I lead group walks on different trails a few times a month. This free series is designed to help people looking for a simple way to become more active and to increase appreciation of our local soft trails.

Southwoods Explore — 1.5–2 mi
Dec
24

Southwoods Explore — 1.5–2 mi

Join us for a exploration of the trails at Southwoods Park! This sweet park is just off 35th Street, south of Mills Civic Parkway, in West Des Moines. Meet by 10:00 a.m. in the disc golf course parking lot.

We will walk up the paved trail from the lot to the singletrack and go left to check out the trail the goes behind the police station. We’ll come back and head clockwise around the outer loop. If the water at the creek crossings is low enough, we can add the south loop. When we get back, we can head to the paved loop at the top and over to the original hiking trail. Total distance will be somewhere between 1.5 and 2 miles.

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Center Trails South Rollercoaster — 1.5 mi
Dec
31

Center Trails South Rollercoaster — 1.5 mi

Join us for a fun walk on Rollercoaster at Center Trails in Des Moines. Meet in the Ashworth Pool parking lot at the end of 45th Street by 10:00 a.m.

This walk begins by heading up the road to the lagoon where we will head up into the woods. The dirt trail snakes southward, and we return on the paved Bill Riley Trail for a total of 1.5 miles.

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Denman Woods Inner Loop — 2.5 mi
Jan
11

Denman Woods Inner Loop — 2.5 mi

Join us for a walk at Denman Woods. This flat trail is south of Center Trails in Des Moines. Park along the south side of North Valley Drive west of the bridge over Walnut Creek. Meet by 10:00 at the west end of the bridge.

This walk uses the paved Levee Trail for 1/3 mile to get to the trail entrance. We will then take the inner loop of Denman Woods and return on the paved trail for a total of 2.5 miles.

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CANCELED: Sycamore Trails North Loop to Levee w/ High Life — 2.3 mi
Dec
14

CANCELED: Sycamore Trails North Loop to Levee w/ High Life — 2.3 mi

Join us at Sycamore Trails in Johnston as we add the High Life loop. Meet by 10:00 a.m. at the gravel parking lot on the south side of 66th Avenue, just west of the Des Moines River.

The plan is to head south on the high line, do the loop, cut across on the levee, and return north along the river for a 2.3-mile round trip.

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Grandview Loop — 1.7 mi
Dec
3

Grandview Loop — 1.7 mi

Snow! How exciting! The debate about what the prettiest amount of snow is rages on, but we enjoyed what we had. Thank you for showing up and I hope to see you on Saturday the 14th at Sycamore!

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Sycamore Trails North Loop w/ Fresh Cut — 1.6 mi
Nov
26

Sycamore Trails North Loop w/ Fresh Cut — 1.6 mi

Take a break from Thanksgiving prep and get some fresh air with us at Sycamore Trails in Johnston. Meet by 10:00 a.m. at the gravel parking lot on the south side of 66th Avenue, just west of the Des Moines River.

The plan is to go clockwise and include the “Fresh Cut” loop. Our distance will be 1.6 miles.

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Southwoods Outer Loop — 1.1 mi
Oct
22

Southwoods Outer Loop — 1.1 mi

The rain overnight didn't cause any trouble at all. There wasn't even any water at the creek crossings! Thank you for coming and for exploring the new trail they added since my last visit with me. I hope to see you at Center Trails on Tuesday the 29th!

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Ewing Park “Up 2 Down 4” — 1.8 mi
Oct
1

Ewing Park “Up 2 Down 4” — 1.8 mi

Absolutely the most gorgeous day! We admired the Virginia creeper that is turning a beautiful bright red and wondered what the rest of the fall colors will be like this year. Be sure to join us Saturday, October 12th at Sycamore to see what colors we can find.

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Sycamore Trails High Line — 1.5 mi
Sep
3

Sycamore Trails High Line — 1.5 mi

We were able to show off Sycamore Trail to a bunch of first time visitors in some of the best weather! We got to talking and walking, but spent time appreciating the sights and sounds of natures as well. Thank you to all who showed up. I hope to see you and others Saturday the 14th at the Clare and Miles Mills Rose Garden for a stroll on Center Trails!

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Southwoods Loop — 1.0 mi
Aug
27

Southwoods Loop — 1.0 mi

Join us for a loop or two of the trails at Southwoods Park! This sweet little park is just off 35th Street, south of Mills Civic Parkway, in West Des Moines. Meet by 10:00 a.m. in the disc golf course parking lot.

We will walk up the paved trail from the lot to the singletrack and go all the way around the outer loop. Then we can check out the views from the small paved loop at the top of the hill.

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Southwoods Explore
Jul
2

Southwoods Explore

The singletrack trails at Southwoods Park were too muddy to walk today. Simply crossed the street and walked the paved trail around the pond between city hall and the library.

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Grandview Loop — 1.9 mi
Jun
25

Grandview Loop — 1.9 mi

THAT was STEAMY!! And the trail was so overgrown in places that it represented an unacceptably high risk of poison ivy contact. But we did find @desmoinesparks Butterfly Hunt, so that was fun!!

Thank to to everyone who showed up for this adventure. I hope to see you next week (Tuesday, July 2nd) at Southwoods Park.

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National Trails Day at Sycamore
Jun
1

National Trails Day at Sycamore

We will meet at 9:00 a.m. in the gravel parking lot on the south side of 66th Avenue, just west of the Des Moines River. We can chat a few moments to get to know each other and decide how far each of us wants to hike or run.

  • 5K (3-Mile) Hike, led by Katherine

  • 1-Mile Walk, led by Peggy

  • 5–8 Mile Trail Run, led by Amber and the Capital Striders Turkeys

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Center Trails Hillside Loop — 2.1 mi
May
11

Center Trails Hillside Loop — 2.1 mi

The three of us got trucking a bit faster than a stroll pace, but I think we still met the spirit of a stroll! No one got left behind and we took time to enjoy the scenery and take photos of flowers.

Thank you for coming! I hope to see you Tuesday the 21st at Sycamore.

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Ewing Park Explore
May
3

Ewing Park Explore

Thank you for exploring the Ewing Park Lilac Arboretum with me! I was disappointed that the dirt trails were too muddy, but that was more than made up for by the fact we got to explore a part of the park I hadn't been to since childhood. Add to that the perfect weather and great group, I wouldn't change a thing! (Well, maybe I'd use my time machine to adjust peak lilac bloom, but oh well.)

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Sycamore Trails North Loop to Levee — 2.0 mi
Apr
13

Sycamore Trails North Loop to Levee — 2.0 mi

Such beautiful weather! Inspired by the Polk County Conservation litter pickup event, we carried bags and looked for trash. We didn't find much, but that's probably because PCC had another litter pickup event earlier this week! I plan on carrying grocery sacks in my pockets for all our future walks. I hope to see you at Center Trails next Friday!

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Southwoods Explore
Mar
27

Southwoods Explore

Join us for a walk at a new location: Southwoods Park! This hidden gem of a park is just off 35th Street, south of Mills Civic Parkway, in West Des Moines. Meet by 10:00 a.m. in the parking lot.

We will walk from the lot, up the paved trail to the singletrack and make one trip around the outer loop. I don’t have an exact distance, but expect this to be a little over one mile. We will walk slowly, think “stroll,” and no one will be left behind. Anyone who wants to stay and explore additional laps is welcome to join me.

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Join the Soft Trail Stroll Facebook group for additional conversation.


If you are working on building yourself up to handle longer walks, take a look at my Couch to 5K Walk plan. It starts from the couch or wherever you currently are. Take as long as you need to work up to walking 10 minutes a day, and then follow the weekly guides to safely make it to 3.1 miles.


Future Soft Trail Stroll Dates

These dates are subject to change.

  • Tuesday, January 28, 2025

  • Tuesday, February 4, 2025

  • Tuesday, February 11, 2025

  • Tuesday, February 18, 2025

  • Tuesday, February 25, 2025

  • Saturday, March 8, 2025

  • Tuesday, March 18, 2025

  • Tuesday, March 25, 2025

  • Tuesday, April 1, 2025

Weather Cancelation Policy

Severe Weather = Canceled

If the National Weather Service issues a severe weather warning, the stroll is canceled.

Really Icky Weather = Maybe

Check the Soft Trail Stroll Facebook group for discussion and updates. I have all the gear and can dress for the weather. I just don't want to drive across town to walk in icky weather alone. If I get a commitment from one other person, I'll be there.

Mildly Inconvenient Weather = Not Canceled

Meet at the advertised location. Wear a jacket if it's raining. If the trail is muddy we still stroll, we just switch to paved trails.