Explore the Trail Capital of the World

The leaves have started to change colors and the temperatures have started to drop. With the sights, smells and feels of Iowa looking more and more like fall, now is a the time to explore the great trails Greater Des Moines (DSM) and the state of Iowa, the “World Capital of Trails”, have to offer.

Iowa By Trail App

I plan to do this with the semi-new Iowa By Trail App. This exciting app gives the user information about all multi-use trails in Des Moines and throughout the state of Iowa, totaling 1,800 in all. It provides various points of interest, information on upcoming events, and current weather conditions for each trail. Users can even give an overall rating of the trails they have explored throughout Iowa with an acorn scale from 1-5.

The app also geo-locates users, tracking the trails they’ve completed and picked as favorites. It allows users to track their mileage, their average speed and current speed while they are biking, running or exploring each trail. It even has ways to communicate to friends and followers about your experience on each of the many trails.

The Iowa By Trail app, and the great trail system available to the people of Des Moines and Central Iowa, is only made possible because of organizations like the Iowa Natural Heritage Foundation (INHF) and the Great Outdoors Foundation (GOF).  These organizations work to provide beautiful nature areas for Iowans to enjoy. Recently, INHF launched a fundraising campaign to help bring the app to Android phones in addition to already being available on iOS. Check out this campaign, these great organizations and all of the trails that the state of Iowa have to offer, today.

Sarah Robbins