Proposed Waukee to Perry bike trail wins high praise

Posted Feb 9, 2005
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The 28-mile Dallas County route could help create a 74-mile loop on the Raccoon River Valley Trail. [updated 2-19-05 - added map]

By WILLIAM PETROSKI REGISTER STAFF WRITER February 10, 2005 Hikers and bikers could begin using a 28-mile stretch of recreational trail between Waukee and the Perry area within three to five years, under plans being developed by the Dallas County Conservation Board. The new route could help create a 74-mile loop of the popular Raccoon River Valley Trail, said board director Mike Wallace. "If you start at Waukee, you would take the Raccoon River Valley Trail to Adel, Redfield and Linden, and then it goes into Guthrie County to Panora and Yale, and then we will make a connection from Herndon over to Dawson. Then, of course, we could utilize the new right-of-way to come down to Waukee again," Wallace said. The Iowa Transportation Commission this week approved a $731,500 federal grant toward the estimated $1 million cost of acquiring the right-of-way for the trail from the Union Pacific Railroad. The trail would extend from Waukee through Dallas Center, Minburn and Perry to Dawson along a track bed that is being abandoned by the railroad. The expanded trail would be a drawing card for outdoor enthusiasts from Iowa and other states, Wallace said. "There will be some people who don't mind biking 74 miles in a day, but most people would want to make it a two-day event. Hopefully, they would stop in one of our communities and spend some money, and then the next day motor on to finish the trail," he said. "This is great news and very significant for central Iowa," Wallace said. The new trail would benefit local businesses, said Howard Kaler, general manager at the Hotel Pattee in Perry. The hotel already draws some bicycle riders who stay overnight, and it accommodates them by providing a place to store their bicycles. "It would definitely have a positive impact, not just for my hotel but for my restaurant, other restaurants and convenience stores," Kaler said. The planned trail is an example of the kinds of recreational opportunities that Iowa needs to make the state more attractive to younger people, said Lisa Hein, program and planning director at the Iowa Natural Heritage Foundation. Her nonprofit group is working with federal officials to help convert old railroad lines to recreational trails. "Look at where people are moving. They like to move to places like Minneapolis where the taxes aren't necessarily lower, but they have opportunities for work and recreation," Hein said. If the Union Pacific completes the abandonment of the rail line, the land would be placed in a "rail bank" so the route could be used in the future to provide train service, said Stuart Anderson, director of the Iowa Department of Transportation's office of systems planning. "In the interim, it will become a trail. But should the need for rail ever come back that would take precedence," he said. Dave Hoss, sales manager at Barr Bike and Fitness in Clive, said the Raccoon River Valley Trail is already so popular that some of his customers have moved to Dallas County to take advantage of the route. "I think it is great for Iowa to have these trails. Minnesota does a wonderful job on trails and Wisconsin does a wonderful job, and now Iowa is starting to get a reputation for trails, too," Hoss said.