A nine-mile trail extension will open on August 17th linking the High Trestle and Raccoon River Valley trails, forming a nearly continuous 120-mile paved loop. Iowa Bicycle Coalition Executive Director Luke Hoffman has been selected by the Raccoon River Valley Trail Association to lead a bike ride at 11:00 am on August 17th starting at the Raccoon River Valley Trailhead in Perry to mark the occasion. A ribbon-cutting ceremony will follow at 1:00 pm.
The Rails to Trails Conservancy, the national organization spearheading the Great American Rail Trail, will join Hoffman and others to give brief remarks at the event. The ride will be free and cyclists of all skill levels are welcome to join. Participants can register here.
“This has an incredible economic impact that is beyond just someone spending their money at a restaurant near the trail,” Hoffman said. “This trail is more than just a trail, it’s also a legacy for future generations because it’s a community asset that has economic, tourism, and health & wellness benefits. Trails are one of those tools in the toolbox that we can’t ignore. In the tourism commercials for the state of Iowa, they’re showing images of the High Trestle Bridge. It’s part of the symbolism of what makes our state great.”
A 2012 study released by the Iowa Bicycle Coalition and University of Northern Iowa found that cyclists and trails generate $364.8 million in direct and indirect economic impacts on the state. The state’s multi-use trails have since grown to more than 3,600 miles, and the Coalition has partnered with the Raccoon River Valley Trail Association and Rails to Trails Conservancy to conduct a new statewide Economic Impact of Cycling & Trails study for Iowa. That survey is linked here and can be taken by cyclists, bike shops, bike friendly businesses, bike clubs, and any trail user.
The Iowa Bicycle Coalition also hosts its annual Bacoon ride on the Raccoon River Valley Trail, drawing 6,000 riders and generating $500,000 each year. This year’s event had riders from 20 states.
Completed with a $1 million grant from the Iowa Economic Development Authority, the extension reaches from the trail’s current western terminus in Woodward through Bouton to Perry, where it meets the Raccoon River Valley Trail, already a 72-mile loop though Dallas and Guthrie counties. The vision for this connector trail has been stewarded by the Iowa Natural Heritage Foundation since the 1980s.
