Iowa’s Walking Club hosting hike in Cedar Rapids in May

Those looking to explore Cedar Rapids on foot will have an ample opportunity to do so next month.

Iowa’s Walking Club, also known as the Greater Des Moines Volkssport Association, is holding a group-guided hike on May 7 as well as its first-ever year-round self-guided hike in Cedar Rapids. It starts at 10:30 a.m. at the Kosek Band Shell in Czech Village, 70 16th Ave. SW, Cedar Rapids.

The group-guided hike provides two options for walkers: a 5K and 10K, organization member and Cedar Rapids contact Jonathan Ice said.

“The goal of the group is to get people out and walk together ideally,” Ice said. “We try to organize hikes so people can go around the world and find prescribed hikes that have been set up in various communities. They are usually set up to show off the best characteristics of a place. We have found it very useful if we are in an unfamiliar community. If there is a hike available there, we can just tap into that and get exercise as well as find out more about the community.”

Iowa’s Walking Club, a nonprofit run by volunteers, was established in 1985 and now has more than 150 members. Volkssporting, created in Germany, is a personal fitness sports and recreation program offering non-competitive walks, hikes, bike rides and swims, according to the organization’s website.

The 5 kilometer (3.1 mile) route will follow the Cedar River to downtown, exploring various sites there and then return to Czech Village via NewBo. There also is a 10K option, which includes a loop up around Cedar Lake, Ice said. The cost per hiker is $3.

“It’s a way of exploring Cedar Rapids with other people,” Ice said. “If you get a good group of people, it can be a lot of fun. It's a way of showing and exploring our home with other people or exploring your own home in a different way.”

If individuals are interested in the hike but can’t take part in the May 7 group event, the Cedar Rapids walk can be done separately through the “walk box.” The box, accessible at the main desk of the National Czech & Slovak Museum & Library, contains registration info and the walk instructions needed to follow the route. Alternatively, online registration is available at my.ava.org. The year-round individual walk currently is available, according to the organization's website.

“I love walking … I hiked all the streets of Cedar Rapids,” Ice said. “It was an obsessive thing I did. I just love exploring and have ever since I was a kid. It allows me to get out and do that.”

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