Carr Pool

(3 reviews)

23.7 mi

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!!

View of the beach from behind the Visitor Center

Walking the dogs along the butterfly garden trails

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Shore of the dam, where fishing is acceptable

Sandpiper Recreation Area

(3 reviews)

20.2 mi

This is one of the best kept secret areas of Saylorville Lake. When you first pull in there is…read moreparking for easy access to the bike trail. After passing that you come into the park and can either go left or straight. If you go left it takes you to the shelter and play area and if you go straight it takes you to the boat ramp and beach areas. The boat ramp is a two vehicle ramp so you can have two boats going in and coming out at a time. There is a huge double parking lot attached. The second part of the parking lot is also used for beach parking. The beach is really nice and has a couple picnic tables with shade over looking it. The shelter and play area is really nice. The play area is new and big and kiddos can play on it for a while. Right next to the play area is the shelter area. The shelter area is huge and in the shape of an L. It has fire places on both ends of the shelter. The play area is to the north of the shelter and on the south side of the shelter is a sand volleyball court and a baseball field. If you were going to have a family reunion or big party this would definitely be a good shelter to rent.

Great quiet and clean place for the kiddos!! There's a bike trail, restrooms and has a short walk…read moreto the waterside.

Picnic tables overlooking the beach and lake

Boat ramp

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Beach rules

Furman Aquatic Center

4.4

1.5 mi

Excellent facility with a wide range of activities for all ages. Cost is reasonable just wish the…read moreweather would be more cooperative.

Furman Aquatic Center is possibly one of my favorite places, ever. Considering the rules of other…read moreplaces I've been to in the past, they are pretty relaxed and kind. Lifeguards are there to ensure everyone is safe and has an enjoyable time. I'd rather a lifeguard be overly cautious with a child not swimming the best in the deep end, than that some terrible accident happen. The facilities are beautiful, and they have a lot of amenities like food concessions, locker rooms, changing rooms, and full showers. While they don't let you bring food in the facilities, you're allowed a bottle of water. Pros: An amazing place for taking swimming lessons or for exercising with water walking or doing lap swim. There are lawn chairs, and a picnic table area. The place is the most relaxing place ever. Relax, enjoy, cool off, and make new friends. I love it. Like any place, there's a lot of good, and some little bad -- but it's mostly not the place's fault. Cons: People can sometimes get territorial over their preferred spot in the pool during the 11-1pm exercise time. Sometimes, people sneak in to just open-swim and not exercise, getting in the way of others who are, so perhaps a little more screening during the 11-1 timeslot would be best so people know they can't just goof around when others are there to exercise. There can be unruly teenagers sometimes that might ruin the lazy river experience if what you want is to relax, etc. Little things like that. On super, super hot days, the place might be way too full. But come back on a cloudy, hot day, and you'll find the place pretty decent. I really have no serious complaints about it other than I wish we had no winters and could enjoy it year round. heh I have high praise for all staff. I learned to swim with them this summer, and I will never forget the experience. I am eternally thankful and grateful.

Water slide tower and lazy river.

Splash park and shallow pool for little kids.

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The slides!

Polk County Conservation

20.4 mi

Great campground. The bison / elk wildlife preserve is awesome. Located on the north side of…read moreSaylorville lake.

What an awesome campground! Has both electric and non-electric sites. Grounds are clean and well…read moremaintained. Pit toilets and shower houses are available. Large playground for the kids. Golf course and equestrian center nearby. Miles of hiking/walking trails. Loads of trees. Wildlife everywhere to enjoy. A bison and elk herd to watch. Plenty of outdoor activities to keep everyone entertained. Cost is low for camping sites, $20/day for electrical, $15/day for non- electrical. Firewood available for purchase near registration booth. Campground host is very friendly and helpful. Sites available in tree lined area and also overlooking Saylorville Lake. An excellent place for a getaway that is near both Ankeny and Des Moines (about 15 minute drive).

Bison at the Bison and Elk display

Camp host spot.

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One of the reservation camp sites at Jester Park

United All Stars

(1 review)

43.6 mi

Amazing place for three years! Till we had to move Everyone including the staff is so nice and…read morehelpful! Also it's affordable! Best dance and cheer center I have ever been to!

From the owner: The UAS philosophy is to make young athletes proud of themselves and give them a sense of…read moreself-esteem, respect and discipline all while having fun!

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Seven Oaks Recreation

4.1

(26 reviews)

18.0 mi

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!

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

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Saylorville Lake Marina

3.7

(10 reviews)

20.2 mi

High prices, average marina experience. Nice people there. Will be nicer once the construction is…read morecomplete.

Rented a boat and tube here and had such a great time. All staff were extremely helpful and very…read morecourteous to us "first timers." The weather ended up not so great so we'll be back for the 2nd half of our day. Such a great place!

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Sapphire Gymnastics Academy

4.2

(5 reviews)

28.6 mi

Love this place! Full of genuinely caring people! I couldn't be happier here, and I highly…read moreencourage you check it out - open gym, recreationally, competitively, or birthday parties - whatever you try is going to be great for your kiddos!

We love this gym. They are helpful, friendly and they made my daughter feel comfortable for her…read morefirst gymnastics experience. I can't recommend them enough. From the first trial class to our second session this summer, they have been prompt in their email responses and thorough in their guidance and information. 10/10 highly recommend.

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Jester Park Outdoor Recreation & Wellness Center

(2 reviews)

20.1 mi

Really fun walking trail for kids. Very enjoyable for families. Easy to get to from Des Moines…read moremetro area.

Wow wow wow! What a wonderful addition to Jester Park!…read more The recreation center came after the Nature Center and it completely fits the park with the activities it offers. We came out here for Snowshoeing. $10 to rent per person. They even have children sizes! Other activities to do are: Cross country skiing, bouldering wall, indoor archery and air rifle practice. The hours accommodate the winter months and the spring and summer hours are as follows: March 16 - 20 | Monday - Friday | 10 a.m. - 4 p.m ... Summer ORWC hours (Memorial Day -Labor Day) Thursday & Friday |10 a.m. -4:30 p.m. Saturday | 10 a.m. - 4 p.m. Sunday | Noon - 4 p.m. Staff is friendly and professional. Very engaging and personal. Clean facility with restrooms and drinking fountain. Free coffee and tea with a donation box to give. I can't wait to come back!!!!!

Getting ready to snowshoe

The rec center

Got those shoes on

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Prairie Flower Recreation Area

4.3

(3 reviews)

20.8 mi

Awesome Campground in a beautiful area of Des Moines. This looked like a relatively wealthy suburb…read morewith nice houses all around. Walkable access to the lake. About 15-20 minutes away from the City Center of Des Moines but the Farmers Market on Saturday's is an absolutely MUST stop. We really enjoyed our stay, just wish it was longer. Pro's: 1) Beautiful location right on the lake. 2) Long concrete pads that had no problem fitting our 43' TH. 3) Small jungle gym for our kids to play on. 4) Walking distance to the lake beach. 5) Easy to navigate roads 6) Awesome and easily accessible fishing areas around. Con's: 1) Electric only, although they had water throughout the park and a dump station up and the front. 2) Trash dumpsters were VERY far away. Had to truck our trash out to the dumpster. 3) Ants ... Ants, and more ants. Keep anything food related away from the outside of the rig and keep your fingers crossed they don't find the a path to the inside. 4) Power went out in the middle of the night when it was ranging near 100 degree's on the high for the day. It turned back on within minutes, but just a heads up on the power grid of the campground. 5) Pad is concrete (Awesome) but is far from level. Not sure I saw a level site in the entire CG. Even with the con's, its hard to beat $22/night. We'd stay here again in a heart beat. 3-4 days seems to be ideal.

This campground was packed on weekends and dead during the week (which we love!). Our family of 7…read morestayed for 2 weeks. Our site was electric only. There's a dump station and some places to fill water tanks. The playground looks pretty new and our kids enjoyed it. It was a basic, no frills campground that felt like a state park stripped down. The extremely frustrating thing is getting reservations. Every weekend is booked, but the weeks are wide open....yet we were not able to extend our stay to midweek because there is a 14 day limit.

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Big Creek State Park

4.1

18.2 mi

Really nice playground for kids to play on. They really need to treat their grassburrs and grass…read morestickers especially around the playground. Other than that, great place for the entire family.

We like dropping the boat into Big Creek. We don't have the best fishing luck, but it's been nice…read moreevery time. I've been to the beech a couple of times over the years. I've walked some trails too. Lots more to offer than I'm typing, but it's always a nice quick trip for us.

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Birdland Pool

3.3

(4 reviews)

29.2 mi

My daughter was here for a swim meet. The pool was super dirty so was the blocks! I would give it a…read morethree just cause of the dirty pool! But everything else was ok! The locker rooms were a little dirty!!

Found a pool this Summa!!!!…read more Review during COVID19: Birdland pool is like a hidden gem for Central Des Moines this summer! Never been here before but we've been here twice now. No FRILLS pool. They have 1 slide and 3 diving boards. A wading pool that goes 2.5'; very large size too. The pool is clean water and the environment is clean. The price is great too! $2.00 for kids; $4.00 for adult. Free for 3 and under. People around us do not wear masks. There are different ethnic families that live near and visit this pool. They play very loud music. A different variety but I think they play most recent rap and hip hop the most. Staff here is great! They also have two local officers inside the pool to keep things safe. The pool is located by North High school so that's probably why they have officers; it's a little rough neighborhood. The two times we visited we have watched the pool capacity website before arriving. This pool stays under the capacity limit every day and have found it to be very compliant to COVID social distancing regulations. The staff wipe surfaces every hour. At the end of the swim session they are cleaning everything immediately. They also wear masks when they are around people. There's a snack bar open but we've never visited. The water slide is the highlight of the visit for the kids. Young jumpers must go through a swim test before allowed on the diving boards. I recommend visiting this pool this summer. I'm not too sure during any other year as they may be a lot more full but I've enjoyed our visits so far. We will be returning more this summer as we feel safe coming here and seeing how the staff and the people around us are abiding to social distancing rules.

Overlooking pool from the east side

Nice open water slide

Entrance

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Furman Aquatic Center

4.4

1.5 mi

Excellent facility with a wide range of activities for all ages. Cost is reasonable just wish the…read moreweather would be more cooperative.

Furman Aquatic Center is possibly one of my favorite places, ever. Considering the rules of other…read moreplaces I've been to in the past, they are pretty relaxed and kind. Lifeguards are there to ensure everyone is safe and has an enjoyable time. I'd rather a lifeguard be overly cautious with a child not swimming the best in the deep end, than that some terrible accident happen. The facilities are beautiful, and they have a lot of amenities like food concessions, locker rooms, changing rooms, and full showers. While they don't let you bring food in the facilities, you're allowed a bottle of water. Pros: An amazing place for taking swimming lessons or for exercising with water walking or doing lap swim. There are lawn chairs, and a picnic table area. The place is the most relaxing place ever. Relax, enjoy, cool off, and make new friends. I love it. Like any place, there's a lot of good, and some little bad -- but it's mostly not the place's fault. Cons: People can sometimes get territorial over their preferred spot in the pool during the 11-1pm exercise time. Sometimes, people sneak in to just open-swim and not exercise, getting in the way of others who are, so perhaps a little more screening during the 11-1 timeslot would be best so people know they can't just goof around when others are there to exercise. There can be unruly teenagers sometimes that might ruin the lazy river experience if what you want is to relax, etc. Little things like that. On super, super hot days, the place might be way too full. But come back on a cloudy, hot day, and you'll find the place pretty decent. I really have no serious complaints about it other than I wish we had no winters and could enjoy it year round. heh I have high praise for all staff. I learned to swim with them this summer, and I will never forget the experience. I am eternally thankful and grateful.