Fixing Great Western Trail Will Be Big Challenge

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Spanning Polk and Warren counties, the Great Western Trail is synonymous with a good time for Des Moines area cyclists. It’s a ride that often ends with food and beverages in Cumming, but few bikers ride farther south.

Rough Reputation

The Great Western Trail has a reputation for being rough in Warren County, particularly the stretch between Cumming and Martensdale.

The well-known problem was illustrated when I posted a story last week about a different trail, and mentioned that it connects to the Great Western Trail.

In a comment on social media, a local cyclist wrote in part:

“Nice, but connecting to the Great Western Trail in western Warren County is rough as can be. I have not been on the Great Western because it is so rough and not repaired.”

Warren County Conservation Board director Zach Hall is well aware of the issue.

“We do get a lot of complaints about the bike trail,” Hall told DSM Bike Notes. “The public is telling me they love these trails but they don’t bike south of Cumming because of the condition of the trail.”

How Bad Is It?

In 2021, Warren County hired an engineering firm to assess the condition of the Great Western’s twelve miles of pavement in the county.

That inspection found:

• 50% of the trail was in “fair” condition

• 19% of the trail failed inspection

• 12% was rated “very good”

• 10% was “good”

• 9% ranked as “poor”

• 0% scored “excellent”

Since that assessment four years ago, Warren County fixed the 19% of the trail that failed the inspection, thanks to grant money. But that still leaves 9% of the trail that was rated “poor.” Hall said the poor sections are likely located along the stretch between Cumming and Martensdale.

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An Expensive Fix

A trail may look like a pretty simple structure, but they are costly. Hall estimates there is nearly $5.3 million worth of work that needs to be done to repair the Great Western Trail.

It’s a big number that looks even more daunting when compared to how much funding the Warren County Conservation Board receives each year for trail maintenance and construction.

“Right now, we’re getting $50,000 from the (Warren County Board of) supervisors to either do maintenance or to match grants. Simply put, one average project’s cost is $700,000. And if you’re going to apply to a grant, you need 20 to 25% matching funds to even qualify to apply,” Hall said. “$50,000 is nowhere close to 25% of a $700,000 project.”

Hall said he when he hears complaints about the Great Western Trail, he tries to be realistic about the situation.

“I’m not out there preaching that we’re going to get this done, because I don’t know the probability for success. We have applied to five grants in the past few years and we’ve only received one of them,” he said.

The conservation board also manages the 11-mile-long Summerset Trail between Carlisle and Indianola, which needs maintenance as well.

Appealing To The Public

Hall, along with the Friends of Warren County Conservation Board group, are now appealing to the public to gain support for fixing the Great Western Trail.

The board recently had a booth at the Iowa Bike Expo, and gathered nearly 300 signatures from trail supporters, calling for repairs. Hall plans to use those signatures to demonstrate the trail’s impact while appealing for funding from various sources.

“We have millions of dollars of repair and we’re not getting a whole lot of money from internal support,” Hall said.

Until something changes, the Great Western Trail will continue to be a bumpy ride through Warren County.

Polk County Improvements

While Warren County struggles to find funding to fix the Great Western Trail, Polk County’s seven miles of trail are freshly resurfaced.

In 2024, Polk County fixed cracks and bumps by patching sections of the trail and completely removing and replacing other strips of pavement. Adam Fendrick, park planner at the Polk County Conservation Department, said the trail is now in satisfactory condition.

“The improvements we made to the trail in 2024 will extend the life of the trail and will likely not need any renovation in the coming years,” Fendrick wrote to DSM Bike Notes.

He said there is a chance that fog seal (a material that helps extend the life of pavement) could be applied to the trail this year, if funding allows.

Fendrick said Polk County invested about $600,000 from a $65 million bond to pay for last year’s trail repairs.

Back At It

I just returned from several days of 80 degrees and sunshine… to whatever you want to call this weather in Iowa. I was in Palm Springs to recharge for a minute, and it felt great! The best part of my trip was when I hiked the Sawtooth Loop at Pioneertown Mountains Preserve, about an hour north of Palm Springs. It was gorgeous, sunny, and I barely saw another person. But I also learned the importance of signage on a trail, because this trail didn’t really have any. I’ll just say there were a few moments I thought I might not make it back to write another edition of DSM Bike Notes 🙃 . But I found my way back to the trail, back to my car and rewarded myself with Del Taco. It felt great to get away, and now I’m reenergized and ready to do some more writing. I have several stories in the hopper, but is there anything pressing I need to look into? Let me know!