GOWRIE — The Gowrie Development Commission alongside the Webster County Board of Supervisors and Webster County Conservation Department are “putting the go in Gowrie” with a new trail project that will allow travel residents to bike, walk, and run from one side of Gowrie to the other, and soon to other communities as well.

The Gowrie Trail project is one of four quality-of-life projects that the supervisors approved in order to enhance communities throughout Webster County.

“(The supervisors’) generosity has allowed the trail funding to go farther,” Cosgrove said of the landowners.

The other three quality-of-life projects include the Matt Cosgrove River’s Edge Discovery Center, the Badger Trail, and the Dayton Trail.

The Gowrie Trail began in 2022 with an agreement between the supervisors and the Gowrie City Council. That agreement created a trail project that developed a master plan for the trail and community, with the county providing funding for the first phase of development.

Construction by Howrey Construction on the first phase of the trail started in fall 2024 and focused on the highest priority of connecting the northwest portion of town to the northeast neighborhood. The trail borders the northern city limits along crop fields, Gowrie neighborhoods, the Lindquist Wildlife Sanctuary, and provides connections to the Gowrie Skating Rink, Laurel Park, the Gowrie Swimming Pool, and Southeast Valley’s stadium and track.

“The route was made possible through generous land donations from private landowners and on properties owned by the city and county,” said Cosgrove.

According to Cosgrove, the project is complete with trail signage, pavement markings, and seed establishment occurring in the spring of 2025.

“The newly constructed trail consists of approximately two miles of 10-foot concrete trail and on-street routes that connect a variety of Gowrie’s community assets, neighborhoods, and recreational offerings,” added Cosgrove.

A ribbon cutting is anticipated to be held in the spring to celebrate the new Gowrie Trail.

The long-term goal of the quality-of-life initiative is to connect Gowrie and Dayton with trails and then tie those trails to the Raccoon River Valley Trail in Jefferson, according to Cosgrove.