The Johnston Brief
Johnston is quietly a walker's and cyclist's town: more than 45 miles of trails thread through it, following Beaver Creek, connecting the parks, and linking out to the Des Moines River and Saylorville Lake. Here's the map in plain English: the paved Beaver Creek Greenbelt Trail through town, how the city paths tie together, and how to ride to the lake without touching a road.
Johnston has 45+ miles of trails, paved and off-road. The centerpiece is the Beaver Creek Greenbelt Trail (~4.4 paved miles along the creek), which links the Johnston Interurban Trail and Trestle to Trestle Trail to Lew Clarkson Park. The Neal Smith Trail (~26 mi) reaches Johnston too, running the river up to Saylorville Lake and Big Creek. There's also a Beaver Creek water trail for paddling.
The Beaver Creek Greenbelt Trail is the spine of the system: about 4.4 miles of asphalt that follows Beaver Creek through the wooded Beaver Creek Natural Resource Area, where deer and other wildlife are common. It runs from the junction of the Johnston Interurban Trail and the Trestle to Trestle Trail out to Lew Clarkson Park, with a western trailhead near I-35 exit 129 at NW 86th Street and NW 54th Avenue.
Yes. The Neal Smith Trail has a Johnston trailhead and runs roughly 26 paved miles along the Des Moines River, up through the Saylorville Lake area to Big Creek State Park, and south toward downtown Des Moines (where it connects to the John Pat Dorrian Trail). Some sections along the lake are genuinely hilly. It puts Saylorville Lake within a car-free ride of town.
Johnston's trails aren't only for feet and wheels. The Beaver Creek water trail has paddling access in town, including a launch at Lew Clarkson Park and near Merle Hay Road, and the city offers free kayaking on Terra Lake at Terra Park from June through September.
The Johnston Brief is a free weekly email: what's open, what's happening this week, and where to be around town. No spam, unsubscribe anytime.
The Beaver Creek Greenbelt Trail is about 4.4 miles of paved asphalt in Johnston. It follows Beaver Creek through the wooded Beaver Creek Natural Resource Area, connecting the Johnston Interurban Trail and Trestle to Trestle Trail to Lew Clarkson Park, and is popular for running and biking.
Yes. The Neal Smith Trail, a roughly 26-mile paved trail with a Johnston trailhead, follows the Des Moines River up to Saylorville Lake and on to Big Creek State Park, and connects south toward downtown Des Moines. It puts the lake within a car-free ride from Johnston.
Many are. The Beaver Creek Greenbelt Trail and the Neal Smith Trail are hard-surfaced asphalt, suitable for road bikes, hybrids, strollers, inline skates and walking. Johnston's 45-plus-mile network also includes some soft-surface and off-road routes, such as the natural trails at Terra Park.
Yes. The Beaver Creek water trail has paddling access points in Johnston, including a launch at Lew Clarkson Park and near Merle Hay Road, and the city offers free kayaking on Terra Lake at Terra Park from June through September.
Terra Park · Parks & playgrounds · The outdoors guide · Disc golf · Things to do