The Ankeny Brief
Here's a thing most Ankeny folks under-appreciate: we live in the middle of one of the best paved-trail networks in the country, ten minutes from a 26,000-acre lake, in the state that throws the biggest bike ride on Earth. Let's get outside.
The High Trestle Trail starts right here - the Ankeny trailhead is on the north side of town along 1st Street - and runs 25 miles through five towns to its showstopper: a half-mile, 13-story-high bridge over the Des Moines River valley, one of the largest trail bridges in the world (go at dusk when the blue lights come on). From Ankeny it links to the Gay Lea Wilson, Oralabor Gateway, Neal Smith, and Chichaqua Valley trails - and onward to the Raccoon River Valley Trail, the longest paved loop trail in the country. A 2024 connection near Perry stitched it all into a 120-mile continuous loop. You can ride for days and never touch a road.
Ten minutes northwest sits Saylorville Lake - a 26,000-acre Army Corps reservoir stretching 50+ miles up the Des Moines River valley. What's out there:
Boat launches at Lakeview, Sandpiper, Cherry Glen, and Lincoln Access, plus a marina.
Duck/goose dates are set by zone - check the DNR for Polk County's. Always confirm legal dates and tags at iowadnr.gov. Public land close to home: Chichaqua Bottoms Greenbelt in northeast Polk County.
No tags, no season - just a license. Saylorville and the Des Moines River below the dam are the go-to spots; watch the DNR's weekly fishing report and trout-stocking calendar for the urban ponds. We'll flag the good weeks here.
The biggest bike ride on the planet - RAGBRAI LIII - crosses Iowa this year from Onawa (tires in the Missouri River) to Dubuque (tires in the Mississippi): 391 miles, 16,000 feet of climbing, the hilliest route in a decade. Overnight towns include Boone and Guthrie Center, both an easy drive from Ankeny if you want to ride a day or just soak up the party.
Want to range farther than the metro? Our guide to day trips from Des Moines maps the state parks, river towns, and lake country worth the drive, sorted by how far you'll actually go.
Ankeny sits on a world-class trail network, including the High Trestle Trail and connections across the Des Moines metro - good for biking, running, and walking straight from town.
Beyond the trails, Saylorville Lake and Big Creek State Park are minutes away for boating, beaches, and fishing, and Iowa's hunting and fishing seasons draw people out through fall and winter.
Yes - Saylorville Lake sits just west of Ankeny, essentially in the city's backyard, with beaches, boat ramps, trails, and camping.
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