Ankeny is building new "experience park" along the High Trestle Trail

Ankeny is moving forward with building an "experience park" at the High Trestle Trail — a major step towards the city's plans to make the area an outdoor tourism destination.

Why it matters: The High Trestle is the most popular recreational trail in central Iowa, with 250,000 visitors annually, but Ankeny's side doesn't have any distinctive features that draw people to the area.

Driving the news: The Ankeny City Council approved $1 million for phase one of the project Monday.

Zoom in: That includes installing a glow trail , lighting, planting vegetation and prepping the area for more art installations.

• Construction will start this fall and is expected to finish in spring 2025, Derek Lord, the city's economic development director, tells Axios.

Zoom out: The nearly mile-long park will run alongside the trail from West 1st Street to South Ankeny Boulevard.

• It includes 14 acres of excess right of way that can be used for further development.
• A 2020 master plan outlines further artwork the city could install in the park, like giant animal sculptures, a track that plays sounds when stepped on and climbing-rope structures.

Reality check: Future installations are dependent on funding and have no timeline, Lord says.

• Phase 2 hasn't been determined, he says.

The intrigue: A 2020 survey showed that Ankeny residents liked the suburb because it was isolated from the rest of the metro, though they felt growing pains due to the increased population.

• Meanwhile, non-residents felt negative sentiments towards the suburb and considered it "insular," "plain" and "cookie cutter."

Yes, but: The one thing both residents and non-residents agreed on was their enjoyment of the High Trestle Trail.

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