Rail Explorers: Boone IA Division
Rail Explorers: Boone IA Division
5
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About
Rail Explorers riders can enjoy beautiful views of the Des Moines River Valley, where is it is not uncommon to see a convocation of bald eagles along the riverbank. The ride’s showstopper is the 750’ long, 156’ high “Bass Point Creek High Trestle”. Riders crossing this bridge have panoramic views of the valley and experience the thrill of soaring high above the creek below.
Boone, Iowa
Awards
Travelers' Choice
2024
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Rail Explorers: Boone IA Division
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Most Recent: Reviews ordered by most recent publish date in descending order.
Detailed Reviews: Reviews ordered by recency and descriptiveness of user-identified themes such as wait time, length of visit, general tips, and location information.
Popular mentions
5.0
660 reviews
Excellent
620
Very good
26
Average
6
Poor
3
Terrible
5
Kb B
2 contributions
Oct 2022
We had a group of four with us, and we usually go hiking during the fall to see the leaves change color, but we wanted to see if there's a different way to experience fall. Since our bikes left around 9:30 AM, it was definitely too windy and cold to properly take in the experience and the view, but on our way back, after the sun had came up and the wind calmed down a bit, it seemed to be worth every penny. The staff was friendly, answered all of our questions, and even helped us out. We will definitely be going back, but maybe earlier in the fall when it's not so cold!
Written October 18, 2022
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Jenny N
1 contribution
May 2023 • Family
Highly recommend! We went on the most beautiful late May evening (5:30 ride) with our family of two boys ages 6&7 and my parents who are both 66. Peddling is very light and easy. One rider is the motor, really powering most of the car. But it’s still not difficult at all, it’s a flat trail. Most of the trail is shaded. It is a little big loud as the wheels are obviously metal on the metal tracks. The two bridges you cross are very high up, the view is unreal! My kids absolutely loved this ride, the pedaling kept them busy and they didn’t mind wearing a seatbelt the entire ride. We had so much fun. The river area where you stop for a break is buggy, but not too bad. I would recommend wearing layers, bringing bug spray (gnats), and bring a cooler with drinks and snacks! 😎
Written May 26, 2023
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Anna Q
Iowa1 contribution
Sep 2022 • Family
Very easy, views are great. The weather was in the middle 60’s and cloudy. I wore a shirt with hooded sweatshirt over & pants. Also ended up putting my stocking cap on but that’s just me. There are not cup holders so if you have a cold drink bring a coozie so your hand isn’t cold. It wasn’t buggy when we went at the 3pm time but if you think it’s going to be buggy bring glasses. Husband and I both wore ear plugs to protect hearing but daughter and her family didn’t wear any, but it is a little loud if you want to protect your hearing I’d advise bringing some ear plugs. Only bathroom is at the beginning so I would use it or you may be using the woods at the turn-around. When you are done peddling the one direction you wait a little while till everyone is there then they turn all the cars around for you and then you get back on. So if you were at the back of the line going out you will be first headed back. Everyone that worked there were very nice and helpful and knew what they were doing. Great experience would do it again.
Written September 21, 2022
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Christina N
1 contribution
Oct 2023 • Couples
What an experience! A few tips to take away from this review: book far in advance and dress accordingly.
I booked a Tandem back in June for the Sunset time on October 8th. Hoping to have this experience during the beautiful fall weather with some fall foliage. And we got just that!
Sunday it was 70 Degrees, 68 when we took off on our adventure, and roughly 58 degrees upon our return around 7:30 pm. My boyfriend and I wore layers but wish we had more layers. While it may be warm when you take off, the breeze and temps can drop quickly.
Dress in layers, bring extra layers in a bag - there is plenty of room in the rail car to bring extra things along. Highly recommend gloves or a hat to keep warm on the ride if the temp is 70 or below at any point on your trip.
We got about a 15 minute time half way to get off the cars and sit and enjoy the sunset, grab a drink or eat a snack. There is plenty of room in the railcars for a small cooler - some people brought beer, sandwiches or a soda. We just brought a water bottle and that was perfectly fine for us.
Price was reasonable, staff was very friendly, and views are unmatched.
Tip: we HIGHLY recommend planning dinner at Whatcha Smokin BBQ in Luther. We had originally planned to go after the Rail Explorers adventure, but sadly it closed at 8 so we didn't make it in time.
I booked a Tandem back in June for the Sunset time on October 8th. Hoping to have this experience during the beautiful fall weather with some fall foliage. And we got just that!
Sunday it was 70 Degrees, 68 when we took off on our adventure, and roughly 58 degrees upon our return around 7:30 pm. My boyfriend and I wore layers but wish we had more layers. While it may be warm when you take off, the breeze and temps can drop quickly.
Dress in layers, bring extra layers in a bag - there is plenty of room in the rail car to bring extra things along. Highly recommend gloves or a hat to keep warm on the ride if the temp is 70 or below at any point on your trip.
We got about a 15 minute time half way to get off the cars and sit and enjoy the sunset, grab a drink or eat a snack. There is plenty of room in the railcars for a small cooler - some people brought beer, sandwiches or a soda. We just brought a water bottle and that was perfectly fine for us.
Price was reasonable, staff was very friendly, and views are unmatched.
Tip: we HIGHLY recommend planning dinner at Whatcha Smokin BBQ in Luther. We had originally planned to go after the Rail Explorers adventure, but sadly it closed at 8 so we didn't make it in time.
Written October 9, 2023
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Julie Roller Weeks
2 contributions
Sep 2022
Since hearing about the Rail Explorers, I have wanted to try it! We traveled 5+ hours to travel with the Rail Explorers, and it was 100% worth it! The trip exceeded my expectations, and the staff was incredibly kind and accommodating (they even take your photo for you!). Many comments about getting nervous traveling over the bridges, but I can assure you that it is not a problem. My knees get wobbly walking up open-backed steps, and I had no problem riding the rails across the massive bridges! Safety is a top priority for this team, and each passenger uses a seatbelt. My husband was skeptical about how hard it would be to “pedal,” but the electric motors make it a breeze! Only one person in each cart has to assist with intermittent pedaling. We asked others about their experience, and they affirmed it was a breeze! This trip books quickly, so don’t delay and get your tickets today! It’s 100% worth the trip!
Written September 12, 2022
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Cheyenne T
1 contribution
Jul 2024 • Family
I booked this trip for me, my husband and our two kids ages 7 and 11. We live 3 hours from Boone Iowa so we found a time to go and got a hotel for the 6 pm ride. Unfortunately some storms were rolling through and they notified us while at our hotel that they were canceling the ride. We were bummed out but totally understood and were thankful they let us know 3 hours in advance and didn’t push the trip for us to get poured on 1/2 way through. I called to see what we could do and the first lady I talked to said we can refund or reschedule but no accommodations were made for that following day. I do understand this as well. They can’t just hold back carts for people incase of weather but she was very quick to tell me I can be refunded and rescheduling would be kinda tough since they are booked out. I was very undecided on what to do as this was literally the very last chance for us to do anything as a family before my kids became very active in school and sports for the school year and my husband owns his own business so it’s tough for us to get away just like many others. I talked to my husband and we took the kids to do something fun to pass the time ( Urban Air is where we went and I recommend them as well) I called back a couple hours later and talked to someone else and explained the situation. She was soo kind and understanding and said they did have some carts down for maintenance last she checked and she was going to see about getting us on one for the next ride and said she would call me back. An hour or less later she called me back and they had a cart fixed for us for the 10 am trip the next morning. I know we got lucky but it was so nice of her to even check into it! We arrive the next morning and check in was painless. Kids played a couple of yard games they had set up and we left on time. A group in front of us had a little trouble with the motor not kicking on and before we crossed the bridge they told a worker and I assumed we would be sitting for awhile but man was I wrong. They were on it! She called for some help and two men showed up very quickly and got them going. I couldn’t believe it. Very impressive. They apologized for the hold up and took pics for us while we waiting a very short amount of time. Everyone the entire trip was so nice and helpful. Workers would ask us how we were doing, if we were having fun, took pictures for us and the list goes on! It was so fun and I can not recommend this enough! My 7 year old was just a little too short to actually get to pedal even with the seat adjusted all the way up but she is very little for her age. The turn around area by the river was cute and a great place to eat some snacks we brought. As a mom who still takes a bag with us everywhere it was so nice to have a nice sized basket for our water bottles and bag. Please take this trip and have a great time! I hope someone who works there reads this and can thank the kind people who made this trip happen for us and spent the time to check into how to make that happen!
Written July 29, 2024
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
M C
14 contributions
Jul 2023 • Couples
We visited Boone to do a nighttime lantern tour and the next day we did a daytime tour. It is a neat way to see the area. Despite our rainy return on the second tour, we enjoyed our experience. We were provided with ponchos and then the crew expedited our exit from the rail bikes when we were back at the depot.
Natalie did a fantastic job giving the intro safety instructions for our daytime tour and speaking with young children about being safe at the turn around.
Natalie did a fantastic job giving the intro safety instructions for our daytime tour and speaking with young children about being safe at the turn around.
Written August 5, 2023
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
sarah m
1 contribution
Jul 2023 • Family
I don’t recommend booking with them if you don’t want to waste your time and money. I went on a “tour” here a few weeks ago. When I went in to book it the manager I spoke with (I believe his name was Angel) was incredibly short and rude with me. He handed me a pamphlet and I ended up just booking the “tour” online myself. I would have enjoyed the experience if I felt valued as a customer. If you’re planning on going here for the view I would highly suggest looking into the Scenic Valley Railroad! It runs on the same railroad track and you’ll save money on something you’ll actually enjoy!
Written July 30, 2023
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Blake H
Des Moines, Iowa, United States36 contributions
Jul 2022
Great rail experience. Check in process was simple and they give you a safety briefing on using the rail bikes. The rail bike is comfortable and easy to use. You can bring whatever you will need for the trip and can store in the bin in between the bike seats. The ride is so much fun. You get those great sounds of the rails on your journey. You journey a couple of miles through country side and then two amazing bridge crossings. The high trestle at Bass Creek is terrific and then you cross over the Des Moines river near the Y camp. The bike is wide open and you feel this as you cross the bridges. Just beyond the river and Y camp, the group takes a short break so that the crew can turn the bikes around before the return trip.
You really don't have to pedal a lot unless you want to because the propulsion motors make the ride pretty easy. Staff will double check at the half way point to make sure your motor is working. Some groups had the batteries for the propulsion slip out of place so this can lead to more pedaling.
This is a great open air and hands free rail adventure. Our adventure started at 530 and we returned right at 730.
You really don't have to pedal a lot unless you want to because the propulsion motors make the ride pretty easy. Staff will double check at the half way point to make sure your motor is working. Some groups had the batteries for the propulsion slip out of place so this can lead to more pedaling.
This is a great open air and hands free rail adventure. Our adventure started at 530 and we returned right at 730.
Written July 29, 2022
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Libby B
2 contributions
Oct 2022
I was looking for something for me and my husband to do other than a typical dinner date night and stumbled upon Rail Explorers! We went in mid-October, and it seriously felt like we were in a different part of the country. It was absolutely gorgeous! It was super cold towards the end of the ride, so I recommend bundling up if you're going later in the year (hats/gloves/warm socks/wind breaker). Overall, amazing! And I will be recommending to everyone!!
Written October 14, 2022
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
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