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 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.

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 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!

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.

Absolutely gorgeous, well maintained ,clean and safe. Could use a few more water stationsread more

Nice swimming beach with boat and kayak rentals and a snack shop that offers $1 life jacket rentals…read morefor the kiddos. Lots of shade trees, picnic benches, shady grass adjacent to the sandy beach area.

Great bait shop. Johnny is very knowledgeable on fishing equipment. Not far at all from the main…read moreriver fishing bridges. Located on the southside.

Rotary Riverwalk Park was really enjoyable to walk around during the day and the evening time…read more There is limited parking on the west side during a weekend night but pretty open during the day on Sunday. During the day, we walked over the huge Bobber statue, walked down near the dam of the river where this is a walking area. We walked the bridge both during the day and night and really enjoyed it. The bridge itself is the Iowa Women of Achievement Bridge which was really cool to learn about. At night we checked out the Robert D Ray Asian Garden (parked on the street) and were able to enjoy that and the view of the river. Overall, this is a really enjoyable area to come check out. It is free and worth your time to see!

I came here for the first time last night and it is such a cute spot!…read more It's right next to the beautiful Landmark Bridge and has a giant fishing lure sculpture that has swings attached to it. One is even a safety swing for littles! Blue lighting illuminates the entire thing, making for a great spot to take pictures. There were lots of young kids and families laughing and playing together at 11:00 at night. Just another great addition to Des Moines!

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+