Sycamore Trail winds around the river, providing ample birding and wildlife spotting opportunities. It has several different paths, on both sides of the river, with beautiful trees and lots of critters.
Information:
Name: Sycamore Trail
Address: Trailheads at: 4640 NW 66th Ave, Johnston, IA 50131 – Euclid Ave & Martin Luther King Jr Pkwy Des Moines, IA 50310 – NW Lower Beaver Drive (just east of NW Beaver Drive).
Type: Places to hike
Bathrooms: No
Shade: Yes, shaded trails
Playground: No
Trails: Yes, dirt
Water: Yes, along a river
Other notes: The 6.5 mile Sycamore Trail will take you through some of the most wild areas of the Des Moines metro area. There are three separate places to park, see below for signs/a map. One trail map: https://www.polkcountyiowa.gov/conservation/parks-trails/17-sycamore-trail/map-detail/ another, more helpful trail map: http://www.centraliowatrails.com/sycamore-trails/
Official Website: https://www.polkcountyiowa.gov/conservation/parks-trails/17-sycamore-trail/
DSMOF Blog posts:
–Summer 2016 visit
Other things nearby of note:
If you’re looking for other places to get outside, check back-in with the interactive map!
Pictures:
I couldn’t see any obvious trailheads, but just happened to bump into a Polk County worker who pointed out the subtle sign (above, to the right).
I took a screenshot of the helpful map at Central Iowa Trails, The star is where I parked and is shown above with a little added path on to the larger loop, and two circles for the other parking along the paved trail that we initially walked down. You can see signs for the other two circles in the photo below.
The paved trail side!
Have you been here? Leave a comment and let people know what you think!