Raccoon River Valley Trail

Raccoon River Valley Trail (RRVT) is a rail trail running 56 miles (90 km) from Waukee, Iowa, to Jefferson, Iowa. In 2013, an additional 33.1-mile (53.3 km) north loop was completed on the RRVT, making the RRVT nearly 90 miles (140 km) of paved trails and having a paved interior loop of more than 72 miles (116 km). The 39-mile (63 km) 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).[1][2][3][4][5][6][7][8]

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 a twelve-mile (20 km) section connecting Linden, Panora, and Yale. Constructed during 2010-2013, the 33.1-mile (53.3 km) North Loop, which runs between Dawson and Waukee through Perry, Minburn, and Dallas Center, is the third concrete section.[9][10][11][12]

In downtown Perry on Saturday, June 1, 2013, the grand opening of the new 33 mile "north loop" included food and beverage vendors; a bicycle poker run from 9:00 until 12:30 with cards at Waukee, Dallas Center, Minburn, Forest Park Museum, Perry, the bicycle bridge over the North Raccoon River west of Perry, Dawson, and Jamaica.[12] See the "north loop" Grand Opening flyer for more.

Between Yale and Ortonville, which is a trail head 3 miles east of Adel, the 31 miles (50 km) 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.

This trail in Dallas Center may include a bicycle tunnel under a widened Highway 44.[13][14]

By 2007, the conservation board directors estimated that more than 125,000 people use this trail each year.[15] In 2014, the Dallas County Conservation Department estimated over 330,000 trail users of the RRVT annually.[16]

Locations of trailheads

Original RRVT[17]

Waukee, Ortonville, Adel, Redfield, Linden, Panora, Yale, Herndon, Cooper, Jefferson

North Loop RRVT

Jamaica, Dawson, Perry, Minburn, Dallas Center

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 1,236-acre (5.00 km2) 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.[15][18]

On October 7, 1989, the first section of the Raccoon River Valley Trail opened. In 1990, 34 miles (55 km) 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.[19] In 1997, the trail was extended with a paved trail from Yale to Jefferson. In 1999, the trail was extended with a 5 miles (8.0 km) paved trail link from Waukee to the 11.3 miles (18.2 km) Clive Greenbelt Trail in Clive.[15][19]

North Loop

The 33.1-mile (53.3 km) 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.[15][20] On May 14, 2011, the six mile (10 km) concrete segment from Dawson to Perry opened for use.[21][22] A six-mile (10 km) concrete segment from Waukee to Dallas Center opened for use on October 15, 2011[9][10] On December 15, 2012, the section from Perry through Minburn to Dallas Center was completed.[11]

The remaining sections of the North Loop were completed during early 2013 and opened for use on June 1, 2013.[10][12][23]

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.[12] See the "north loop" Grand Opening flyer for more.

Connections to other trails

5 miles (8.0 km) east of Waukee in Polk County, the RRVT connects to the 11.3 miles (18.2 km) Clive Greenbelt Trail in Clive and forms part of the Central Iowa Trails network.[19][24]

Future connections to other trails

A connection is planned at Herndon to the 22-mile (35 km) Krushchev in Iowa Trail in northern Guthrie County.[25][26][27] This link will give Coon Rapids, Bayard, and Bagley a paved trail connected to the RRVT.

Another future 9-mile (14 km) connector will link the RRVT at Perry to Woodward and the 25-mile (40 km) High Trestle Trail which is in northern Polk and Dallas counties and southern Boone and Story counties.[16][28][29][30] In the middle of April 2016, the Dallas County Supervisors approved the connecting route between the two trails. The connector will depart Perry along Park Avenue. Then, it will be generally alongside 130th Street in Dallas County travelling through Bouton to Woodward utilizing both the existing railroad bed and road shoulders. In 2016 from Perry to US 169, 130th Street is a 3-mile (4.8 km) crushed limestone rock road in Dallas County. From US 169 to Bouton, the trail will be near the .7-mile (1.1 km) 128th Place in Dallas County which is a crushed limestone road lying just north of Beaver Creek. Between Bouton and Woodard, 130th Street, also known as CR R30, is a 4-mile (6.4 km) paved concrete road.[16][30][31] The $5 million connector is expected to be completed by 2022.[32][33] In March 2020, construction began from the Woodward end of the connector.[34]

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.[35][36][37][38]

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.[37] 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

For winter weather forecasts, snow depths, and other snowmobiling news visit past 24-hour snowfall totals and forecast graphic on the web or mobile site for smartphones.

gollark: Thanks!
gollark: Originally it just did... fortunes, I think? Then DDG access.
gollark: I think ABR was written in 2018-2019ish.
gollark: I will physically eat in the next hour or so.
gollark: Yes, I will do this and take some honey along to eat.

See also

References
  1. http://www.co.dallas.ia.us/conservation/images/maps/RRVT4_loop.pdf Map of Raccoon River Valley Trail (RRVT) Dallas County Conservation Board website retrieved July 17, 2009
  2. http://www.iowadotmaps.com/msp/pdf/bikemap.pdf Transportation Map for Bicyclists, 2009 edition, (see trail #35) Iowa Department of Transportation (DOT) website retrieved July 17, 2009
  3. "Transportation Map for Bicyclists (2015 ed.)" (PDF). , (see trail #42) Iowa Department of Transportation (DOT) website. Retrieved July 18, 2016.
  4. "Transportation Map for Bicyclists (2009 ed.)" (PDF). , (see trail #35) Iowa DOT website. Archived from the original (PDF) on July 11, 2009. Retrieved October 27, 2010.
  5. http://www.discoverytrail.org/ American Discovery Trail website, retrieved October 21, 2010
  6. http://www.adventurecycling.org/routes/nbrn/USBRSStatusReport.pdf An Update Concerning the U.S. Bicycle Route System: Getting It Done, States Move Quickly toward Implementation September 2010, retrieved October 28, 2010
  7. http://fastlane.dot.gov/2010/07/us-bicycle-route-system-begins-connecting-america.html US Bicycle Route System begins connecting America US DOT website July 2, 2010, retrieved October 28, 2010
  8. http://www.adventurecycling.org/routes-and-maps/us-bicycle-route-system/national-corridor-plan/ United States Bicycle Route System: National Corridor Plan 2013 retrieved May 29, 2013
  9. http://www.waukee.org/images/content/files/maps/dallascenter_waukee_trailribboncutting_invite.pdf Ride to the Ribbon flyer, www.waukee.org website, retrieved October 17, 2011
  10. Hanson, Eric (September 28, 2011). "New Trail to Connect 15 Iowa Towns". KCCI-TV. Retrieved October 17, 2011.
  11. Offenburger, Chuck (December 15, 2012). "Great News! The Raccoon River Valley Trail is completed between Dallas Center and Minburn,...". Raccoon River Valley Trail Association. Retrieved January 22, 2013.
  12. Offenburger, Chuck (January 15, 2012). "Grand Opening is set for Saturday June 1, ...". Raccoon River Valley Trail Association. Retrieved January 22, 2013.
  13. http://www.dallascenter.com/dallascenter-coming-rrvt.php "Dallas Center coming RRVT", www.dallascenter.com website, retrieved October 21, 2010
  14. http://www.traillink.com/trail/raccoon-river-valley-trail.aspx Raccoon River Valley Trail Rails-to-Trails Conservancy website September 4, 2010, retrieved October 21, 2010
  15. http://raccoonrivervalleytrail.org/history/ RRVT History Raccoon River Valley Trail Association website, retrieved July 14, 2009
  16. "Let's Connect" (PDF). "Let's Connect" fundraising committee and Dallas County Conservation Department. July 11, 2016. Retrieved July 18, 2016.
  17. http://www.co.dallas.ia.us/index.aspx?page=886 Raccoon River Valley Trail Dallas County website retrieved February 19, 2010
  18. http://www.guthriecounty.org/gccb/index_files/parks.htm#lenon Lennon Mill Wildlife Area Guthrie County Conservation Board website retrieved July 14, 2009
  19. "Archived copy". Archived from the original on 2009-05-14. Retrieved 2010-10-27.CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link) Raccoon River Valley Trail to close gap Iowa Natural Heritage Foundation (INHF) website October 1999 retrieved July 17, 2009
  20. http://www.zwire.com/site/news.cfm?newsid=20332607&BRD=2020&PAG=461&dept_id=231738&rfi=8 Raccoon River Valley Trail Guthrie Center Times June 17, 2009, retrieved July 17, 2009
  21. http://raccoonrivervalleytrail.org/wp-content/uploads/2011/05/RRVT-Ribbon-Cutting-Poster.pdf RRVT Ribbon Cutting Poster, Raccoon River Valley Trail Association website, retrieved October 17, 2011
  22. http://raccoonrivervalleytrail.org/2011/05/perry-and-dawson-are-already-showing-the-impact-of-having-a-fine-new-recreational-trail-coming-through-your-town-since-the-formal-opening-of-an-8-mile-portion-of-the-raccoon-river-valley-trail-throu/ Perry and Dawson are already showing the impact..., Raccoon River Valley Trail website, May 26, 2011, retrieved October 17, 2011
  23. http://raccoonrivervalleytrail.org/2012/06/bummer-its-been-discovered-that-a-100-year-old-concrete-box-culvert-carrying-a-creek-under-the-former-railroad-right-of-way-in-the-west-part-of-the-town-of-jamaica-is-dangerously-deteriorated-an/ Bummer! Completion date for the Raccoon River Valley Trail's new "North Loop" now delayed..., Raccoon River Valley Trail Association website, June 14, 2012, retrieved June 27, 2012
  24. http://www.inhf.org/trails/central-iowa-trail-network.cfm Central Iowa Trails Network Iowa Natural Heritage Foundation (INHF) website retrieved July 14, 2009
  25. "Archived copy". Archived from the original on 2011-06-08. Retrieved 2010-10-23.CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link) Corn Diplomacy Trail Guthrie Center Times, May 7, 2009, retrieved July 14, 2009
  26. http://www.zwire.com/site/news.cfm?newsid=20315290&BRD=2020&PAG=461&dept_id=231738&rfi=8 Corn Diplomacy Trail Guthrie Center Times, May 14, 2009, retrieved July 14, 2009
  27. http://www.zwire.com/site/news.cfm?newsid=20336286&BRD=2020&PAG=461&dept_id=231738&rfi=8 Trails Grant Guthrie Center Times, June 25, 2009, retrieved July 14, 2009
  28. http://www.inhf.org/trails/high-trestle.cfm High Trestle Trail Iowa Natural Heritage Foundation (INHF) website, retrieved June 21, 2012
  29. "Dallas County Conservation Decides on Route for Connector Trail". Raccoon Valley Radio. April 18, 2016. Retrieved July 18, 2016.
  30. "Efforts to Connect Two Premier Recreational Trails Intensify". Raccoon Valley Radio. July 18, 2016. Retrieved July 18, 2016.
  31. "Connector Trail Project Receives $171,000 from the Iowa DOT". Raccoon Valley Radio. January 21, 2016. Retrieved July 18, 2016.
  32. "Dallas County's Week Ahead: Connector Trail Route Selected, Perry's Road Resurfacing Project Starts Monday". Raccoon Valley Radio. April 17, 2016. Retrieved July 18, 2016.
  33. The Perry News staff (March 26, 2020). Clearing starts at Woodward end of Let’s Connect trail project. The Perry News. Retrieved May 19, 2020.
  34. http://www.zwire.com/site/news.cfm?newsid=20392863&BRD=2020&PAG=461&dept_id=231738&rfi=8 Snowmobile Club Guthrie Center Times December 3, 2009, retrieved October 21, 2010
  35. http://raccoonrivervalleytrail.org/2009/12/numbers-on-the-raccoon-river-valley-trail-are-expected-to-jump-this-winter-with-snowmobilers-now-authorized-for-the-first-time-to-use-the-trail-in-all-three-counties-a-new-regional-snowmobile-club/ Numbers on the raccoon river valley trail are exprected to jump this winter with snowmobilers now authorized for the first time to use the trail in all three counties a new regional snowmobile club Raccoon River Valley Trail website December 19, 2009, retrieved October 21, 2010
  36. http://raccoonvalleysnowchasers.com/ Raccoon Valley Snow Chasers website
  37. http://raccoonvalleysnowchasers.com/uploads/RVSC2010mapfinal_1_.pdf Raccoon Valley Snow Chasers Snowmobile Trail Map 2010

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