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The Wabash Trace Nature Trail runs 63 miles of crushed limestone from Council Bluffs southeast to Blanchard on the Missouri line, on the old Wabash Railroad grade to St. Louis. The north end climbs gently through the wooded Loess Hills past Mineola and Silver City. Beyond Malvern the country opens into farm fields and wide river bottoms, and the trail crosses the West Nishnabotna, the East Nishnabotna, and the Tarkio on long rail bridges before reaching Shenandoah, Coin, and Blanchard. Grades never exceed a rail-grade roll. Eight trail towns, more than 70 bridges, and a Thursday evening Taco Ride to Mineola give the ride its character. A small trail pass supports volunteer maintenance.
Wabash Trace Nature Trail
Your comfort. Prognosticated.
-Cory
Plan your visit to this trail. Get the best windows for a comfortable outing.
Enjoy the Wabash Trace Nature Trail!
The Council Bluffs and St. Louis Railway laid its rails into Council Bluffs in 1879, with stations southeast of the city at Neoga, Dumfries, Mineola, and Silver City. Silver City, Imogene, and Coin were all platted that same year as the line went through. Malvern was ten years older, founded in 1869, and Shenandoah had incorporated in 1871. On November 7, 1879, Jay Gould folded the new line into his Wabash, St. Louis and Pacific as its Omaha branch, giving the Wabash a through route from St. Louis to the Council Bluffs and Omaha gateway. The Wabash ran it for the better part of a century. The Norfolk and Western took over the line southeast from Council Bluffs in 1964. Abandonment began in 1983. Southwest Iowa Nature Trails Project formed in 1988 to save the corridor, and the rails came up that year. In 1989 the Iowa Natural Heritage Foundation bought the right of way and railbanked it, then helped local leaders raise the money to pay for the land and build the trail. A state Recreational Trail Fund grant covered much of the cost and more than 1,000 private donors gave the rest. Ten years of volunteer work followed. The finished trail was dedicated in 1997. It was certified a National Recreation Trail in 2007 and entered the Rail-Trail Hall of Fame in 2011. SWINT still maintains all 63 miles with volunteers, and INHF still owns the Pottawattamie County segment.
