This is one of the greatest areas right at the tip of Saylorville Lake, offering a visitor's…read morecenter, playgrounds, walking and hiking trails, and easy access to the Neal Smith trail. Usually, we park the car over at the visitor center, and walk to wherever we're planning to visit throughout the lake and park area. Our dogs are small and get tired fast, so it's nice to have a centralized area with a lot to do, when they need a break. The visitor center provides access to beverage machines, maps, guides, and rules for the park areas. Off the back of the visitor center is a balcony that overlooks the lake, providing a pretty awesome view through the trees out into the water. Just a short walk northeast from the center is a butterfly garden, which actually lives up to its purpose, and just behind the garden is a heavily wooded area that leads to the beach. There are a ton of benches to sit on along the Neal Smith trail, which leads to more campgrounds, boating, and recreational sites. To the opposite direction is the actual dam, which despite its sometimes foul smell, is a sight to see. You're likely to see a few people fishing off of the dam, or just walking around the many secluded trails to view all parts of the park. Definitely recommend starting your next trip to Saylorville off on this side of the lake.

This is a beautiful camping, fishing, and hiking spot off of Saylorville lake…read more There are plenty of benches and picnic areas to enjoy the scenery and take in the great outdoors!!! There is also great fishing right off of the Dam spillway! With lookout areas if you don't feel like fishing. Beautiful grown trees and winding paths all right outside of Des Moines!!

This park is one of my wife's favorites because of the ponds and the trails. The park has two…read morepretty good sized ponds which are good for those looking to fish. The park has a basketball court with adjustable hoops so it is good for kids both big and small. There is also a shelter area right next to one of the ponds for parties. The kids play area is very large and spread out. It has multiple slides and plenty of things to keep the kids busy. It also has swings for little and big kids.

My husband and I cannot say enough good things about this campground and the owners/hosts. To begin…read morethe grounds are beautiful and well kept. We arrived late at night and our car ended up breaking down upon arrival. The owners were amazing - helped us to have a mechanic look at the vehicle. Totally went above and beyond to help us and make sure we were all set to be on our way the next day. Our site was just beautiful and private. They all have a place to make a fire. There are endless little walks and trails. For just 5$ you can add firewood to your stay. We loved it so much that we are going back next week. The experience is so different from the larger and more commercial, crowded campgrounds we have experienced in the past. Stay here and you will love it!!

Shady Brooks campground really lives up to its name. I would not recommend it to anyone. We…read morereserved a spot and when we got to the campground and got to our site we would not fit in that site or any sites there. I went and ask for refund she proceeds to tell me that there will be a $50 fee to return my money and it should take 5-7 business days. Then I wake up to a text several days later stating that Shady Brooks will not be giving me a refund.. Also when I paid for a month she added sales tax . Who does that at a campground because everyone I've been to the tax is already included. They are just scamming left and right at that campground! This is what she sent me: Hi Andrew, this is Dena with Shadybrook Camping. I just wanted to let you know that you will not be getting a refund due to our very strict cancellation policies, and the fact that your camper fit just fine in your site. Or we could have put you in a different site. Our policies are on our website, if you want to look at them. Sorry for the inconvenience. Thanks. This woman never came out to the campground site so she has no idea how we wouldn't fit there or in any of them to park 44ft fifth wheel with a deck that opens more less park two vehicles, and a enclosed trailer!

This is a really neat park north east of Ames. It's the home of the Story County Conservation…read moreCenter and a lot of classes and programming. There are some deceptively long hiking trails here that will let you traverse the various biomes of the state of Iowa. There are wooded, riparian and native prarire areas along trails immediately adjacent to the park and it also serves as a great launching point and connector for the Skunk River Greenbelt system of trails that continue to the north. There are primitive campsites and mutli-use hiking and biking trails. There is actually a lot to do outside in Story County, it's just not obvious & McFarland Park is a great place to get acquainted.

McFarland is a beautiful park with a small lake suitable for fishing, picnic sites, a paved walking…read moretrail and what I call a prairie walking trail. The Story County conservation office is located here and is open during the week and is a good source for material for what outdoor activities are available in the area.

This spot is the coolest part of West Des Moines…read more Especially at night. I loved coming out there 15 years ago to run and enjoy the scenery. And STILL love coming out here to enjoy it with friends and family. It has a little romantic feel to it. And some nostalgia. Many walkers, groups of people, and cute couples come out here to enjoy the scenery. Perfect first date outing! Come out to enjoy fresh air, a nice walk, a modest water fountain, an amphitheater and seating in the summer. Winter comes and the evergreen is dressed with Christmas lights. My favorite time to enjoy the Center is in the summer though. Patio seating at the restaurants point to this water area. My favorite patio to sit at and enjoy the water is Bravo. (They have the perfect angle pointing to the mall skyline and water) Highly recommend a summer time visit and make memories.

What makes Jordan Creek Town Center, above and beyond your normal mall?…read moreI believe sometimes you need to add a little life, and out door beauty to a shopping experience! This is where the Lake District comes in! A beautiful man made lake that sits in the middle of it all! The Lake District features a 3.5 acre (14,000 m²) lake with walking trails, a boardwalk with waterfront dining, a Residence Inn by Marriott hotel, an amphitheater, and several casual dining restaurants. In the summer there are ducks, fish, frogs, and other "wild life," everywhere! No one wants to hang out in a mall in the summer time, this makes the trip a worth while experience, having a picnic by the lake before you go inside to buy that new Ipad or whatever you do! I love this place!

This park was a stop on a road trip for a leg stretch break. It's awesome, there is everything you…read morecan think of for a park. They have plenty for little kids and big kids. There's also a trail. An hour passed before we blinked! We will be back and highly recommend putting this on your list if you chase parks like our family!

Can I be a kid again??? Even as the parent, this park is 10x better than I imagined it to be. It is…read moreimportant to note that Triumph Park is not only a playground but also a recplex of sorts with multiple ball fields, small lake with a fishing dock, and walking trails. But I am am here to talk about the playground portion because I was blow away! Everyone else must be as pleased and excited as I am because on a Friday evening the place was packed. Pulling up I was fearful I made the wrong choice seeing all of the cars and kiddos running around but there is so much to do on the playground and it is a large enough space that it still was enjoyable for my step daughter. I also want to note that my stepdaughter is upper elementary school age and parks are hit and miss given her size/age. Triumph Park playground is a HIT and reminds me of those expensive indoor obstacle parks you pay to go to - Did I mention this is a public park so it is FREE!? There is also ample parking since it is adjacent to the ball diamonds. One of my favorite parts is that the base (floor) of the playground is solid with a rubber mat or faux grass materials with padding underneath for a little cushion to protect your littles. Also no mess! - Who ever allowed sandbox/woodchip playgrounds anyways, yuck! I am not sure I can describe this next feature well but most of the structure is sort of built into the ground. The main portion is dug into a "hole" so the landscape itself is fun for the kids to run up and down, it is also lined with faux grass and cushion. (I told you I wouldn't describe that well, you will just have to go see it for yourself!). There is plenty of play spaces for little kids but the tall, tall slides for the big kids and towers to get to them are INSANE. I have never seen anything like it in a public, outdoor park. They also have really fun spins (literally) on a merry-go-round and teeter-totter, the kids really seemed loved these. I not sure how else to describe it other than I was extremely impressed. We will be visiting many times this summer and telling all of our friends!

What a fun place! One of the last open air skating rinks in the country .. in the world? Really…read morenice campsites and grounds. But, the skating rink! It is so cool!

A beautiful campground, just the right distance away from home…read more Lots of electric sites with easy access. There is a Lake, there is two sides to said Lake. No matter which side you pick to camp on you are going to be close enough to walk to the middle. Or somewhere where there is water to fish in. In the middle is beach area. You can swim at the beach. You can get snacks at the snack house or you can get a paddle boat, kayak, or canoe and rent from the snack house. (They have ice cream too) There is a is even a wood floor skating rink! This was my favorite thing. I am a grown woman and I still love to skate. They pull up the window shutters and play music you can hear all the way out to your camper if you are on the waters edge. We took advantage of their Frisbee course. Its a smaller one, but it was set up nice and a perfect size to teach my parents how to play Frisbee golf. There is a golf cart that comes around in the evenings selling firewood and ice. What a fantastic idea. We only wished there was a little better signage or maybe another dump station. We only located one to fill up and dump for this big campground. I will be back. FYI- this was new. The local golf course was offering free golfing to campers. So it was purchase 9 holes get 9 free for the campers here. They don't have rental clubs yet, so you'll want to bring your own.

This is a great park, situated around a small lake. There is a playground on the premises and a…read moreshelter. There are also modern toilet facilities. Clean. Well kept. Family friendly. Plenty of parking. Great walk around the lake. Good for dog walking. Marcydiner tantrum scale of 5/5-no screaming kids. We have also seen people fishing here, although we haven't tried it yet. We used to come here frequently, not so much now that the kids are older.

This is a fun park to take my 3 kiddos to, they have several swings and although it looks like a…read moresmaller playground, there's lots to do on it! We also walk/ bike around the lake. Shady areas and picnic tables are around as well.

After playing at this park my little man proclaimed it one of his favorites. There is a pretty…read morepond in the middle with a walking trail that goes around it. There are also lots of trees lining the pond and trail that help make it a fun trail to walk. There is a bridge that goes across the pond that we saw people fishing off of. There is also a lookout area over the pond that is very pretty and we saw a family doing family photos from the lookout. Beyond the lookout is a fountain in the water. Away from the pond is a neat kids area that is designed like a tree fort. There are stairs hidden inside the tree and lots of things for the kids to do around the tree. Next to the kids play area is a shelter for parties and get togethers.

Wow! Beautiful lake and grounds, covered with grass and highly established trees. Walking and…read morebiking paths, along with a cool concession area, bathrooms and a park with swing set! I sat here and soaked up the warm air under a shade tree, drinking my coffee. No better way to end this work trip.

I was fortunate enough to be able to be at Gray's Lake Park here in Des Moines, IA. The park itself…read morewas flat and featured a long bridge among many basic and lush amenities here. Definitely a place I'd want to come back to. One full circumference around Gray's Lake Park was approximately 2 miles and the fact that I was here doing more than just one of these loops around was proof positive that I was certified crazy. I was here for the annual Equilizer Endurance run event that featured a 24, 12, or 6 hr timed run. The park itself was beautiful and scenic. The lake was tranquil and quiet as i rounded the park with some reckless abandon and full crazy mode on. The bridge had some neon lighting installed on it. Initially thought it was something odd, but when night fell, the bridge illuminated itself and we could see it at all points around the park itself. I noticed that Gray's Lake Park has at least one centralized restroom facility on site, which is awesome for those who need them on any particular day. For my experience here at Gray's Lake Park, I didn't need to use it, which was surprising. I enjoyed the aspect that the park itself was accessible and lush at the same time. There are 2 main parking lots at the public's disposal. We parked at the main one that's close to Fleur Drive. There's also another one next to the restroom facilities. To be honest, October 29, 2022 was a great day to be here at Gray's Lake Park. I'm sure any other day would be as sweet, but I was here on that day doing what I do best: attempting to run a marathon or ultra in Des Moines, IA. The overall experience here at Gray's Lake Park in Des Moines, IA was as peaceful as grueling since I was here doing a stupid stupid thing. There were passerby's as well as families walking around and people choosing to do a picnic on a fine Saturday afternoon. Some people were wondering if there was a race going on, until they saw my race number. "Oh" they said. It was nice to see other peoples using the park on a Saturday afternoon, other than being active like how I was. Anyone and everyone can use the park for legitimate activities. Best thing is the restroom facilities on site, so you don't have to leave and go elsewhere and then return to the park for additional added fun. A friend of mine pointed out the city of Des Moines skyline when we were near the restrooms and it was nice to see that, hidden amongst the trees that lined the canal just beyond the walking path. Gray's Lake Park is suitable for all ages as well as pets, but keep them on a leash so they don't wander off unexpectedly. If you enjoy the peaceful calm and want stress to leave you temporarily, consider coming to Gray's Lake Park in Des Moines, IA. It is pretty cool if you are either in the area or just passing thru. Gray' Lake Park is located at 2101 Fleur Drive in Des Moines, IA. It's a few miles from the Des Moines regional airport, also on Fleur Drive. It's a place where you can go to chill before your flight if you need to and enjoy mother nature in her glory before leaving. Everything is wide open spaces, except for the restroom facilities. Best thing to do is bring your own stuff like chairs and tables, to enjoy a day here outside. Best bet would be to come here early to secure a good prime parking spot. I arrived here in a private vehicle and had a fun time here at Gray's Lake Park. If you are familiar with the DART bus system, consider the routes you need to come here. And as always, there's Uber and Lyft at your disposal. For the most part though, the experience here is immeasurable, especially because I ran a marathon here at Gray's Lake Park. Hope to be back soon, if travels and races allow me to do so. 5.0 stars for the overall experience. Support local! A+