Below are numerous resources that can help in the development of a plan for a water trail in your area:

Small-Footprint Accesses A guiding principal is that Iowa water trails, surrounded by Iowa's last bastions of wild places, should tend toward low-impact recreation and construction when possible. Examples of small-footprint accesses, *.pdf file are highlighted in a case study of the Skunk River Paddlers' work on the Skunk River Water Trail. These types of accesses avoid wasting limited financial and ecological resources.

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Water trails guidelines,*.pdf for creating display panels and kiosk.

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The sign manual,*.pdf contains guideline for the standard statewide water trails way-finding and informational signage system. These are suggested guidelines to be used for consistent experiences for users, however, these are not absolute requirements. For example, dimensions of bridge signs may be larger, or smaller, or stencils may be used to satisfy requirements of county engineers and Iowa DOT supervisors. In some cases, Iowa DNR can provide custom designs to meet local needs. A CD containing Adobe Illustrator files that can be brought to your regional sign printer can be requested by e-mailing watertrails@dnr.iowa.gov.

Directional signs from roadways placed in state and county right-of-ways require special instructions. E-mail us at watertrails@dnr.iowa.gov for more information.

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Americans With Disabilities Act
Learn more about how the Americans With Disabilities Act may affect your water trail.

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Other Funding Sources
The Iowa Water Trails program is just one of numerous programs that can aid in creating water trails. Check here for other sources.

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