(Radio Iowa) – A long-anticipated connection between two of Iowa’s most popular bike trails opens this weekend. The trail extension from Woodward to Perry creates a nearly-continuous 120-mile paved loop for bikers, runners and walkers on the Raccoon River Valley Trail and the High Trestle Trail. Andrea Boulton is the trails and community conservation director for the Iowa Natural Heritage Foundation, one partner behind the nine-mile project that’s been years in the making.

“There’s so much excitement to see this project finally come to fruition,” Boulton says. The new segment links two iconic and nationally-recognized trails, and makes the network a destination for Iowans and out-of-state visitors. To mark the opening, the Raccoon River Valley Trail Association has organized a bike ride and ribbon cutting on Saturday and Boulton says there are more trails to come.

The High Trestle Trail (Natural Heritage Foundation photo)

“We’re not done yet as a state,” she says. “We’ve got a very big vision.” Linking Lake Red Rock to Saylorville, Eldora to Marshalltown, and filling in gaps across the Great American Rail-Trail are part of that vision. Boulton says developing long-distance, destination trails gets more people outdoors. “As they’re doing that, they’re discovering new places, new restaurants, new stores, new parks, and places that they’ve never been to before,” she says, “and they’re realizing they can make a whole vacation out of it.”

A 2012 study found cyclists and trails generate over 360-million dollars in direct and indirect economic impacts on the state. A new study is underway.

(Rachel Cramer, Iowa Public Radio)