When complete, the Gay Lea Wilson Trail will link several central Iowa communities and open space over a 35-mile course. The main completed section connects Des Moines with Pleasant Hill and Altoona to the northeast. Plans are to connect East Des Moines with Ankeny and eventually to the
Neal Smith Trail.
From the trail hub at University Avenue and Copper Creek Lake Park in Pleasant Hill, the 4-Mile Creek Greenway Trail segment runs northeast 4 miles to Altoona, branching through the heart of the city for another 5 miles or so.
From the hub in Pleasant Hill, a second segment of the Gay Lea Wilson Trail runs 1.5 miles along Four Mile Creek south to Scott Avenue in Des Moines, while a third segment runs northwest from the hub 4.75 miles through the east side of Des Moines, currently ending at Aurora Avenue.
The Gay Lea Wilson Trail is part of the Central Iowa Trail Loop (CIT), which, when complete, will run about 110 miles and will also include the Neal Smith Trail,
Heart of Iowa Nature Trail and the
Chichaqua Valley Trail.
The Altoona trailhead is near the Greater Altoona Community Service Campus. The Pleasant Hill trailhead is at Copper Creek Lake Park. The Des Moines trailhead is near Four-Mile Community Center. Each trailhead has several public facilities.
Construction is complete and you can continue trail through Des Moines for a short stretch. Parking is now available at Scott Street south of Pleasant Hill so you can start and end at that end of the trail.
This trail is nice it starts in Pleasant Hill and runs to Altoona. There is one shoot off into Des Moines that is under construction and there is a detour on city streets. Once it reaches Altoona there are lots of little shoot offs that take you around ...