Twenty minutes northeast of Des Moines sits Bondurant, a town of roughly 8,500 people that locals describe as safe, family-friendly and genuinely welcoming — the kind of place where, as one resident put it, the community acts like a family. It's an easy add-on to any Des Moines trip: about a half-hour drive from Des Moines International Airport (DSM), which offers 33 nonstop routes on six airlines, and under two hours from both Cedar Rapids and Iowa City, so it works as a stop en route across the state too.
The main draw for many visitors is Reclaimed Rails Brewing Company, set in a 1948 building that once housed the local American Legion. Beer is brewed downstairs on a 2,500-square-foot floor, while the taproom upstairs pours from 22 handles and hosts live music. The flagship lineup covers the reliable stuff — a New England IPA, a red lager, an American wheat — but the rotating specials go off-script: think strawberry cheesecake sours and peanut butter golden ales. There's outdoor seating, and the vibe is relaxed enough for families.
What makes the brewery a natural pit stop is its position on the Chichaqua Valley Trail, a fully paved 26-mile route running through Bondurant on its way across farmland, forest and open meadow. Cyclists, walkers and joggers all use it, and AllTrails reviewers praise the tree cover and views. The Bondurant trailhead doubles as a small park with restrooms, a water bottle filling station, an open-air shelter and a replica of the town's original train depot. Odd bit of trivia: "Chichaqua" came from settlers' rendering of a Native American word they took to mean "skunk" — they assumed they were smelling the river, but the culprit was actually wild onions.
Back in town, Main Street is small but worth a wander. Little House on Main, a family-run boutique, sells curated homewares, gifts and apparel for kids and adults, and passes a share of proceeds to charitable causes across Iowa. If your timing is right, the Bondurant Farmer's Market runs Wednesday evenings from May through October, with produce, food vendors, live music and local crafts. Miss it, and the town still works fine as a half-day outing; time it well and you get trails, shopping and dinner-adjacent market snacks in one loop.
For travellers, the appeal is simple: this is a low-effort, high-reward detour from Des Moines that costs nothing but gas. It suits families wanting an easy outdoor day, cyclists looking for a paved rail-trail with a brewery at the end, and anyone wanting to see small-town Iowa without a long drive. Arrive on a bike or on foot, do a stretch of the trail, then let the tap list do the rest.
