Twin Lakes Trail is Complete!
by KAP Linder
It is finally done!! After 17 years of fund raising and 8 years of building, the final section of the Twin Lakes Trail is now complete.
The Twin Lakes Trail project began as a small committee of the Twin Lakes Restoration Association in the late 1980s. In total, 10 grant applications were written to help raise funds for the Twin Lakes Trail. Eventually 4 applications were awarded, in addition to a private fund raising project for Gutz prairie on the west side of North Twin Lakes.
The trail construction was begun in 2000 at the time of the restoration of Gutz. More than $2.5 million went into the development of the Twin Lakes Trail, including the prairie. Of this $2.5 million, more than $1,033,000 was privately donated money or land. Federal Highway Enhancement Funds provided $442,000. (These dollars are by law distributed regionally in Iowa.) Iowa’s State Economic development program Vision Iowa provided $300,000 as did Calhoun County. The Iowa Department of Natural Resources contributed $356,000 to help purchase Gutz Prairie and take lakeside cropland out of production to help with water quality.
Approximately 7 miles of 10 foot wide hard surface, off-road trail encircles North Twin Lake. Five parks are connected by the trail, including 3000 lakeside feet in Featherstone Park and a portion that passes through the east side of Twin Lakes State Park.
In addition to the off road trail around the north lake, the trail also connects to South Twin Lakes Road with a spur on the east through the woods and a spur on the west. South Twin Lakes Road (another 5 miles) can be enjoyed by bikers and walkers as a shared roadway at this time.
Upated: Tuesday November 27, 2007
