Volksweg designated National Recreation Trail

Under President Obama’s America’s Great Outdoors program to promote outdoor recreation and reconnect Americans to nature, Secretary of the Interior Sally Jewell and Director of the National Park Service Jonathan B. Jarvis recently announced the designation of 28 trails as national recreation trails, including Lake Red Rock’s Volksweg Trail.

The newly designated trails add almost 650 miles of trails to the National Trails System.

“From coast to coast, the National Trails System helps connect American families with the wonders of the great outdoors,” Jewell said. “These 28 new national recreation trails, established through partnerships with local communities and stakeholders, connect federal, state and local lands and waters to provide access to inexpensive, enjoyable outdoor activities for all Americans.”

The 14-mile Volksweg Trail traverses timbered areas, restored prairies, pine plantations and open fields between Pella and Lake Red Rock in Marion County. Volksweg, or “people’s path,” follows the Des Moines River and winds through the North Overlook Woods offering spectacular scenic views of Lake Red Rock.

National recreation trail designation recognizes existing trails and trail systems that link communities to recreational opportunities on public lands and in local parks across the nation. Communities and other partners supporting the establishment of the new national recreation trails receive a certificate of designation, a letter of congratulations from Jewell, and a set of national recreation trail markers.

The national recreation trail program is jointly administered by the National Park Service and the U.S. Forest Service in conjunction with a number of other federal and nonprofit partners, notably American Trails, which hosts the national recreation trails website.

For more information, call (641) 828-7522. A trail map is also available online at www.lakeredrock.org.