West Des Moines' Raccoon River boat ramp now has a trail connection. As of the city's October 27 update, the new 1st Street Trail is paved and open. It is 10 feet wide and runs from the northwest side of the 1st Street bridge, which carries Highway 28 over the Raccoon River, north to Lincoln Street, where it meets the Levee Trail. A second 10-foot trail follows the entrance drive from 1st Street down to the river access parking lot.
That makes the river edge east of Valley Junction reachable by bike or on foot from the existing trail system. The piece that would carry you west along the river to Raccoon River Park is still a couple of seasons out, and its timeline has already slipped once. Until that greenway is finished, which the city now expects in spring 2028, the 1st Street river access is the end of the line.
The Trail That Showed Up When It Said It Would
In December 2025, Axios Des Moines reported that the 1st Street Trail would close the gap from the 1st Street bridge north to Lincoln Street. City park planner Eric Doll told the outlet it would cost an estimated $400,000 to $500,000 and be done by fall 2026. It arrived on that schedule. The paving is finished, and the City of West Des Moines construction tracker says seeding and restoration along the edges will pick back up in spring 2027. Expect bare ground beside the new concrete this winter. That's normal for a project paved this late in the year.
The new trail's value comes from the Levee Trail at its north end. On TrailLink, the West Des Moines Levee Trail is a 1.2-mile route linking the Jordan Creek Greenway with the Walnut Creek Trail at North Valley Drive. Catch Des Moines notes that the Walnut Creek Trail connects onward to the Great Western Trail and the Clive Greenbelt Trail. Before October, the river access was something you drove to. Now it is a short ride off a trail system that reaches well beyond West Des Moines.
What's at the End of It
Polk County Conservation calls the site the 1st Street Recreation Area. It sits at 425 S. 1st Street on a little under 19 acres along the Raccoon River. It came out of a multi-year partnership between the City of West Des Moines and Polk County Conservation, with support from ICON Water Trails. Here's what the county lists on site today:
- A paved boat ramp, 96 feet long and 20 feet wide at a 15% slope, for kayaks, canoes and larger motorboats
- 20 single-vehicle parking spaces, 2 ADA spaces and 9 truck-and-trailer spaces
- Parking lot lighting
- Bicycle parking
- A portable pit restroom
It's open daily from 6 a.m. to 10:30 p.m. unless posted otherwise. The county describes a paved access road through well-established timber, and it suggests the spot to cyclists as a shady place for a picnic before heading back out on the Jordan Creek Trail or the Walnut Creek Trail.
The bike parking was on the list before the trail opened, which tells you the site was meant for trail traffic from the beginning. The county also says plainly that the park is not finished. The city plans hiking trails, fishing piers and other amenities there later. The city's 2025 annual report puts the bigger picture in context: Phase I of the Raccoon River East Greenway, on about 35 acres of city-owned land near the 400 block of 1st Street, was completed in 2025 and created this public river access.
The Westward Link Got Longer to Wait For, and Shorter to Ride
The next piece is the Raccoon River East Greenway Trail. It will start at the 1st Street trailhead and follow the north side of the Raccoon River to the Raccoon River Park Dog Park, including a new bridge over Jordan Creek. Its plan has changed in two ways over the past year:
| Axios Des Moines, Dec. 2025 | City construction update, Oct. 27, 2026 | |
|---|---|---|
| Length | About 1.5 miles | 1.2 miles |
| Construction | Start and finish in 2027 | Start spring 2027, finish spring 2028 |
| Status | Planning underway | Construction documents nearly done; more permitting needed before bidding this winter |
The route is shorter on paper, and the finish date has moved back about a season. Construction can start only after a contractor is chosen, and the city has the project going out to bid this winter.
Until then, the river access and Raccoon River Park connect only through the existing trails. On TrailLink, the Jordan Creek Trail is an 8.6-mile route that passes through Raccoon River Park and ends at SE First Street and Highway 28. From that eastern end, TrailLink sends riders along First Street and 63rd Street to reach the Levee Trail. The new greenway is meant to replace that street-routed connection with a riverside path and a dedicated bridge over Jordan Creek.
Riding It as a Loop This Fall
The trail system already includes a ready-made loop through this part of town. Catch Des Moines lists the West Des Moines Historical Bike Tour, an 8-mile loop with fun facts about the Jordan House, the Red Caboose, Raccoon River Park and nine other stops. The Levee Trail is one of its listed trailheads, so the new 1st Street Trail makes the river access an easy add-on. Other listed trailheads include the West Des Moines Community Center, Historic City Hall, the Red Caboose, Raccoon River Park, the Jordan House, Jordan Cemetery, Bennett School, the Circle of Life Sculpture, Southwoods Park, Beh Glen Park and Hamlet Silo/Barn, and the Holiday Aquatic Center.
Bix & Co., Eggs & Jam, The Hall and HiFi Brew Lounge are the tour's suggested places to refuel, and Catch Des Moines also suggests stopping in Historic Valley Junction for food, drinks and small-business shopping. Here's a simple way to work the new connection into an afternoon:
- Start in Valley Junction and ride to the Levee Trail.
- Head south from Lincoln Street on the new 1st Street Trail toward the Highway 28 bridge, then take the entrance-drive trail down to the river access.
- Lock up at the bike parking and walk to the water.
- Come back the way you came, or join the Historical Bike Tour loop from the Levee Trail trailhead.
Two More Dates on the Southeast Side
The river trail is one of several city projects filling in this older corner of West Des Moines, and two more are coming up.
The first is the 12th & Vine Regional Stormwater Detention Facility, on the former Bridges of Iowa site near 12th Street and Vine Street. The contract covers grading, utilities, a trail and site amenities. In its October 22 update, the city said crews were on final grading, restoration and amenities, with completion scheduled for November 2026.
The second is a public input session on Wilson Park. The city is starting design work on a new open-air shelter, a restroom building, playground equipment, a synthetic turf cricket pitch, and landscape and pavement updates. Construction is planned to begin in spring 2028, with the park open for use in fall 2028. The first look at design concepts happens at an informal community event:
- When: Wednesday, December 9, 2026, 4 to 6 p.m.
- Where: Vets Room, Valley Junction Activities Center, 217 5th Street
The East Greenway is scheduled to finish in spring 2028 and Wilson Park in fall 2028. The fishing piers and hiking trails at the 1st Street Recreation Area are listed as future improvements. The 1st Street Trail is the only one of these trail projects you can use this month. You can follow the others on the city's construction updates page, which posts dated status notes for each one.
If being close to the Levee Trail or the new river access is part of what you want in your next West Des Moines home, I can help you sort out which streets near Valley Junction connect to it easily. You can start with our West Des Moines neighborhood guide. When you're ready to talk through it, Erika Hansen would love to help. Schedule a free consultation.
