Waterworks Park is a beautiful place to take a walk, ride your bike, have a picnic…read more I love spending time on this beautiful path in the summer, there is nothing quite like going over a wood walking bridge on your bike with the shadow from the sun riding below you! This spot is so beautiful my old band even made a music video here once.. https://vimeo.com/14161874 Perfect for a family outing, or just a beautiful place to get a work out in! Bring your suntan lotion and bug spray and have a beautiful day!

This is one of the Des Moines gems that doesn't get enough credit for all it does. It does a lot to…read morecontribute to the local community. You have access to a nice section of woods, a river and some wide open spaces. People have forgotten but they have a kind of a mini arboretum of trees in the front of the park or I should say the section nearest to Fleur drive. They were open to promoting live music events and have for many many years and they finally a build a kind of bandshell that really has wonderful acoustics and is towards the top of a hill. It's usually not very crowded so you could run walk walk your dog and really ride your bike and not feel the same bit of concern as you would have grayslake because the amount of people that are at grays, lake. Grays lake has a natural loop of 2 miles. You could get some much longer walks in within the waterworks Park. It also has several intersections of bike paths that could take you to Cummings or to the west side of Des Moines and some all the way over to the western suburbs and to the downtown. If you've never been a highly recommend you going.

Fun local place for exercise and fun! I'd been a few years previous but forgot how fun and…read morechallenging it was! The staff is young so not overly friendly but we got the information we needed and then went to the refresher on belay. There were a lot of unsupervised children while we were there, which is annoying. It's not the staff's fault but it would be nice to be able to use the equipment without kids running into you or cutting you off. A kid also kicked a water bottle from the top floor and almost hit a mother walking with her baby below. It seemed chaotic but it was still fun. I'd love going for an adult only time if that was a thing.

Get Sendy Great…read moreGym, Great Staff, Great Problems. I can't say enough good things about these guys!

Ashworth is literally the trail hub of Des Moines. I can…read moreget anywhere on this one. I love how flat it is and how easily accessible it is. There are posts at almost every intersection that let you know how to get where, how many miles it will take, and about how many minutes it might take to get there by bike. I can literally get from downtown Des Moines to Jordan Creek just by following this trail. There are always happy bikers, runners, and walkers on the trail and you definitely see some interesting things. Now that it's warming up, you can easily find me on this trail at least once a week. See you on the trail side!

I just moved to the area and was desperately looking for some running trails that were away from…read morethe main roads/cars. These paths I believe were at some point covered by water during the flooding, but when I recently ran them they were in good condition. I can tell the city maintains these trails and I would imagine once it warms up a bit more they are well travelled. I have found my running place! Secluded, well treed, and you feel safe even if there are only a few stragglers on the trail. You also run by the river which is nice. I would imagine this would be a good biking trail and dog walking trail as well. I highly recommend this park and the trails within it!

Visiting Des Moines and looking for a place to run. Tried this trail and it was beautiful and just…read morewhat I needed! Not crowded, just a few people here and there. I recommend Greenbelt Trail for your walking, jogging, biking.

This is a really nice wooded bike path along a stream surrounded by a residential area. You can…read morepark near the Eternity Church/event center or there is a playground .3 miles down the road. Enough people to feel safe but not crowded on a weekday morning

What a gem in the middle of the city! Nestled along the river, this garden is easy to visit yet…read morefeels tucked away. The path winds through various areas of the garden and also offers a few seating options. It felt organic and not so pre-planned. The views of the water, bridge and city make this spot even more enjoyable. Parking is very plentiful.

We spent a few days in the Des Moines area recently and there are definitely a lot of beautiful…read morespaces in the area. One of my favorites was the Robert Ray Asian gardens. We spent about an hour here walking through the gardens and appreciating the quiet, calm, and beauty of the area. There were lots of people walking and hiking and multiple people that stopped to take photos in front of the bridge at the end of the park. We also saw people fishing as it is located right next to the Des Moines River. This is a gorgeous spot to get out and be in nature, listen to the water and feel the sun on your skin. You can tell it's truly loved and cared for by the community and there were lots of other little pups for our dog to meet while we were there. My only regret is that I didn't grab some food before we stopped here so that we could have enjoyed a nice little picnic. If you are in the area it is definitely worth the stop.

Oh look I found a park before Kenneth K did !!…read more Granted I had to travel to Iowa to do so. Staying with my mom in the suburb of Urbandale, this small lake and park is literally out her back door. The park and lake are well maintained by the city. The lake has a nice fountain in the center. The lake is circled by a wonderful wide smooth trail for walkers and bikers. On the east side there is a shelter with tables and a grill. And a couple of massive Adirondack chairs to hangout in and enjoy the outdoors. One note- stick to the path, Iowa has its share of chiggers- small insects that love to bite you around the ankles and it itches.

Really nice little zoo! It was very busy because of nice weather and had a long line but it…read morehonestly moved quickly and the staff was so organized getting everyone checked in fast and directly traffic. There's a lot of construction going on right now (March 2026) so lots of empty areas but hopefully these will be more lively in the summer. But we did see a lot of animals out and about and we were able to loop around the whole zoo in about 90 minutes.

One of the best overlooked small town zoos in the United States...! While the Des Moines metro…read moreisn't exactly a "small town" we're not a huge city either. https://www.blankparkzoo.com/ I held season tickets to Blank Park Zoo for quite a few years when my kids were younger. Now it's an annual photo walk outing for me. Maybe twice a year. The zoo boasts a diverse collection of nearly 1,500 animals representing over 100 species, including African lions, Amur tigers, giraffes, Eastern black rhinoceros, red pandas, sea lions, Magellanic penguins, an okapi, and many more including aquarium and touch exhibits... Don't skip the Outback and children's zoo area! The zoo's 22 acres of developed exhibits make it easy to navigate, allowing visitors to see everything in a few hours without feeling overwhelmed. Very manageable for all ages... Blank Park Zoo always has something in the works whether it's expansion, a special event, or a special display. No outside drink or food is allowed inside the zoo, and the food on the grounds can be a little on the pricey side if you are feeding an entire family. I like to plan my visits between meals and eat outside the park. I'm not saying to not support the zoo... Not at all! I'm just saying I'd rather spend my money on a t-shirt or a momento of the trip in the gift shop than on something that I will literally flush down the drain later on... You know what I'm saying. Open daily from 900 AM - 500 PM. $20 for an adult and $15 per child. Check out their membership packages (with reciprocity to nearly 200 zoos and aquariums) and their calendar! You may be able to buy an annual Family or Family Plus membership for less than a single visit... And then be able to enjoy the zoo all year long...! https://www.blankparkzoo.com/membership

Went to the boathouse for a land based learn to row class sponsored by above and beyond cancer. In…read moreaddition to the large space where the boats and equipment are stored, they have a nice workout room where they have a great number of rowing machines.