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This trail in the Des Moines River valley commemorates the path of the 1835
U.S. Dragoons (the country's first mounted infantry unit). It starts with two
branches originating from Fort Dodge and Webster City that join near Stratford; from
there it runs through Boone and Des Moines to the Red Rock Dam between Pella and
Knoxville. The trail contains several signed alternate routes.
A promotional brochure that was published in May 1994 contains a map of the route
and all of its alternates. Using that and the Iowa DOT's PDF county maps to pinpoint
rural street names and road surfaces (paved unless otherwise noted), the Dragoon Trail follows:
- Fort Dodge to Stratford, starting at the Fort Museum in Fort Dodge:
Kenyon Road, Avenue C, Avenue B, Dewey Place, Lainson Avenue, Riverside Trail, County Road P59,
County Road D33 through Dolliver Memorial State Park, County Road D43 (former IA 50) to Lehigh, County Road
P73, gravel roads (320th Street, McGuire Bend Road, 320th Street again, and
Washington Avenue), and County Road D54.
- Alternate between Otho and Lehigh: County Road D33, County Road P59,
and County Road D43.
- Alternate connecting the two branches: County Road D46 between County Road D43 in Lehigh and Big Bear Road in Hamilton County.
- Alternate south of Lehigh: County Roads P73 and D54 between 320th Street
and Washington Avenue. (The mainline runs closer to the Des Moines River, but the
alternate is paved.)
- Alternate along the Des Moines River (entirely gravel): 340th Street,
Skillet Creek Avenue, and River Road from County Road D54 to IA 175 west of the
Des Moines River bridge.
- Webster City to Stratford: Superior Street in Webster City, IA 17, 280th Street
(gravel), County Road R27, 320th Street (gravel), Bell's Mill Road (gravel), County Road D46,
Big Bear Road (gravel), and County Road R21.
- Alternate: Closz Drive in Webster City, Inkpaduta Avenue (gravel), 258th Street
(gravel), and County Road R27 between IA 17 and County Road D46.
- Stratford to Boone: County Road D54, IA 175, gravel roads (River Road, 394th
Street, 396th Street, and Vasse Avenue) in southern Webster County,
gravel roads (Juniper Road, 118th Street, and J Avenue) in northern Boone County, County
Road E18, gravel Juniper Road north of Fraser, Kale Road in Fraser,
gravel 156th Street and 166th Drive out of Fraser, County Roads R21 and E26 north
of Boone, Story Street in Boone to US 30.
- Alternate from Fraser: Kale Road, County Road E26, gravel roads (188th Road,
192nd Street, J Avenue, 200th Street, Juneberry Road, 208th Street, and J Avenue again),
County Road E41, County Road R18, and US 30 to the junction with County Road R23/Story
Street in Boone.
- Boone to Des Moines, from US 30: County Road R23 (old IA 164) into Ledges State Park,
County Road E52 and a series of gravel roads (P Avenue, 260th Street, and Peach Avenue)
east of the park, County Road E57, County Road R26, County Road E62, IA 210 to Madrid, IA 17,
former and current IA 415 through Polk City, NW 84th Avenue west of Ankeny, NW 37th Street, Horseshoe Drive
past the Saylorville Lake Visitors Center, NW 37th Street again, NW Toni Drive, NW 66th
Avenue, NW 26th Street, and Morningstar Drive to Aurora Avenue on the north edge of Des
Moines.
- Through Des Moines: Aurora Avenue, 6th Avenue, Birdland Drive, Saylor
Road, Penn Avenue, University Avenue, East 6th Street, Robert D. Ray Drive, Locust
Street, Penn Avenue in front of the State Capitol, Grand Avenue, 3rd Street (SB)
and 2nd Avenue (NB), Court Avenue and Walnut Street (NB), Water Street across the
Raccoon River near its mouth*, SE 1st Street across the Des Moines River, Scott
Avenue, SE 6th Street, Hartford Avenue, SE 22nd Street, Evergreen Drive, SE 34th
Street, and Army Post Road to US 65.
- "Bus Route": Follows Holcomb Avenue and Saylor
Road between 6th Street and Penn Avenue instead of Birdland Drive; this route probably
exists to avoid a low-clearance overpass on Birdland.
- Alternate: From the intersection of 2nd and Grand
Avenues downtown, it follows Grand westward to 5th Street in West Des Moines; from there
it follows 5th Street**, Railroad Avenue, IA 28, Park Avenue, George Flagg Parkway, Fleur Drive, and Locust Street back to 3rd Avenue. It is only signed in one direction.
*Water Street is no longer open to vehicles near Principal Park. The recommended route around it would be Elm Street to 2nd and 3rd Avenues across the river to Jackson Avenue before rejoining SE 1st Street.
**On June 3, 2005, 5th Street between Vine Street and Railroad Avenue in West Des Moines was changed from a one-way street going south to a one-way street going north. Signs for the Dragoon Trail have been removed from this area, so the recommended route is to follow Vine for one block eastward to 4th Street.
- Des Moines to Lake Red Rock: US 65 northward to SE Vandalia Road/County Road F70,
IA 316, a series of gravel roads (Dubuque Street, 40th Avenue, Erbe Street, 60th
Avenue, Gear Street, and 85th Place) in Marion County, County Road G40, IA 14
across the Mile-Long Bridge over Lake Red Rock, County Road G28, and County
Road T15 across Red Rock Dam.
- Alternate: IA 14 southward from G40 to Business IA 92 in Knoxville,
Business and old IA 92 east of Knoxville, and County Road T15. The main and
alternate routes both end at the Lake Red Rock Visitors Center at the south
end of the dam.
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