Sugar Creek Trail (IA)

Connecting neighborhoods to parks and trails in the center of Waukee, a small but fast-growing suburb west of Des Moines, the Sugar Creek Trail helps provide an easy way to bike or walk around the community, and also works as a pleasant path for anyone looking for a nice place to spend some time outdoors.

Starting in the north, the trail begins just across the street from the city's Centennial Park, a good-sized area replete with picnic and play areas, athletic fields, and other recreational amenities. The trail winds it way south and west through lovely, flat Iowa fields, then adjoins the outskirts of the Sugar Creek Golf Course and the creek that gives both the course and the trail its name. Numerous paved spur trails provide quick and easy access to neighborhood streets along the way, giving residents a perfect means of traveling to the park or up into town - a charming trail bridge across the creek connects the Spyglass neighborhood to homes on the opposite side of the water. Coming to an end in a subdivision, sidewalks along Warrior Lane allow you to loop back to where you began without much difficulty. While it may not offer quite the same trail experience as the nearby Raccoon River Valley Trail, for those looking for a quality neighborhood path or a chance to explore more of Waukee, the Sugar Creek Trail is a sure bet.

Parking and Trail Access

Parking and restrooms are available at the north end of the trail in Centennial Park, on Park Road just east of Warrior Lane. A paved trail in the park leads to the beginning of the Sugar Creek Trail. To reach the park from Interstate 80, take exit 118 north onto the Grand Prairie Parkway and continue north into Waukee. Turn left onto University Ave. and then right onto Warrior Lane, followed by a right onto Park Road; the park entrance will be to your immediate right.