2024 Iowa Trails Summit: The Nature of Trails

October 4 | Council Bluffs

Join trail professionals, users and advocates to learn about and improve trails in your community!

The Iowa Trails Summit brings together trail builders, supporters, volunteers, advocates and enthusiasts from across Iowa and beyond to delve into trail development topics ranging from corridor acquisition, engineering and enhancements, to funding, maintenance and marketing. Participants we’ll hear from nationally acclaimed speakers, network with other trail enthusiasts and learn new skills and tactics to continue to improve and build trails in your community.

This year’s conference will be held at the Holiday Inn Hotel & Suites in Council Bluffs.

This event is occurring in conjunction with the Iowa Bike Summit on October 3rd, also in Council Bluffs.

Featuring Keynote Speaker Robert Searns

Robert Searns has a four-decade history of visualizing, planning, and getting trails and greenway projects built. He was Project Director of Denver’s Platte River and Mary Carter Greenways—both national-award-wining projects. He helped plan the Grand Canyon NP Greenway, and played a key role in planning the Memphis Wolf River Greenway.

He authored Beyond Greenways: The Next Step For City Trails and Walking Routes (One of 10 "Best Books of 2023"--American Society of Landscape Architects) and co-authored Greenways: A Guide to Planning Design and Development. He has written for Public Square, Landscape Architecture, American Trails and Planning Magazines.  

He has hosted numerous Webinars, interviewed on multiple podcasts, and has been a keynote speaker as well as a trainer for the U.S. National Park Service and the Urban Land Institute. He chaired American Trails and was a founder of The World Trails Network. He was also a delegate to the America’s Great Outdoors White House conclave. He resides, writes, hikes and bikes near Denver, Colorado.

Thank you to our sponsors

Presenting Sponsors

Major Sponsors

Trails Sponsors

Iowa Trails Summit hosts

Join us

The Iowa Trails Summit brings together trail blazers from across Iowa each fall to learn, connect and collaborate from afar. Professional and volunteer trail advocates alike are welcome.