This was a beautiful riverwalk with well maintained paths and bridges. There was also gorgeous…read morelandscaping and nearby gardens. The path is about 1.2 miles long, and great to walk, bike, and jog. The riverwalk connects the east and west sides of downtown via two pedestrian bridges, so it's handy to walk to local attractions. I loved how there were maps of the nearby trails and businesses. The river itself smelled fresh, and I didn't see any litter or trash floating around. Props to Des Moines, Principal Financial and the Iowa state government for making this happen!

Great Place to ride a bike or walk. Also enjoy a nice picnic and with a nice view to take some…read morepictures . Must Visit With Plenty Restaurants near by.

This is a great multi-use park located near Valley Junction. They have a family friendly beach…read morearea, a newly installed accessible playground, dog park (permit required), walking/bike path, and boat house where you can rent kayaks and stand up paddle boards. There are also soccer fields and baseball/softball diamonds close by. Lots of parking lots near various areas.

I am an Arizona Desert Rat who grew up in Iowa. I am visiting the beautiful small town of Norwalk,…read moreIowa and we have been fishing at Blue Heron Lake in Raccoon River Park. What an incredible job you've done West Des Moines! This place has it all! Swimming beach, boat launch, kayak and canoe rentals and a very nice wheelchair accessible fishing pier! We have been enjoying this place so much! Ok the kids and the girls are catching all the fish (I am Worm Boy and take the fish off the hook haha) Catch and release! I cannot say enough nice things about Raccoon River Park!

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 is not a business but it is a highlight of Des Moines!!Wow this is a mega park!!!…read more This specific playground area is extremely large for your typical park. The only playground I've ever seen with canopies to provide shade. (My favorite part of the play equipment) I love the wheelchair access to the playground equipment too. We visited on a Tuesday afternoon and there was a large school bus full of kids. There was PLENTY of room to play and run for many families including my own! I wasn't as disappointed realizing how much room there was for all the kids to play. I love there are hiking trails within the woods. One was closed due to the wetness of the trail. Another trail was beyond the soap box derby track and was open. Over all it was a very pleasant visit and i really enjoy this park! This park is a highlight to the south side of Des Moines!

Being from out of town, I'm always unsure when I look for a park. You never really know what you're…read moregetting in to. This park, however, is one of the good ones. It's clean, there is a lot for the kids to do, and even though it was packed there was still enough room for my 9 y/o and 1.5 y/o to play. The people we met were nice and it seemed everyone was looking out for each other. That's hard to find at a park, so I appreciated it. There was also a lovely trail to walk if you're tired of the playground. Oh, and there was a less busy playground across the street. While it wasn't as new as this one, it was still a good place. There are bathrooms with water fountains and porta-johns as well.

We got in too late to truly enjoy the camping, but we did have a lovely hike in the morning before…read morewe left. The parts of the park we saw were clean and the trails were well maintained. Hopefully we can come back in the future- I feel like there is a lot left to explore!

What a hidden gem of a campground. Beautiful spot. Nice level campsites. I can't wait to come back.read more

What a great little, very simple park. It's easy to get to, but there is limited parking. However,…read morethere is overflow parking down the road a bit. As you can see we were there in late fall. It wasn't busy and so it was quite a peaceful place. The trails we were on were wide and graveled, which would make walking accessible for many. We went in the middle of the day and so didn't hear very much city noise. A very nice getaway from the city bustle.

This is a great area for walking in the woods any time of the year. We can do a long loop in about…read more50 minutes. Parking can be limited in the main lot but there is additional parking down the road.

We stayed here on an RV trip across the country. It was a great site. A load of trails and…read morefriendly people everywhere. Also, as you're in the middle of des moines you can get delivery from the town. The tree coverage is very nice and keeps the place cool during the day and the prices are super reasonable. We really enjoyed our stay here and I would suggest it for anyone looking for an RV campsite in or around Des Moines.

It's a wonderful park that has lots of accessible areas and point of picnic, parking areas…read more They have river access, there's a shelter available for rent, end the camping area that accommodates some r v's. I enjoy the park for the birding opportunities that provides. It has an accessible bird viewing area with easy access for wheelchairs. I've seen red headed woodpeckers there , downey , woodpeckers , flycatchers , wobblers , finches , lots of variety. I also enjoy hiking the trail that's next to the bird area.For a wonderful walk into a burr oak forest with many of the trees looking like they're a several hundred plus years old. It's quiet and cool.Because the trail shaded. The other thing of note is that cut the trail wide enough that you can reasonably avoid ticks. I wish they would create a loop on that trail that would end up , so you would know that you've walked a mile or two. Maybe some volunteers could create it

What a great small ski hill. Excellent instructors and learning environment. Not crowded. Priced…read moreright.

What an awesome place! We did tubing 4-6pm; not super busy and kids had a blast. Everyone working…read morethere were interacted with were friendly and welcoming! Facilities were well maintained and clean. Can't say enough good things about this place!

One of the finer bicycle trails that I have ridden on. Scenery is beautiful, trail itself is well…read moremaintained. It meanders about and through a golf course, which is kind of fun! Several bars along the way to either grab a bite or get your drink on!

I regularly enjoy this route as part of bike trail and can share some insights…read more Pros: 1. The shade is always a pleasure on hot sunny days. 2. The incline and declines are gradual, despite a few small hills. On uphill, this allows you to keep your speed up and also work a bit harder. 3. There is enough space for three bikes across in the event someone passes another biker and miscalculated the oncoming traffic. 4. You have multiple options for bars! 5. You can enjoy nature along the trail if that is your interest. Cons: 1. As of summer 2018, there are numerous bumps/cracks in the asphalt that can honestly cause damage to some bikes, and can really slow your pace. There is evidence they tried to repair them with that black goo, but it's still bad. I wish they would fully repave it. 2. There are a few crossings that require slowing/stopping to watch out for traffic. 3. Near the golf course there are some sharp curves you have to slow down for (trust me). You do occasionally have to deal with golf carts crossing in your path.