The Johnston Brief
Central Iowa is stitched together with some of the best trails in the Midwest - and Johnston sits right on one of them, with the paved Neal Smith Trail running through town along Saylorville Lake. You just have to know which is paved, which is a dirt hiking loop, and which one has the bridge. So here's every trail within about 30 minutes of Johnston in one place. Tap what you're after and it'll show you where to go.
The Neal Smith Trail runs right through Johnston along Saylorville Lake - that's the one to ride, ~26 paved miles up to Big Creek with a trailhead minutes from town. Want a dirt hiking loop? Head to Jester Park, Brown's Woods, or the Chichaqua Bottoms. For Iowa's famous glowing bridge, the High Trestle is a short drive northeast. Filter below by paved vs. natural, dogs, loops and views.
Trail lengths, surfaces and routes come from the public agencies that own and maintain them - Polk County Conservation, neighboring county conservation boards, the Iowa DNR, the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (Saylorville trails) and the cities along each route - plus Iowa By Trail. Leashed dogs are welcome on the metro trails and in county/state park areas; check posted signs at natural areas. Drive times are approximate to the nearest trailhead from central Johnston.
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The Neal Smith Trail - it runs right through Johnston along Saylorville Lake, with a trailhead near the dam just minutes from town, and rolls ~26 paved miles up to Big Creek State Park (and south toward downtown Des Moines). The metro's classic long ride, right on your doorstep.
Jester Park on Saylorville's west shore (soft-surface trails, plus free bison and elk), Brown's Woods in West Des Moines (Iowa's largest urban forest, 4.4 miles of natural trail), and the Chichaqua Bottoms Greenbelt northeast of Bondurant.
The Raccoon River Valley Trail is an 89-mile paved loop out of Waukee. Right in town, the Neal Smith Trail runs ~26 paved miles along Saylorville, and the Chichaqua Valley Trail runs ~26 miles from Bondurant to Baxter.
Yes - leashed dogs are welcome on the paved metro trails and in Polk County and state park areas. Keep them leashed, clean up, and watch for signs at natural areas that restrict pets.
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