Johnston Looks Northwest For Trail Expansion

If you want to see where trails are headed in Johnston, just look northwest. That’s where cyclists can expect a concerted effort to expand trails in the years to come.

Happening Now

Right now, the city is focused on lengthening a trail along NW 100^th St., a major north-south road for the west side of Johnston.

“100^th St. is where the high school is, so it’s a heavily traveled area. It’s also where a lot of new development is happening,” said Geoff Hubbard, Johnston’s new Parks and Recreation Department director.

Here’s what’s happening:

• A new trail is now open on the west side of NW 100^th between NW 62^nd and 70^th avenues. 

• The next section should open sometime next year, between NW 70^th and 78^th avenues.

• In 2026, the city hopes to expand the trail to the west along NW 78^th and connect with the neighboring city of Grimes.

“The thing I think we need to be working on and are currently working on, are ways to connect ourselves to other communities, especially Grimes,” Hubbard said. “That’s where both cities are heading, are towards each other.”

Headed Northwest With A Plan

As Johnston grows, Hubbard said the city needs to figure out where trails will go well before open fields become new neighborhoods. That’s why Johnston will start putting together its first-ever master plan for trails in early 2025.

If your eyes are glazing over after reading the words, “master plan,” DSM Bike Notes has summed up why Hubbard said it is so needed:

• Johnston requires developers to pay for trails when their projects reach a certain size.

• Without a master plan in place for trails, expectations are less clear for developers.

• A master plan will help the city show developers roughly where trails should go, so the new trails fit into Johnston’s overall vision.

“(That) would help the city out tremendously, connecting neighborhoods and parks to each other,” Hubbard said.

He expects work on the master plan to begin in January or February. Public input and research will be compiled throughout the spring, with the plan released to the public by the end of summer.

New Job

Geoff Hubbard joined the City of Johnston as its new Parks and Recreation director on October 15. He said Johnston’s 45 miles of trails were a big part of the attraction to the city. He’s even on a racing team.

“We are the type of bikers that like to ride seven miles and have a beer and repeat that throughout Saturday or Sunday,” he joked.

Hubbard came from Marshalltown, where he held the same job. He has also worked in Council Bluffs and Sioux City, and said he is excited to not only be in a community that supports cycling, but also an entire metro area.

“I think this town knows the importance of trails and accessibility to connect the community together. The council members are very supportive of that,” he said.

About That “Full Launch”

As I get closer to “fully launching” DSM Bike Notes, I’ve come to realize that for the most part — I already have.

When I started the “soft launch” more than a month ago, I had the goal of getting back into the swing of creating content and then working myself up to writing several stories a week for each edition. I have since found out that with having a full-time job and other life responsibilities (I’m looking at you, Rhonda, our rowdy Boston Terrier) — there’s no way I can crank out that much content! I should clarify, there’s no way I can crank out that much content that is worthwhile.

So, going forward, you can continue to expect one well-reported story each week. Quality over quantity! These stories take time and organization, and I feel really happy with what I’ve created so far. I’ll also include little tidbits of info I find, as I find them, here on the newsletter, and on the DSM Bike Notes Facebook page.

Thanks for reading, subscribing and supporting — and happy holidays! I’ll be back next week with a fresh, new story about cycling in our area.