Project Updates

I remember the first time I visited the High Trestle Trail Bridge. I went to see the artistic, spiraling steel cribs but left even more inspired by the Des Moines River valley below. Before the blue lights lit up the bridge that night, I was illuminated by a snaking river through a vast and lush, [...]

I have a confession to make. I am not from Iowa. Even after 21 years in this state, it is hard to give up my identity as a Minnesotan. And despite all of the Iowa Nice, I don’t always feel like I belong here. People here have deep roots. I live in the “big city,” [...]

Every winter, as the state of Iowa goes into hibernation, we love to make big plans for when the seasons turn to "shorts weather," or 50 roughly degrees. Each approaching summer promises to be the summer that you do the thing and hone a new skill. The summer to get into biking. The summer to [...]

The West Des Moines Parks and Recreation Department completed their first of five signature projects as part of the Five Waters Project. The Raccoon River Park Boathouse opened on Thursday, July 23. The Boathouse is located in the 631-acre Raccoon River Park located at 2500 Grand Avenue in West Des Moines. Construction on the state-of-the-art [...]