High Trestle Trail

High Trestle Trail is a paved rail trail in central Iowa running from Ankeny to Woodward through four counties and serving as a major link in the Des Moines area trail network. Opened in 2011 along a former Union Pacific freight line, it grew from a corridor purchase by the Iowa Natural Heritage Foundation, supported by railroad land value donations and public funding. Its signature feature is the High Trestle Trail Bridge over the Des Moines River, built on earlier rail bridge piers and designed to echo a mine shaft, tying the route to the valley’s mining history. Connections to other trails have made it a prominent regional recreational corridor.

Iowa · United States