Des Moines Inter Urban Trail

The Inter Urban Trail follows the old street car line that went from Urbandale to Des Moines. From 1905 to 1950 the Urbandale Streetcar Line carried passengers in an electric powered trolley from Urbandale to downtown Des Moines for a five cent fare. The trolley lines were abandoned when buses and cars became more popular.

The Inter Urban Railway built the Wakonsa Bridge in 1905 for $50,000 to carry passengers from downtown Des Moines to Camp Dodge Granger and Perry. The electric trolley also stopped at the bridge, serving a Des Moines River residential neighborhood area known as Wakonsa Park. Passenger service over the bridge ended September 28, 1949. The track was converted to accommodate diesel engines used for freight traffic until 1983.

The Inter Urban Trail is a connection for the Trestle to Trestle Trail that goes out to Johnston and points north on the west side of the Des Moines River and the Neal Smith Trail that goes out to Big Creek State Park and the Saylorville area on the east side of the river.

It took a lot of hard work, money and time for all of the folks involved to take the Inter Urban Trail from a dream to a reality. The Beaverdale Neighborhood Association is one such body who worked hard to accomplish this.

The Inter Urban is one of the shortest but also one of the most useful trails in central Iowa. It can be used as a connector for bicycle traffic going from Urbandale and points west through Des Moines and into downtown and to points south and east.