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!!

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).

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!

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!!!!!

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.

Wanted to look into renting the Lakeside center for my daughters wedding. I called twice and spoke…read moreto Leslie, she answered all my questions. The second time I called I wanted to reserve it. You can not do this online, unless you've already booked something with them before. So I had to leave work early to go in there. Ankeny residents have a better price then nonresidents. That's fine, my daughter is a resident. But to put it in her name we both have to go back. me to cancel it and her to book it. Seems like a lot of hassle, but it's an inexpensive wedding venue, so I guess we'll jump through the hoops. Leslie was courteous and polite. She answered my million questions. Now to plan the rest of the wedding! Yikes, where to begin? They don't accept credit cards, just cash or check.

As a fitness professional, I have high expectations for gyms and I like this one! They have a large…read morelap swim pool/diving area, leisure pool, therapy pool, basketball courts, racquetball courts, 2 group fit rooms, and childcare area downstairs. Upstairs, they have a lot of cardio machines, racks, weight machines, free weights, a cycle studio, and room to stretch. They offer many group fitness classes which I hope to try soon. I've heard great things about their childcare and how nice it is for families. The facility is kept clean and everyone is friendly. It's not quite as fancy as some gyms, but it gets the job done and isn't too expensive. Definitely the gym to join in Ankeny.

Best family facility in the region. You can't go wrong with all the amenities they offer. From the…read morefitness equipment, to the lap track, 4 basketball courts. the abundance of kids activities, an expansive child, watch, to the kid pool, you can't beat the price!

This is a lovely campground with beautiful mature trees and roomy spaces. There is a short walk to…read morerestrooms and showers which are very nice. Some spots are right on the river (look at site map) so are difficult to get especially on weekends. Used our sr. cards and got a great rate. Negatives: sites don't have septic and you have to book thru recreation.gov which is not the easiest site to navigate. All in all, well worth it! Camp host Frank is wonderful!

This is a great big recreation area that is broken up into three parts. When you first pull in you…read morecome to a stop sign and if you turn left you go into the camping area. If you go right you go into the picnic and playground area. If you go straight it takes you down to the boat ramps. I have never been to the campground portion of the rec area so I will leave that part to be reviewed by other people. The boat ramp area is very nice. They have two different sets of boat ramps. They have an upper set of boat ramps which are very long and very steep. They have a lower set of boat ramps which are your standard length and grade. The parking is down by the lower ramps and there is a pretty large parking area. The picnic area is very nice here. They have six shelters and two play areas for kids. Shelter 6 is arguably the best shelter area as it has the nicest playground close to it, a horseshoe area, and it also has an amazing view of the lake. By shelter 1 there is an entrance to the bike trail heading north with plenty of parking. There is also an entrance to the bike trail heading south near the entrance to the campground area. Overall this recreation area is a great place for the family offering lots of different options.