REINBECK – The Pioneer Trail is reaching a milestone in 2025, as this year marks the 40th anniversary of its original opening.

In 1985, the Grundy County Conservation Board and Grundy County Heritage Foundation envisioned a multi-use trail utilizing the abandoned Rock Island Railroad. Through a lot of hard work, the boards were able to establish the Pioneer Trail that linked the communities of Holland, Grundy Center, Morrison, and Reinbeck.

Forty years later, the Pioneer Trail is still providing area residents with a great recreational opportunity, and in 2026 the Pioneer Trail will be finally connected to the city of Reinbeck.

To celebrate, Grundy County Conservation Board and the Grundy County Heritage Foundation are excited to announce the Pioneer Trail 40-Year Challenge. The challenge is simple: Use the Pioneer Trail 40 times between now and September 2, 2025. Upon conquering the challenge, “40 Club” members will receive a 40-Year Celebration exclusive water bottle decal.

But don’t stop at 40! Prizes will also be awarded to the person who uses the trail the most between now and September 27 and for tagging @Grundy County Conservation with great photos of the Pioneer Trail.

The challenge finale will be held at our Pioneer Trail 3K on September 27.

Entering the challenge is easy. Scan the QR code, visit Grundy County Conservation on Facebook, or contact the Grundy County Conservation office at 319-345-2688 to receive more information.

We look forward to seeing many of you utilizing the great Pioneer Trail this summer and hope to be handing out a lot of water bottle swag (as the kids would say) this summer.