. From Quinlan Avenue in Dallas County, follow the paved connector trail eastward for approximately 2 mi to S Avenue in Dallas County at the northwest corner of Woodward just north of the Woodward-Granger High School softball and baseball fields. The trailhead for the High Trestle Trail is at the old Woodward railroad depot and is approximately 1 mi east of the Woodward-Granger High School softball and baseball fields. The trailhead for the High Trestle Trail has heated restrooms and is located on the northside of Woodward east of Main Street, also known as, between the northside of the grain elevators, which are located at the intersection of Main Street and Railroad Street, and the Whistlin' Donkey restaurant, which is located at 111 North Main Street, Woodward, IA. The Whistlin' Donkey has a primitive campground. Funding for the last 2 mi section of the connector was received and the section from the east side of Bouton between the town of Bouton and Quinlin Avenue will be paved and a new bridge will be completed for use on August 16, 2024.

Connections to state parks
Connecting Big Creek State Park north of Polk City in Polk County, Ledges State Park south of Boone in Boone County, and Springbrook State Park west of Yale in Guthrie County, the 160 mi Central Iowa Bike Route is a picturesque circuit ride among the valleys of the Des Moines and Raccoon rivers and involves some "challenging" hills and the Raccoon River Valley Trail. Camping is available at both Ledges State Park and Springbrook State Park.

Winter activities
Beginning in February, 2009, when at least 4 inches (10 cm) of snow covers the paved trail, the Raccoon Valley Snow Chasers (RVSC) groom the paved trail. The RRVT between Jefferson and Waukee along with the North Loop is part of a larger winter activities trail network of over 200 miles (320 km). During the winter, this groomed trail is ideal for both cross country skiers and snowmobilers.

Raccoon Valley Snow Chasers (RVSC)
Search social media pages for "Raccoon Valley Snow Chasers" to get current information for snowmachines on the Raccoon River Valley Trail. Created July 28, 2010, the RVSC social media page contains a timeline of past events.

Raccoon Valley Snow Chasers (RVSC):


 * Monthly meetings, usually on the 2nd Thursday at the Lake Panorama Conference Center near Panora
 * Summer campouts, often in July at Springbrook State Park near Yale
 * Summer outings, often in August, at the main beach, also known as boulder beach, on the east side of Lake Panorama near Panora
 * Fall grass drags, often on the 2nd or 3rd Sunday in November or the 1st Sunday in December, at the Flack river farm five miles west of Jefferson—just south of Highway 30 and just west of county road P14
 * Winter ice drags, often the 2nd Sunday in February, at the main beach, also known as boulder beach, on the east side of Lake Panorama near Panora
 * Winter rides, sometimes in other nearby states: near Cable, Wisconsin at Lake Namekagon during the 2nd week of February in 2014
 * DNR-certified Iowa snowmobile safety classes for youths ages 11 to 18, often the 2nd Saturday in December, at the Lake Panorama Association (LPA) Conference Center near Panora

In 2011, RVSC received the ISSA "CLUB OF THE YEAR" award.