Even though it was completed over a decade ago, the beautiful public amenity called the Fairfield Loop Trail is still a marvel to me. It was built by passionate hikers and citizens of extraordinary vision who wanted to explore our city’s perimeter through a trail system and connect it to our best existing parklands and trails. It’s easily accessible, whether you’re out for a short walk or a long bike ride.
In the beginning, the idea was bold and the challenges were daunting to secure enough land and easements to complete a perfect loop trail around the city. I was a member of the city council when we made the first funds available. After approving $50,000 in the first year, we were on our way. Later, when I became mayor, we put the completion of the trail in our 10-year strategic plan because it was going to take a long commitment to make it happen.
I try to bike the trail every week in our three good seasons. It’s a perfect hour-and-a-half of solitude, visual delight, and bodily challenge, deeply nourishing on so many levels. Each time I ride, I carry a sense of appreciation for the amount of work that went into its creation. Remarkable partnerships made it possible, from the collaboration of the Jefferson County Conservation Board, the city and county, and the Iowa Department of Transportation to the landowners that provided easements, the financial donors, the state and federal agencies that gave us grants, and of course the volunteers that built bridges and cleared the land.
Today was a perfect trail day. Traveling west from my property, I wound through the pine forest along the banks of Pleasant Lake and past the Nady Prairie, a conservation easement and gift to the city. Sunsets are amazing from those points, and the water views are beautiful. As I reached the seven-mile stretch parallel to the four-lane highway, the wind was at my back.
The full loop measures 15.9 miles. There are 13 bridges that cross streams, roads, and, oh yeah, the Burlington Northern Railroad train tracks. With BNSF’s full cooperation, a unique artful structure was designed. Today, as I crossed that bridge, a westbound train was passing. I stopped in the middle of the bridge and stood over the empty coal cars as they filed past on parallel lines going into the horizon, rocking and creaking along until they were gone, and all was silent again.
The other challenge to completing the trail was crossing Highway 1 on the north side of town. The early trail volunteers were determined to build a pedestrian bridge over the highway but needed permission from the Iowa DOT and a lot of financial help to accomplish it. Local engineer Bill Matkin designed a beautiful bridge that is a symbol of the strength of the entire trail. It’s named after Bill and the memory of his passion for the trail.
I always enjoy the changing landscape of the trail as I ride through its various parts. A section between Pleasant Plain Road and Walton Lake passes by two small bodies of water where the trail hugs the shore. Moving past Walton Lake to Mint Boulevard crossing the BNSF bridge, the trail runs past the Eastman Wetlands, under the newly constructed Burlington Avenue bridge, and winds over Crow Creek on wooden bridges in the dense, forested area. The coolness of that stretch is a welcome break on a hot day. After crossing Glasgow Road, the trail enters the magnificent natural area of the Neff Wetlands and Lamson Woods.
The Iowa DOT made a big chunk of the trail possible by building the seven miles along the highway bypass. This stretch has great hills, stiff winds, and pretty patches of wildflowers and crops. One of the best features of the trail is where it connects to existing parks. At the west end of the highway section is the gem Whitham Woods. Similarly, the trail connects to Jefferson County Park, Lamson Woods, and Chautauqua Park.
Living close to both Bonnifield and Pleasant lakes gives me fresh inspiration for a new spirit of volunteerism that has taken root over the last few years. The most experienced, dedicated, and talented conservationists in our community have taken it upon themselves to revitalize and restore the natural areas along the trail. I trust their work will lead to good conservation and enhance the beauty of the trail.
The full experience of the trail is a personal delight and a reminder of the vision of Fairfield’s great citizens to put it all together for the entire community. I will be forever grateful to Ron Blair and former Mayor of Libertyville Ron Meyers for their steadfastness. We are fortunate to have nature so close by.
See JeffersonCountyConservation.com/habitat-management-projects/.