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 park is one of my wife's favorites because of the ponds and the trails. The park has two…read morepretty good sized ponds which are good for those looking to fish. The park has a basketball court with adjustable hoops so it is good for kids both big and small. There is also a shelter area right next to one of the ponds for parties. The kids play area is very large and spread out. It has multiple slides and plenty of things to keep the kids busy. It also has swings for little and big kids.

Beautiful place nice people the negative was no one was in the office when we arrived. We called…read moretwice cause it says to call no answers and we finally found someone and confirmed. It was a 2 mile drive on well maintained gravel roads from the Hwy, the water pressure was very low, The site was not level, the site fire pit/ring was mangled up, but it was quiet there with all the other campers. The sites are a little tight. I have a 34 foot fifth wheel and anything longer might be difficult to maneuver. it appeared to have great play equipment for kids and tent sites but we're retired. it was very clean and green.

I will start by saying I do not review businesses - unless the experience was exceptionally great…read moreor unreasonably disappointing. That being said, this place falls in the later category. I had an extremely frustrating experience with this park. We originally booked an RV site directly through their website and later called to cancel, at which point we were told we could avoid cancellation fees by simply rescheduling our stay. We relied on that representation and moved our reservation to a later date. When our plans changed again and we needed to cancel, the park suddenly refused to provide any refund at all, despite their published cancellation policy and despite the fact that we were prepared to pay the stated cancellation fee. At no point when we rescheduled were we told that doing so would supposedly eliminate our right to a refund later. If we had, I guarantee we would have opted to pay the $50+ cancellation fee rather than risk the $300 full price. What made this even worse was the way the situation was handled and the "reasons" behind their decision. We were told the reservation had not even been properly updated in their system and had only been written on a calendar, and they used their own internal decision/mistake as justification for denying a refund. Also, due to them "holding a spot for us for almost a year" even though their website showed multiple RV sites still available for the dates in question (which I looked up while I was on the phone with her,) they insisted that didn't matter..."they held a spot"...which is the entire point of a reservation. I often have hotels and other reservations that are booked months in advance without issue as long as the published policies are abided by. The conversation was dismissive, unhelpful, and ended with us being told there was no one else to speak with before she hung up on me. Based on this experience, I would strongly caution others before booking here, especially if there is any chance your plans might change. We have also filed a complaint with the BBB.

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.

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 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!

What a fun place! One of the last open air skating rinks in the country .. in the world? Really…read morenice campsites and grounds. But, the skating rink! It is so cool!

A beautiful campground, just the right distance away from home…read more Lots of electric sites with easy access. There is a Lake, there is two sides to said Lake. No matter which side you pick to camp on you are going to be close enough to walk to the middle. Or somewhere where there is water to fish in. In the middle is beach area. You can swim at the beach. You can get snacks at the snack house or you can get a paddle boat, kayak, or canoe and rent from the snack house. (They have ice cream too) There is a is even a wood floor skating rink! This was my favorite thing. I am a grown woman and I still love to skate. They pull up the window shutters and play music you can hear all the way out to your camper if you are on the waters edge. We took advantage of their Frisbee course. Its a smaller one, but it was set up nice and a perfect size to teach my parents how to play Frisbee golf. There is a golf cart that comes around in the evenings selling firewood and ice. What a fantastic idea. We only wished there was a little better signage or maybe another dump station. We only located one to fill up and dump for this big campground. I will be back. FYI- this was new. The local golf course was offering free golfing to campers. So it was purchase 9 holes get 9 free for the campers here. They don't have rental clubs yet, so you'll want to bring your own.

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.

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.

The views and it's a nice place to spend with family and dogs!! It haves a nice little water splash…read morefor the kids and great trails to walk

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.