By CHUCK OFFENBURGER

ADEL, Iowa, April 17, 2026 — I’ve long believed and often said that the development of Iowa’s fantastic recreational trail system is one of the best things that has happened in this state in my lifetime. I’ve tried hard to help.

And last Saturday evening, April 11, a big group of very nice fellow believers, attending the 20th annual Raccoon River Valley Trail Association fundraising banquet here, honored me in a way I deeply appreciate: They gave me the association’s inaugural “Trail Champion” award.

Rec trail development has happened over the last 50 years in Iowa. Perfect timing, you know?

Think about it:

—In that time period, RAGBRAI was growing up, introducing many more people of all ages to the sport of bicycle riding. More people began jogging, walking and cross-country skiing, too. Think of the positive impact on public health that has resulted!

—The second half of those 50 years, we’ve all become cell phone users, which has led to too much distracted driving and a constant threat for bicyclists and pedestrians on our roadways. So thank goodness for trails, and also for the Iowa Bicycle Coalition growing up to do effective lobbying for legal protection of our safety.

—These 50 years almost parallel to my prime time as both a bicyclist and a columnist. So when it came to advocating for new recreatonal trails, I got involved — really involved.

With Rev. Doug Pfeiffer, the incoming president of the Raccoon River Valley Trail Association. The current president is Patrick Steele. (Photo by Mary Riche)

I think the first rec trail I saw was the not-yet-completed Neal Smith Trail, in about 1984, as I recall. My memory is that the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers was building it along the Des Moines River, and it would eventually stretch from downtown in the capital city to Saylorville Lake and Big Creek State Park up north.

John Karras, my RAGBRAI cyclemate, tipped me that the first asphalt paving had been done from Euclid Avenue in Des Moines to a point a very few miles up river. I jumped on my bicycle, rode down to that point on Euclid Avenue, lifted my bike around the construction barrier, rode the short bit of new asphalt, and was euphoric.

I rode back home and wrote a Des Moines Register column that started this way: “I’m never again bitching about whatever I am asked to pay in taxes. If the Army Corps of Engineers is building stuff like this, I’m with them!”

I also recall riding on “Opening Day” of the new Raccoon River Valley Trail in early October, 1989. I think the total trail length then might have been 33 miles, possible from Adel to Yale, or maybe it was Waukee to Yale. The paved proof of how these trails could connect small towns that had lost their railroads — wow!

Since then, by my best count, I think I have worked on, showed up for, written columns about, and otherwise helped promote 17 or 18 different trails, located all over Iowa. That’s had me hanging out with the pioneers of trail development in Iowa — people like the late Tom Neenan of the old Iowa Trails Council; Mark Ackelson, Lisa Hein and Andrea Boulton of the Iowa Natural Heritage Foundation; engineer Rich Voelker of Snyder & Associates, and a dozen or more outstanding County Conservation Directors, most notable among them Mike Wallace, Dan Towers and Joe Hanner, who long oversaw expansion and improvement of the Raccoon River Valley Trail.

Surrounded by a group of active trail supporters around Jefferson. Left to right are Dan Meythaler, Chris Bosshart, Keith Van Beek, Adam Pedersen, Sarah Bosshart, Jamie Daubendiek, Aaron Thiel and Brent Gerzema. (Photo by Mary Riche)

The RRVT — now 89 paved miles connecting 14 towns in west central Iowa — has become one of the best and best-known rec trails in America. And it connects not only to the Des Moines metro trail system, but also to the High Trestle Trail. Surveys of trail users and actual trail counts tell us the RRVT has about 350,000 users per year.

The RRVT Association, which I helped organize in the couple years leading up to its non-profit incorporation in 2006, does the marketing and promotion of the trail, and also helps with costs of maintenance and improvements. I’m telling you, the association’s board of directors, which you can read about here, is a very well-connected bunch.

The RRVT Association stands as the model for how trail advocacy groups can work to build public support, investment and involvement for a trail in communities it is passing through.

That is going to be increasingly important as we are in a new era of stewardship for our rec trails. Now connecting them in networks and maintaining them are the big challenges. I thought my time working on that had probably ended. But five days before the RRVT Association banquet, there I was in a committee meeting in Jefferson, signing on to help raise $2.5 million to complete a $5 million campaign for repaving (with concrete) the RRVT’s old asphalt bed between Winkelman (or is it Winkleman?) Switch and the town of Yale.

What amazing progress we’ve all made in rec trails development. Two measures of that?

—When all this started, 40 to 50 years ago, at every meeting about planning a new trail, you could count on contentious questions, often there were arguments, and as Mark Ackelson and Lisa Hein can tell you, there were a few times they thought there were going to be fist fights! Now, nearly everybody seems to want a trail near their home, farm and town.

—If I think back to about the most active point of my bicycling career, probably 1995, I could then make the statement I had ridden my bike on every rec trail in Iowa. Now, 30 years later, I’m pretty sure I have ridden on only about half the trails that exist.

I don’t know how many trails there actually are now in Iowa, or what the total mileage of them is. But I do know that, besides the lengthy rails-to-trails conversions that have happened, it seems like there’s hardly a housing development that happens now that people aren’t demanding a paved rec trail be built through their backyards.

Is it all worth it? Especially for small towns along what was formerly a railroad route? Is it worth investing in, maintaining, improving and adding amenities for visitors?

My answer: Absolutely! Using the RRVT and its 14 towns as an example, this trail has brought more people to our communities than the railroad ever did!

With Matt Phippen, the director of RAGBRAI, who was the featured speaker at the Raccoon River Valley Trail Association’s banquet. He says RAGBRAI — he’s in his fifth year as director — “is the most magical thing we have happening in the state of Iowa.” This summer’s ride, he said, has registrants from all 50 states and 20 other countries. His personal motto? “Seek out opportunity and find ways to say ‘yes’!” he told the crowd. (Photo by Mary Riche)

—

You can comment on this column below or write the columnist directly by email at chuck@offenburger.com.