This Iowa Railway Experience Is One For The Bucket List

Located in beautiful Boone, Iowa, is an experience along a historic stretch of railroad that everyone from outdoor enthusiasts to train enthusiasts will enjoy, and now is the time to book with fall just a few weeks away!

The Rail Explorers rail tours follow the historic rail tracks that run along the open farmland to the Des Moines River, and you can experience a full 12.5 mile round trip across the countryside, all on an electric assist pedal car.

You'll encounter and cross the Bass Creek High Trestle & the Des Moines River Bridge.

The Bass Creek High Trestle sits 150 feet above the ground below, and you'll pedal your way across with the Bass Point Creek underneath.

Then, you'll cross the 700-foot-long Des Moines River Bridge, which runs over the Des Moines River (obviously).

It’s about a 40-45 minute ride each way. Each car has a motor with pedal assist, like an e-bike. The motor does all the work. But, you still have to do some pedaling or you eventually stop moving forward.

Even though you’re pedaling, there’s no resistance and it’s not strenuous at all. They’re super easy, actually. My wife's Apple Watch recorded about 1200 steps on our trip.

After the 6 mile ride, all the cars have to be reset to face the opposite direction So how do they turn the cars around? Like this:

Here's some additional pics of some other cool stuff you see along the way:

It's worth checking out, and you can get your tickets on the Rail Explorers website.