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A project decades in the making will now make the city of Lake Park accessible to cyclists on the Iowa Great Lakes.

Monday morning, the Dickinson County Trails Board celebrated the completion of the Tatanka Ska Trace Trail, a bike path connecting Spirit Lake to downtown Lake Park. The event kicked off with coffee and treats at Rise and Grind and was followed by a leisurely ride on the trail. The path follows what once was an abandoned railroad, now given a second life. It offers cyclists a variety of scenery throughout the ride.

“Between the trailhead in Spirit Lake, and downtown Lake Park is about eleven and a half miles,” explains Erin Reed, Executive Director of the Dickinson County Trails Board. “So, it’s a great trip. It is flat, it’s uninterrupted, and there are beautiful views all along the way. You get to cross a few rivers, and you get rolling hills, farm fields, prairie and wetlands. It’s just amazing.”

For the average biker, a one-way trip takes about an hour. Organizers say there is still plenty of time to get out and enjoy the trail this fall.

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The Lake Park Trail extension is complete

The final part of a recreational trail connecting Spirit Lake with Lake Park is complete.

According to KUOO Radio, Erin Reed of Dickinson County Trails says this portion of the trail, known as the Tatanka Ska Trace Trail, has been in the talks since the 1990s.

Reed says in addition to the official ribbon-cutting on Sept. 2, the public can participate in a gathering to celebrate the occasion starting at 9 a.m. at Rise and Grind Bakery.

“We’ll have coffee and some treats, just kind of a social gathering right there. And then we’ll head on over to the east of the CFE elevator, kind of where the trees line, kind of the gateway to the trail heading toward Spirit Lake, and we’ll have a ribbon cutting there and a little celebration,” said Reed.