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    Chamberlain Park

    4.0 (2 reviews)

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    Bob Shetler Recreation Area - Map of saylorville lake area

    Bob Shetler Recreation Area

    5.0(3 reviews)
    8.5 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!!

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    Bob Shetler Recreation Area - View of the beach from behind the Visitor Center

    View of the beach from behind the Visitor Center

    Bob Shetler Recreation Area - Walking the dogs along the butterfly garden trails

    Walking the dogs along the butterfly garden trails

    Bob Shetler Recreation Area - Shore of the dam, where fishing is acceptable

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    Shore of the dam, where fishing is acceptable

    Oak Grove Recreation Area - The swim beach at oak grove

    Oak Grove Recreation Area

    4.5(2 reviews)
    10.7 mi

    What can $5 get you? The oak grove beach are is nicely maintained and a lot of beach for…read moreactivities and getting together with friends. Day trips cost $5 for the permit. The are hundreds of parking spots. Tons of big grain sand, not Pensacola sand bit you could imagine it's coquina if you close your eyes. The water at saylorville in July is clear and a little green. Perfect temps for cooling off as you watch all the boat people go by. The dedicated swim area is the size of a football field. So even busy there is room to spread out. The bottom is the heavy sand and comfortable to walk in if you're grossed out by weeds and mud. Overall this is nice spot and only 5 miles outside of Ankeny. The views is nice of the Saylorville lake which is a core of engineers lake along the Des Moines River Basin. There is no lifeguard on duty but also no rip tides. Come enjoy a little 'surf' action as the little waves sweep in and give you that faux beach experience!

    This is a nice small rec area. When you first enter the area you can either go straight or left…read more If you go left it takes you to the picnic area. The picnic area has two shelter areas and a small play area. The play area consists of just a rope structure that kids can climb on. Shelter 2 is a neat shelter that is down a trail and tucked back in to the woods. If you go straight when you first enter it takes you down to the beach. The beach area is very large and has a very large parking lot and there is a bike trail that connects to it. The beach is a great place to take the family.

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    Oak Grove Recreation Area - Toes in the water!

    Toes in the water!

    Oak Grove Recreation Area - A crappy pano

    A crappy pano

    Oak Grove Recreation Area - Parking Lot

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    Parking Lot

    Prairie Flower Recreation Area

    Prairie Flower Recreation Area

    4.3(3 reviews)
    11.0 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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    Prairie Flower Recreation Area
    Prairie Flower Recreation Area
    Prairie Flower Recreation Area

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    Chamberlain Park - parks - Updated May 2026

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