Des Moines County Conservation Board members, supervisors and department headstook in the county's scenic views Tuesday as they toured the Flint River Trail.

Leading the UTV tour on a golf cart was Des Moines County Conservation Director Chris Lee, who said the purpose of the journey was to give the group of eight an overview of the bike trail as it exists today.

"We're going to look at both the city portion, from the Burlington riverfront up to just past Tama Road. Then we're going to look at the county portion, from Starr's Cave all the way up to Big Hollow," Lee said. "It will take a good few hours, by the time we jump and transport the machines across the highway, and go through and stop and talk here and there. Overall, it's almost 20 miles by the time you add it all together."

The Flint River Trail was born in 2003 as part of Vision Iowa, an Iowa Economic Development Authority financial assistance program launched under then-Gov. Tom Vilsack. It funded projects related to recreation, education, entertainment and cultural activities; Burlington's projects included a new library, Bees Park, Big Hollow and the Heritage Center. The Flint River Trail development is ongoing.