This 16.5 mile recreational trail begins near Water Works Park in Des Moines and ends in the Warren County town of Martensdale. The trail has an asphalt surface. The Great Western Trail opened in 1992, one hundred years after its establishment as a rail line from Des Moines to St. Joseph, Missouri. It is named for the Chicago Great Western Company whose trains operated on this line from 1892 to 1968.
Location
Trailheads are located across from the Izaak Walton League located on George Flagg Parkway in Des Moines and at Inwood Street in Martensdale (Warren County).
Operating Hours & Seasons
During day light savings time 6:30 a.m. -10:30 p.m.
Sunrise to sunset the rest of the year.