About Us :: Jefferson County Trails Council

In August 1997 the Jefferson County Trails Council came into being with the assistance and encouragement of the Jefferson County Conservation Board.

The first task was to try and extend the Jefferson County Park trail southwest along the old Rock Island roadbed, with hopes of reaching Libertyville 4 miles away.

The 0.8 miles of roadbed from the Park to Cedar Creek was acquired, cleared and rocked, a shelter was built, and an TEA-21 grant for a 376' bridge over the creek was applied for and awarded (the railroad bridge had been removed in the 1980's). A name was chosen -- Cedar View Trail (CVT).

Since it would be 2002 before the CVT bridge was completed, the JCTC turned their attention to connecting trails. They developed a concept for a trail that encircled the city, joining the CVT with feeders into schools, parks and other points of interest. It was named the Fairfield Loop Trail.

With the announcement that the Iowa DOT would build a new bypass in 2004 (now 2007) around the southern edge of Fairfield, the JCTC lobbied to have them build a trail alongside the new highway, and they agreed.

Now that the southern part of the Fairfield Loop Trail was ensured, the JCTC turned their attention to the rest of the Loop. Easements were acquired for the undestroyed sections of the Rock Island in the northern part of the city. Then, to connect to Walton Lake toward the east, easements were granted along cornfields, pastures, and city reservoir # 2.

A new bridge was needed over the reservoir spillway -- the Iowa National Guard volunteered to build it for training purposes. Also, a REAP grant was obtained with the cooperation of the City of Fairfield for construction of almost 4 miles of a crushed limestone trail along these easements, which was completed in 2000.

Between late 2000 and summer 2002 a new 342-ft bridge/boardwalk was built by volunteers along Lamson Woods State Preserve, connecting a wetlands area trail to Mint Blvd. This will be part of the Loop Trail, connecting via Mint Blvd to the southern section.

In January 2002 a rustic walking trail was created through the woods at reservoir # 2, supplementing a 1.25-mile trail around reservoir # 1.

Since then, more of the Loop Trail has been completed. Look under "Trails" for details about our progress, and look under "News" for more information.

It is surprising what a volunteer group can do when it has the cooperation and assistance of diverse organizations and individuals.