high trestle trail

The view of the bridge and from the bridge is worth the bicycle ride. Beautiful at night with the lights and during the day because of the architecture, The High Trestle Bridge, is one of a kind. Go from Woodward and you don't have to ride so far.

This is my husband and I's favorite trail. The trail itself is smooth and there is minimal incline pretty much the whole way. It doesn't have as much tree cover as I usually like but I suppose trees are what destroy a nicely paved path. There is a good mix of them though. The best part of the ride is from Madrid to the High Trestle Bridge. There are 3 other bridges you get to ride under and you are surrounded by beautiful scenery. The bridge itself is unspeakable beauty. You just have to see it for yourself. We especially enjoy going out for the full moon ride. The towns that the trail runs through have all setup restaurant/bar type places right off the trail that are fun to stop at and enjoy a break.

We drove into Madrid, IA and parked our car at Dalander park, which is on the south edge of the town of Madrid. From there, the bridge is 2.5 miles west of town on the bike trail. There is basically no incline along the path to the bridge, making it a very easy walk or bike ride. The high trestle bridge is 130 feet above the Des Moines River basin, and the scenery is fantastic. After crossing the bridge, you can make a right turn up a short incline to a concrete platform that was the bridge foundation from the 1912 railroad bridge and the view of the valley and the high trestle bridge is even better, great vantage point for some pictures. A park ranger was on the platform and gave us a nice background of the history of the bridge and the river valley. Total time to cross the bridge and back via bicycle was 90 minutes.There is a nice restaurant right next to the bike trail at Dalander park, with reasonably priced food.All-in-all it doesn't get much better for an afternoon outing on a nice fall day, and is totally free of charge.

I think the most amazing part of this bridge and trail is that it actually exists. This is a tribute to Iowans who clearly love their biking and hiking. Its amazing they had the foresight and fundraising abilities to make this happen (maybe it was inspired by the Field of Dreams ... if you build it, they will come). And, not only did they have the foresight to build it, they went well above and beyond by making it an architectural and historical attraction as well. My hat's off to Iowans! It was too cold to bike the day we visited, so we found an access about a mile East where we could park and hike in. I highly recommend making a visit.

What a great bike trail. Took the trail for about 20 miles total. Started at a park just a couple blocks from the Casey's in Slater and it was about 10 miles to the High Trestle Bridge. Beautiful paved trail that is for the most part pretty flat but with beautiful scenery. Well worth going to bike, walk, etc. I'll certainly be back!

I've been going out of my way to ride the Trestle Trail when biking around the Des Moines area. I only wish the trails offered better views of the trestles and bridges. ;-)

If you have a bike in the Ankeny area RIDE THIS TRAIL. It is beautiful with nice farm country, natural woodlands and small towns. The highlight is the ride along the Trestle with artistic elements.

I'm from New Jersey and I took a road trip to Colorado. I found this bridge on the app Roadtrippers and I was determined to see this bridge. WOW! What a trippy bridge. I went there at night and walked .8 miles to the bridge. There were a lot of bikers which lit up the trail with their headlights. But once they were gone, it was very dark so bring a flashlight! It is literally in the middle of nowhere. My favorite stop on the whole road trip. If you get a chance to visit the bridge, please do.

There's a small parking lot by the High Trestle Bridge, between Madrid and Woodward--it's not all that well marked so watch for signs. From the lot to the bridge is .7 miles. The bridge itself is half a mile across, so if you go to the end and back, you have a nice 2.4-mile walk. Perfect for a summer evening at about 8 p.m.—there's a lot less traffic then, it's cooler, and you can watch the sunset reflected in the river and get a full view of the neon lights in the bridge.

The High trestle trail runs 20 miles from Ankeny to the Bridge and about 3 miles beyond thebridge. You can bike less miles by getting a trail map on line and park closer to the bridgeif you wish. Start out so that your at the bridge by 8pm (during the summer) and see the greatlight show! A lot of the trail is in the open so go in the AM or late afternoon. Good ride!

Great experience. Great exercise and amazing views. Go at night and see the blue lights as you walk across the bridge, very cool. I would recommend going at night and during the day so you can get the full experience. Its worth your time to check it out!

We got on the trail at Madrid and it was an easy cement ride about 2.5 miles to the bridge. It featured lovely views on the way and when we got to the bridge, you could see for miles. I've heard that the bridge at night is something worth the trek, but the day view was pretty great too.

We caught the trail at the trailhead in Woodward, Iowa. This paved trail goes from Woodward to Ankeny. The High Trestle Bridge is about 2.5 miles from Woodward. It is a work of art! If possible be sure to try to go after sunset, a portion of the bridge is lit up.

We've done this trail twice and it never disappoints. They know how to take care of the trail, keeping brush trimmed back, concrete wide pathway, the High Trestle Bridge is worth the trip. We could see our B&B Two Bears Lodge from the bridge and could see the bridge lights from their deck. Worth the stay, very clean. Would recommend to anyone.

The high trestle trail is one of the best in a state that has many great trails! We love this one, as well as all the other trails.