A tucked away playground that isn't so secret…read more.. Found this playground through a friend who lives in the neighborhood. It's tucked away in suburbia and a collection of baseball diamonds. You wouldn't know it was here unless you live close by. Wonderful place to play! Must be new to the baseball diamonds. During COVID19 review: A playground that isn't so secret...Many visitors were here while we came out during the middle of a work day. There were a lot of kids running around including my own and a friend's. Kids were not social distant. Two kids wore masks while their mom had one on as well. The rest of the kids were not masked. The playground is super fun! Slides, slides, and more slides. Rubber playground surfacing and updated equipment make it phenomenal. The mini zip line seat is the highlight! Rolling slide and horizontal rolling slide. Plenty of swings as well. The playground is an all inclusive one: accessible pieces of equipment that were created and designed that allows all children to play of different abilities, skills, and conditions. We love these playgrounds! Highly recommend visiting! Will be coming back if there are smaller crowds.

I live right by this park and raised 50 dollars to help fund it, unfortunately my brother stole and…read morespent it, but its the thought that counts. Its a great park for all ages, adults too. Its got a zipline and a seesaw and a huge play set. I recommend visiting. Its a miracle park for handicapped people. And there is a bathroom nearby but its usually locked unless the miracle field is being used. I love going here at least weekly if not more. If you stand from the park side of the (well kept) trail, and go right down the trail. After a five minute walk there is another fun park with a little library. You have to cross the street once though (if you have little runners). I recommend the miracle park no question it is an amazing resource for disabled children and is wheelchair accessible. If you want to know about more good parks in the area, walker johnston park, terra park, and if you are willing to go for a 35 minute ride from the north view park area (urbandale), big creek park. I will leave reviews on these three parks for more information. - local helper, Via w.

This is our favorite park in Ankeny for the kiddo. It is a huge park with tons of play areas for…read morekids. It has a bunch of slides, swings, and climbing rocks. The facility has a small kids play area and a big kids play area. It has a concession area that is open on game days. It has a baseball field with a special surface for disabled kids so that they can play baseball. One of the other great parts of the park is that it is all handicap accessible. If you're going to pick a park to take your kids to in Ankeny I recommend this one the most.

The slides, swings and playground area was great. I brought my friend's 12 year old (who didn't…read morewant to leave) while I got my steps in. There were two decent sized shaded area with picnic tables. I only knocked off a star for the dead cockroach I saw. That being said, it is outside around lots of green things so it is understandable. I would still totally go back.

My wife and I are Camp host at dolliver Memorial state Park. I've been to most of our state parks…read moreand this is by far the most beautiful park we have. My wife and I take pride in the cleanliness of the bathrooms and the ground and we will do our best to keep it that way.

I stopped at this park on my way from Fort Dodge, IA back to Omaha. I had heard great things about…read morethis park, and it was defientely worth the detour! The place was amazing, surrounded by big beautiful trees. It was adjacent to a river, and perfect for kayaking. Beautiful campsites, and hiking trails. I was out on the trails for a few hours this morning, and extremely cleaned, well maintained trails! It was peaceful, and easy to navigate. I have attached pictures for gorgeous reference! Happy Trails!

This place is awesome and always a destination when we need to touch Ledges State Park is one of…read moreour favorite places to take visitors when we want to show off just how beautiful this part of Iowa really is. It never disappoints. We've spent so much time here exploring, hiking, and driving through the water crossings -- which is always a blast, especially when you accidentally (on purpose) splash water all over the kids waiting nearby. So much fun. I have way too many pictures from this place, and somehow it still feels different every time we go. On our most recent visit, we brought Kim's parents to see the fall colors. We missed peak color by a bit, but honestly, it was still beautiful. Even when it's not at its "perfect" moment, Ledges is still worth the trip. If you want nature, scenery, and a spot that never gets old, this is it

Nestled in the Iowa Central Plains, just north of Des Moines, is a hidden gem called Ledges State…read morePark. Established in 1924, this 100-year-old park has beautiful vegetation and wonderful camping spots. Picking Chris are available for those. They just want to stop in and check out the area for the day. Camping spots are a mixed combination of primitive, electric only, and electric / water,/ sewer combo spaces. Bathrooms include showers and are kept in very neat and clean manner. Reservations for camping can be made online and there are a number of spots that are walk in only. June is definitely their high month so checking out availability ahead of time is recommended There are a number of hiking / running paths in the area that allow for all levels of ability. The park includes a boat ramp to the Des Moines river so bring your fishing poles too. Smaller streams in the area offer little swimming spots and splash pads for kids, but does require parental supervision. Camp spots typically include picnic table firing, and well cleared out area for your equipment. Check park rules for details. Leashed pets are allowed. Nice playground offers a great central meeting area for the kiddies. There are camp hosts on site that will immediately attend to any maintenance issue. Within short distance to some of the most excellent bike paths in Iowa including the famous high trestle bridge and definitely some awesome ice cream parlors at trailhead in small towns. The Iowa Arboretum is a short drive from the campground if you want to see some beautiful Flora and Fauna (there is admission fee). An abundance of aviary wildlife in the area for birdwatchers. Exceptionally quiet and a great spot for stargazers. Don't forget your bug spray!

Photo taken 4/24/26…read more This is such a lovely place! We have been here several times, and we love it each time we visit. We've been here twice on field trips with my child's class, and several other times outside of that. There is an information center and plenty of outdoor activities. It's very well maintained, and the staff here are all wonderful. It's definitely a fun place for fishing or just simply walking around and enjoying nature. For those that enjoy birdwatching, this is also a great location to do so. The information center has quite a few activities for anyone interested in learning about any type of nature. You can ask for kits to inspect tadpoles or water creatures as well as binoculars for birdwatching. There's also a natural play structure for kids to explore. It's so peaceful and serene; this also makes it perfect for a picnic! There is a path that goes around the water, and there are also a few gazebos and benches for you to stop at to take a break or just enjoy the day.

This is a really neat park north east of Ames. It's the home of the Story County Conservation…read moreCenter and a lot of classes and programming. There are some deceptively long hiking trails here that will let you traverse the various biomes of the state of Iowa. There are wooded, riparian and native prarire areas along trails immediately adjacent to the park and it also serves as a great launching point and connector for the Skunk River Greenbelt system of trails that continue to the north. There are primitive campsites and mutli-use hiking and biking trails. There is actually a lot to do outside in Story County, it's just not obvious & McFarland Park is a great place to get acquainted.

What a great park! There are several playgrounds, gazebos, and leisure areas so you never feel…read morecrowded. It's kept very clean and well maintained. The local flower beds throughout the park are a nice touch too. Fishing in the Ioway Creek is quite fun as well. Even the wildlife says hello every now and then

Lovely park! I like to drive to this place when I feel down or have had a long day. Love to walk…read morearound, absorb in the park's beauty and have some quiet time to myself. Sometimes, I don't even get down from my car, just sit inside and look at the sunset in an amber sky and the park getting dark all of a sudden. I'll come back during summer and post better pics :)

How lucky were we to find this! The county should be really proud of what they've done here. They…read morehave many very affordable sites, our has full hookups and it it cozy and spacious at the same time. The entire park is beautiful and even has a great looking public golf course. Easily reservable online, we were able to line it up same day and pop right into our pull thru spot as soon as we arrived. The is one street light in the campground and I wish it wasn't right next to site 26, but not enough to spoil a perfect evening. As our campfire dwindles in the late evening, we know the memories and appreciation we have will never fade. Thanks to Hamilton county for a truly wonderful park!

Lovely waterfalls Peaceful trails…read moreNot nearly as crowded as Ledges

This park was a stop on a road trip for a leg stretch break. It's awesome, there is everything you…read morecan think of for a park. They have plenty for little kids and big kids. There's also a trail. An hour passed before we blinked! We will be back and highly recommend putting this on your list if you chase parks like our family!

Can I be a kid again??? Even as the parent, this park is 10x better than I imagined it to be. It is…read moreimportant to note that Triumph Park is not only a playground but also a recplex of sorts with multiple ball fields, small lake with a fishing dock, and walking trails. But I am am here to talk about the playground portion because I was blow away! Everyone else must be as pleased and excited as I am because on a Friday evening the place was packed. Pulling up I was fearful I made the wrong choice seeing all of the cars and kiddos running around but there is so much to do on the playground and it is a large enough space that it still was enjoyable for my step daughter. I also want to note that my stepdaughter is upper elementary school age and parks are hit and miss given her size/age. Triumph Park playground is a HIT and reminds me of those expensive indoor obstacle parks you pay to go to - Did I mention this is a public park so it is FREE!? There is also ample parking since it is adjacent to the ball diamonds. One of my favorite parts is that the base (floor) of the playground is solid with a rubber mat or faux grass materials with padding underneath for a little cushion to protect your littles. Also no mess! - Who ever allowed sandbox/woodchip playgrounds anyways, yuck! I am not sure I can describe this next feature well but most of the structure is sort of built into the ground. The main portion is dug into a "hole" so the landscape itself is fun for the kids to run up and down, it is also lined with faux grass and cushion. (I told you I wouldn't describe that well, you will just have to go see it for yourself!). There is plenty of play spaces for little kids but the tall, tall slides for the big kids and towers to get to them are INSANE. I have never seen anything like it in a public, outdoor park. They also have really fun spins (literally) on a merry-go-round and teeter-totter, the kids really seemed loved these. I not sure how else to describe it other than I was extremely impressed. We will be visiting many times this summer and telling all of our friends!

Center Grove Orchard was such a fun place to be this past fall, and in years past. There is so much…read moreto do, you really can make a full day visit. Lost of farm animals to check out, tons of kids activities, a huge pumpkin patch, an apple grove where you can pick your own apples, a train to ride, a corn maze, and a market where there are farm made jams, jellies, peanut butter, honey, baked goods and more. There were also signs up saying there will be strawberry picking in the summer, and they also have fields of flowers in the appropriate seasons. They are striving to make their farm a year-round destination.

My biggest gripe was that this is a family centered destination and there is nowhere for nursing…read moremothers to feed their babies? A worker suggested I feed my baby in a port a potty. I had to go all the way back to the car to feed her. :( A lot of the food stops are closed at the end if the season. The funnel cake place wasn't taking orders because they set the oil too low or something and couldn't give a clear time they would be ready. However! There were some cute photo stops and my kid had a blast in the big corn pool I have never seen anything like it. They also have the BEST applesauce I have ever had.

Located only 20 minutes northwest of Ankeny on the western shore of Saylorville Lake, the 1600-acre…read moreJester Park Nature Center has a buffet of options. Whether it is a visit to their elk, hiking, biking, learning, cabins, birding, snowshoeing, or cross-country skiing, they have a lot to offer! We visited on a moderate winter afternoon and enjoyed spending time with their elk, who roam the property's northwest end. They wander in an area, allowing nearby viewing and enhancing the entire experience. They also have an 18-hole golf course, a 9-hole course, and a driving range with instruction available. I'm returning!

Air riffle shooting was fun, as was the archery, the ice cream also helps! Summer has canoes,…read morefishing, etc. Staff helpful and friendly both times we have been.