Rivers and other water corridors contain Iowa's greatest remaining tracts of wildlife habitat and undeveloped lands. With diverse landscapes - anything from marshes, to clear streams lined by limestone bluffs, to prairies that slope down to a river's edge - they present a variety of experiences. People enjoy water. These corridors are some of Iowa's best places for many types of recreation, from wildlife viewing and fishing to canoeing, kayaking, or tubing. This program will follow the DNR vision of leading Iowans in caring for our natural resources, while helping fulfill our mission to cooperate with individuals and organizations improve quality of life in Iowa.

Water trails treat accesses as trailheads, and consider waterways as trails for point-to-point travel. In many cases, the "trail," or the waterway itself, is a natural resource that doesn't require construction. The Iowa DNR Water Trails program is a cooperative program intended to assist local organizations and units of government in developing water trails on various waterways throughout Iowa. This program is intended to provide both financial assistance (matching, study, and limited amounts of construction funds) and technical assistance to build water trails that adapt well to local waterways.