Carroll County Conservation Foundation officials believe this is a good time to go the extra mile — make that 2 miles — for Sauk Rail Trail resurfacing.
Carroll County Conservation recently received a federal COVID-19 Relief Recreation Trails Program grant for $900,186 administered through the Iowa Department of Transportation plus $100,000 each from Carroll County and the City of Carroll to resurface the Sauk recreation trail. The trail will be changed from its original asphalt to concrete beginning at the northwest corner of Swan Lake State Park.
Conservation Board officials believe, based on engineering estimates, that the $1.1 million secured so far will be enough to resurface nearly 4 miles — to the trailhead at Leer Coolers north of Highway 30 just west of Carroll. That would leave only 2 miles of original asphalt trail — from Highway 30 to Maple River Junction; the rest of the 33-mile trail between Swan Lake and Black Hawk State Park at Lake View is concrete.