Raccoon River Valley Trail
2021 Rail-Trail Hall of Fame Inductee
The Raccoon River Valley Trail is an 89-mile multi-use recreational trail that extends from Clive, in the Des Moines metropolitan area, to Jefferson. In 2013, the 33-mile-long “North Loop,” was completed, adding the communities of Dallas Center, Minburn, Perry, Dawson, and Jamaica and creating a 77-mile complete loop that some riders can do in one day.
In 2015, the trail was named one of 5 new "Iowa Great Places" by the Department of Cultural Affairs and in 2021, the trail was inducted into the Rail-Trail Hall of Fame by the Rails-to-Trails Conservancy (RTC), the nation’s largest trails organization, after the trail secured a record-breaking number of public votes during the annual contest.
The trail winds its way through the Middle and North Raccoon River corridors with area of prairie and canopies of timber that remind us of what Iowa was like in the 1870s. From the trailhead in Waukee going west, you will experience the communities of Dallas, Guthrie, and Greene counties. Going east, the RRVT connects with the extensive trail system in Iowa’s capital city of Des Moines.
Annual activities on the trail include the "Market to Market Relay/Iowa" in May and the "BACooN Ride" in June. Each of these events bring anywhere from 2,000 to 3,000 riders to the RRVT.
Established
1989
Web
Distance
89 miles of paved trail
Surface
Concrete or asphalt
Grade
1 to 2%
Fees
Free
Counties
Events
Towns
Points of Interest
600-foot High Trestle Trail Bridge