Hiking, biking trail in Burlington tripling in size

BURLINGTON, Iowa (AP) - A trail for walkers and bikers near Burlington is tripling in size thanks to donations and work by volunteers.

Nearly 500 people biked or hiked the newly opened, one-mile North Gorge Trail between October and mid-November last year, The Hawk Eye (https://bit.ly/2lDsAt6 ) reported.

Workers with Minnesota-based Trail Source are starting to build two connecting mountain bike trails Monday. An additional 2 miles of trail featuring bike jumps and berms will be open to the public at the project’s completion.

“We’re just trying to get outoftowners to come to this part of Iowa. As far as the trail goes, there’s nothing like this in southeast Iowa,” said Will Buhmeyer, trail founder. “This is a multirecreational use trail, and anybody can go on it. That’s the major goal. Get the community outside and exercising and exploring this cool place we have in southeastern Iowa.”

Buhmeyer, who works for Burlington Public Works, and his brother, Alex, who worked for the Des Moines County Conservation Department before moving to Coralville last year, founded the trail over two years ago.

The first mile of the trail was built entirely by volunteers, but Buhmeyer said he knew he’d need professional help for the jumps and slopes.

“I don’t think we could have done it,” Buhmeyer said.

Trail organizers hired Trail Source for the project after receiving a $25,000 grant from the Wellmark Foundation. The company was expected to start in March or April, but the unseasonably nice weather moved up the time frame.

The project is expected to be finished in about a month.

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Information from: The Hawk Eye, https://www.thehawkeye.com