Recreation Trails

Council Bluffs is home to a 39-mile continuous system of trails! The paved system is made up of 10 foot wide poured concrete and asphalt trails, with bike lanes used to link certain points of the trail together.

Iowa River Front Trail-Big Lake Park

2011 Council Bluffs Trail Map

Mid-City Trail

(View Along 13th Street-Broadway to Avenue G)

Mid-City Trail Under Construction Using The Stringless Paving Machine

StringLess Paving Machine Uses Survey Instruments With GPS

The Iowa Department of Transportation, and a consulting team led by RDG Planning & Design of Des Moines and Alta Planning + Design of Portland, are developing a master plan for a multi-use trail that generally follows the route of Lewis and Clark as they explored the Missouri River in Western Iowa. We believe that this trail can provide a great resource for a new generation of people wishing to explore this scenic and historic part of our state. A few minutes of your time used to complete the following survey will help us develop a master plan that can take full advantage of the trail's potential.

Lewis & Clark Trail Survey

Trails lead throughout the city, and includes the New Bob Kerrey Pedestrian Bridge and New Veteran Memorial Bridge and Trail that connect the Metro Trail Systems

Click here to download the Metro Trails Map.

Recreation Trails and the Parks "New Trails"

There are many entrances to the trails throughout the city parks system. Look for new segments of trails that opened in 2011. The New Railroad Avenue roadway construction from Highway 6/ Kanesville Blvd. to College Road has a new trail that connects the existing Valley View Trail at College Road and Indian Hills Road. The Iowa Department of Transportation in conjunction with the Nebraska Department of Transportation has opened the New Veterans Memorial Bridge which includes a trail over the Missouri River connecting trails on both sides of the river. This will complete a 5 mile Veterans Memorial Trail from the Missouri River to East Manawa Drive.(The last 1 tenth of mile of trail will be construted next year by the Nebraska Department of Transportation on the Iowa side)The east end of the Veterans Memorial Trail at East Manawa Drive has been connected to a new mile long (REAP) trail to the existing trail along lateral Five/ Lake Manawa Trail.

From the north, the trail flows from Big Lake Park to N. 25th Street, then follows the Missouri River levee onto the Bob Kerrey Pedestrian Bridge, past the Dodge Riverside Golf Course to the Western Historic Trails Center. ( A tour of this section offers stunning views of the river, Omaha's riverfront development, and the NEW Rivers Edge Park under development, along with a ride over the Missouri River into downtown Omaha.)

The trail continues east and south through the Council Bluffs Recreation Complex. South along 24th Street connecting to the Veterans Memorial Trail.On the Veterans Trail you can travel west to the Veterans Bridge( Missouri River) or east to the Indian Creek Trail and ( turn North and the Indian Creek Trail will take you into the Center of the city) turn south to Lake Manawa State Park. Paralleling Mosquito Creek, the trail heads east to the Iowa West Foundation Trail Head Park (aka Wabash Trace), through the Iowa School for the Deaf Nature Area, and along Valley View Drive to Valley View Park, where it turns into a bike lane and then into the Valley View Greenway Trail to McPherson Avenue, then heads north to Iowa Western Community College.From the College it goes west to Railroad Ave and on to Kanesville(HWY 6), east along Kanesville to McKenzie Ave.

Click here to reach the THOR website.

THOR maintains the mountain bike trail at Lewis and Clark Monument and Scenic Overlook.