High Trestle Trail

High Trestle Trail is a 25-mile paved rail trail in central Iowa that links Ankeny and Woodward through five towns and four counties. Expect a largely smooth, flat experience on asphalt/concrete across the corridor.

The route’s centerpiece is the High Trestle Trail Bridge: a 1/2-mile, 13-story high bridge crossing the Des Moines River valley between Madrid and Woodward. The bridge incorporates six overlook spots for pausing along the crossing.

Bridge light hours change with the season: from April through October it runs from sunset to 12 a.m. (midnight), and from November through March it shuts off at 9:00pm.

You can access the trail system in multiple places—Ankeny, Sheldahl, Slater, Madrid, and Woodward—making it easy to hike point-to-point or just do the most famous bridge section as an out-and-back.

Along the corridor, the original rail infrastructure was converted into trail; the rail corridor was acquired in 2005 and the trail opened in stages, with the bridge completed for public use in April 2011.

The trail is managed by local partners and is described as multi-use (hiking and also designated for other uses on the shared pavement). Motorized vehicles are prohibited on county-managed segments, with exceptions for maintenance, law enforcement, and emergency work.

More information: Official website, Wikipedia, High Trestle Trail - Polk County Iowa