News

DES MOINES, IA (Aug. 21, 2025) – The Great Outdoors Foundation and ICON Water Trails are pleased to announce the launch of the fifth annual Wild Prairie Showdown, a peer-to-peer campaign advancing conservation and recreation in the region. The Wild Prairie Showdown is a vibrant grassroots event that will conclude with a pseudo-pageant in which [...]

DES MOINES, IA (July 21, 2025) – The Great Outdoors Foundation and ICON Water Trails are pleased to announce that the annual Wild Prairie Showdown awards are open for nominations. These honors celebrate exceptional contributions to conservation and recreation from community members involved with the Great Outdoors Foundation and ICON Water Trails, aligning with the [...]

The Iowa Economic Development Authority Board today approved Community Attraction and Tourism grant awards in Des Moines, Floyd, Harlan and Hardin County. CAT grants are designed to boost artistic, cultural and recreational projects that improve the quality of life in Iowa. The board approved a $1 million CAT grant for the ICON Water Trails project [...]

DES MOINES, IA (July 16, 2025) – ICON Water Trails and its partners, Hubbell Realty Company, Polk County, and Polk County Conservation, among others, have broken ground on the Hubbell Trailhead at the Fleur Drive dam. This is ICON’s second whitewater site to begin construction; Principal Point at the Scott Avenue dam continues on schedule. [...]

Kayakers, grab your paddles! Iowa Confluence Water Trails (ICON) officially broke ground on its Hubbell Trailhead on Tuesday, July 15. As the hot summer sun beat down, supporters of the initiative gathered to find out what makes this project so special. To read more, visit the Des Moines Register.

ICON Water Trails announced the first ICONic Riverfest event raised nearly $25,000 and removed 560 pounds of debris and 15 trailer loads of invasive species at 11 locations across ICON’s network with the help of about 140 volunteers. ICONic Riverfest is a regional volunteer initiative focused on furthering ICON’s mission of improving the quality, safety [...]

On June 11, 2025, ICON Water Trails hosted the first-ever ICONic Riverfest — made possible by Polk County — raising nearly $25,000 and removing 560 pounds of debris and 15 trailer loads of invasive species surrounding the region’s waterways. ICONic Riverfest is a regional volunteer initiative dedicated to furthering ICON’s mission of improving the quality, [...]

The Iowa Confluence (ICON) Water Trails project is now making headlines on a seemingly weekly basis. Before it got to this point, it was an idea with a vision. It took multiple organizations and leaders who believed in the potential of the project to work together to lay the groundwork and inspire others to take [...]

DES MOINES, IA (June 17, 2025) – ICON Water Trails is pleased to announce the first-ever ICONic Riverfest – made possible by Polk County – raised nearly $25,000, removing 560 pounds of debris and 15 trailer loads of invasive species surrounding the region’s waterways. The event brought together approximately 140 volunteers at 11 cleanup locations [...]

Community and business leaders gathered at Gray’s Lake Park off Fleur Drive on Tuesday for a ceremony breaking ground on the Hubbell Trailhead. The trailhead is at the Fleur Dam on the Raccoon River and once complete will include several recreational amenities designed to improve economic development of the region. Known as a river launching point [...]