Dubuque County Park Upgrades During 2024
§ County Conservation Director Brian Preston recently noted several upgrades for hiking trails and accessibility were achieved over the 2024 season. Many trails at Swiss Valley were widened or regraded for the use of the action track chairs, which allow those with limited mobility to enjoy the trails.
§ In addition, concrete pads at several county park restrooms were upgraded, making them compliant with federal accessibility requirements.
§ The Proving Grounds is Ranked as the #1 Most Visited Mountain Biking Area in Iowa, according to TrailForks, a mountain bike website. Brian Preston also noted that the Interstate Power Preserve Mountain Bike Trails continues to draw visitors. In fact, the county expanded the parking lot and added permanent restroom facilities to IPP last year. Congratulations to the Tri-State Mountain Bike Riders (TMBR) for bringing in excellent design teams and providing financing for the trail construction on both parks.
§ New county park signs will welcome visitors along with more interpretative signage and history explanations. This season, Bowstring Park has new signage explaining the history of the unusual bridge structure and another on the Narrow Gauge Railroad that passed through the area. Visitors to Bankston County Park will learn about talus algific slopes, both features of the Driftless Area. Meanwhile, Native American life, settler John Finley, and steamboat history are the subjects of new interpretive signs at Finley’s Landing. More will be coming to all the county parks next year.
§ Connection of the West John Deere Road Trail to the Heritage Trail is currently in the design stage and permits will be issued soon. The extension of the John Deere West Trail will go through the Little Maquoketa Mounds parking lot and connect to the Heritage Trail. Construction is expected in the spring.
§ The cabin at Miller-McGrath Park is up and running, waiting for rentals. An RV site lies adjacent to the cabin grounds, so cabin renters may also invite RV friends to join them. The cabin is all-accessible, and an accessible firepit is also included on the property. County Conservation Director Brian Preston expects this cabin to be heavily used next season.
§ Heritage Trail Future Upgrades
Future work on the Heritage Trail includes grading and compaction work on a 6-mile section between Budd and Graf, repairing an embarkment failure east of Gun Club Road, and installing a new deck and railing on the Twin Springs Bridge. Over the winter, employees will trim edge trees and brush along the trail and restore native prairie remnants on the western end of the trail. Next spring, the two miles closest to Dyersville will be paved for cyclists with two-foot wide gravel edges on both sides for runners.