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What are the benefits of the trail?
Increased recreation:
Trout Run Trail–Decorah will provide increased recreational opportunities
for area residents and visitors. The trail will be used year-round by
anglers, bicyclists, birdwatchers, hikers, runners, inline skaters,
cross-country skiers, and walkers.
Whether part of an exercise program or general recreation, trail use will
add to health and wellness. Who can deny the benefits of gazing at
panoramas of forested limestone bluffs, rare algific talus slopes, the
Oneota Valley and Upper Iowa River, and rural countryside farms?
 Increased access:
The trail will also provide safe, non-motorized access to trout streams,
the Upper Iowa River, Pulpit Rock Campground, Trout Run Park, the Decorah
Fish Hatchery, and the business corridor in the area near the intersection
of Highway 9 and Old Stage Road.
Meeting the Americans with Disabilities
Act (ADA) standards: The trail will be paved with asphalt eight-feet wide, except at steeper
grades where ten-foot-wide sections will be used to allow for varying user
speeds. All sections will have two-foot-wide shoulders on both sides.
Iowa DNR hatchery management indicates that many of the anglers currently
using Trout Run are elderly and limited-mobility users. Trout Run
Trail–Decorah will create the longest paved route to a trout stream in
Iowa, providing much greater access for physically challenged individuals.
History and education: Trail users will encounter historical features like the bowstring arch
bridge in Trout Run Park and remnants of the hand-cut stone bridge
abutments from the Burlington, Cedar Rapids, and Northern Railway line to
Decorah. At the DNR’s Trout Hatchery, the trail should mean
increased visitors.
Built in the mid-1930s by the Civilian Conservation Corps and modernized
in 1989, the hatchery is one of six full-time hatcheries in the State of
Iowa and one of only three trout hatcheries in Iowa. It is used to rear
rainbow, brown, and brook trout. The hatchery is a popular destination for
travelers and school groups; 10 to 20 thousand visitors do self-guided
tours annually.
DNR personnel expect this project to have a tremendous impact on increased
educational and family activities at the hatchery.
Economic impact: Increased paved trails in and around Decorah will improve the economies of
Decorah, Winneshiek County, and other nearby communities.
Tourism has a great impact on the local economy; the Iowa Tourism Office
estimated the economic impact of tourism for Winneshiek County in 2002 at
over $17 million. People from all over the country travel to Decorah and
the surrounding area for visits and vacations.
Decorah has several major natural-resource and cultural attractions in and
around town that are considered desirable destinations for trail users.
This project will add to the quantity and quality of activities preferred
by current tourists, increasing the lengths of their stays and providing
greater opportunities for regional exploration.
An increase in the total length of paved trail near Decorah provides the
impetus for users from other nearby trail systems to travel to Northeast
Iowa, and, of course, it will give local trail enthusiasts a reason to
stay home.
 According to the Iowa DNR Fisheries Bureau 2001 Trout Angler Survey, Trout
Run ranks 11th in angler use out of 50 coldwater trout streams in Iowa,
recording 11,781 angler trips in 2001. The value of these trips is
estimated by the DNR in excess of $294,500. These trips were concentrated
on the segment of Trout Run—less than a half-mile—which is easily
accessible at present. Increasing Trout Run accessibility will bring more
anglers and their dollars to the Decorah area.
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This website is sponsored
by Trails of Winneshiek, a non-profit organization of Winneshiek County
citizens who have initiated the trail project and have invested thousands
of volunteer hours developing and promoting it.
Contact Trails of
Winneshiek through the Decorah Area Chamber of Commerce at
director@decorah-iowa.com.
Donations to the Trout
Run Trail are handled through the Winneshiek County Community Foundation,
a 501(c)3 organization that can be reached at P.O.Box 1176, Waterloo, IA
50704 |
