The High Trestle Trail: A Rider's Guide to Iowa's Glowing Bridge

The High Trestle Trail Bridge is the only piece of public infrastructure in Iowa I've watched people dress up for. Couples show up in real outfits. Somebody always brings a tripod. There's a half-mile-long steel bridge, thirteen stories over the Des Moines River valley, and every evening a small crowd rolls their bikes to a stop in the middle of it just to stand there and look. It's a bridge on a bike path, and it draws a crowd like it's got something to prove. Turns out it does.

Here's the short version: the High Trestle Trail is a 25-mile paved path running between Ankeny and Woodward, and the reason people drive out of state to ride it is that bridge near Madrid, lined with angled steel frames that light up blue after dark. You can bike the whole thing, walk a piece of it, or just aim for the bridge and back. Any of those works.

Still reading? Good. You're the type who wants to know where to park and which direction to point the bike, which is exactly the kind of person this trail rewards. Let's get into it.

What the High Trestle Trail actually is

It's an old railroad line turned into a bike path, which is why it's so flat and so straight, trains hated hills. The paved surface runs 25 miles, stitching together small Iowa towns, timber, farmland, and one very large river valley. You'll pass prairie remnants, creeks, and grain elevators, and then, right when the ride has lulled you into an easy rhythm, the ground just drops away and you're up on the bridge.

Because it's a rail-trail, there are no real climbs and no traffic to fight. That makes it friendly for families, casual riders, and anyone who hasn't been on a bike since the last presidential administration. You need a bike that rolls and a water bottle.

The High Trestle Trail Bridge (the whole reason you came)

The bridge is the headliner, so let's give it its due. It spans the Des Moines River valley just west of Madrid, roughly half a mile end to end, and it sits about thirteen stories above the valley floor. Along the deck are 43 angled steel frames, the "cribbing," a nod to the coal-mining history of the area, and they're set at a twist so that as you ride through them they seem to spiral. At night the whole run of them lights up blue. It's genuinely striking, and photos undersell it, because photos can't do the part where the wind picks up and you're very aware of how high you are.

You can reach the bridge on foot too. There's parking near the Madrid trailhead, and the walk out to the span is short and flat, so you don't have to be a cyclist to earn the view. Plenty of people just stroll out, stand in the middle, and turn around.

Trailheads: where to start

The trail has access points all along its length, but four towns anchor it. Pick your starting line based on how far you want to ride and whether the bridge is the goal.

• Ankeny — the south end, and the closest trailhead to Des Moines. Start here if you want the full 25-mile point-to-point or a longer day in the saddle. Ankeny's got plenty going on before and after the ride, too; here's a rundown of things to do in Ankeny if you're building a whole day around it.
• Slater — a middle access point that breaks the trail into more manageable out-and-backs. A good pick if 25 miles round trip sounds like a lot.
• Madrid — the one most people want. It's the closest trailhead to the bridge, so if your entire mission is "see the famous bridge without riding a marathon," park in Madrid and head west. Short, flat, worth it.
• Woodward — the north end. Quieter, a nice starting point if you'd rather ride toward the bridge from the west and watch it come up on you.

The move most first-timers make: start in Madrid, ride out to the bridge, hang around for a while, ride back. That's the greatest-hits version, and there's no shame in it. You can always come back and do the long haul another day.

Bike it or walk it?

Both are legitimate, and it comes down to how much trail you want under you.

If you want the whole experience, ride. You cover the distance between towns and roll onto the bridge with a little momentum. Most casual riders can handle a Madrid-to-bridge out-and-back without training for it. If you're chaining together the full 25 miles one-way, park a second car at the far end, or just accept that you're riding back the way you came.

If you're bringing little kids, a stroller, or a body that's negotiating with you about knees, walk. Stroll out to the bridge from Madrid, take your time, take your photos, and let the cyclists whir past. The view doesn't charge extra for going slow.

The trail rewards the people who don't rush it. Anybody can ride out, tap the far railing, and turn around. The ones who linger on the bridge as the light goes and the frames flicker on, those are the folks who get why people drive here.

Go at dusk to catch the High Trestle Trail glow

Here's the local tip that separates a nice ride from the ride people talk about: time it so you're on the bridge as the sun drops. The lighting comes on in the evening, and there's a stretch right around dusk where you get the last of the daylight on the valley and the blue frames starting to burn. Riding through the twist of the cribbing while it's lit is the shot everyone's chasing.

Two practical notes. First, bring a headlight and taillight if you'll be out past dark, the trail itself isn't lit, so the ride back is on you. Second, dress for a little more chill than you expect; up on that span, out over the river, the air moves.

Fall is the sneaky best time

Summer evenings are the popular pick, and they're great. But autumn is the quiet winner. The Des Moines River valley turns, and from thirteen stories up you're looking over a whole canopy of color instead of green. Cooler air, thinner weeknight crowds, that low fall light doing the work, it's hard to beat. If you can swing a mid-week evening in late September or October, do that.

Where to stay: use a whole-home as your base

The one thing that trips people up is treating the bridge as a quick stop instead of an evening. If you want the dusk glow, you're out until after dark, and then you've got a drive. Way better to have a comfortable house a short hop from the trail to land in, throw the bikes in the garage, and not think about a hotel checkout.

That's the case for basing yourself in a whole-home rental across Central Iowa. You get a kitchen, room for the group, and a place to regroup between a morning ride and an evening one, which beats a cramped room off the interstate. The trail towns sit right in our patch near Ames, Ankeny, Boone, and Des Moines. If you're extending the trip, Boone has its own list of things to do, and a weekend in nearby Ames pairs nicely with a trail day.

We've spent five-plus years and 700-plus guest reviews figuring out what makes a stay easy, so you can put your energy into the ride and not the logistics. When you're ready, book a Stay-A-While home near the trail and make the bridge an evening instead of a stop.