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Welcome to the City of Des Moines
Parks and Recreation

Providing clean, safe, fun, and beautiful parks, open spaces, recreational facilities, and professionally managed leisure activities.

News & Info

• Current Recreational Trail Conditions

  Trails and portions of trails that are closed at this time include:

  1. Neal Smith Trail from Birdland Park Marina to the InterUrban Trail Bridge, located just east of Martin Luther King Parkway
  2. Trestle to Trestle and John Pat Dorrian Trails (these trails are closed until further notice due to construction and temporary flood control measures in place since the June flooding)
  

• Planning for the Future

  
  A random-sample Des Moines citizen survey was conducted at the end of 2007 to determine recreational needs, priorities and satisfaction levels. A wide range of questions were asked on important issues that will affect short- and long-range planning, management practices, programming and allocation of resources for the Park and Recreation Department.
  
  Find out more about the results of the overall survey, specific Des Moines geographic area input and details of the survey instrument by clicking on Citizen Survey Results.

  
  
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  New Location for Park Sales and Rentals

  
  

  All Park and Recreation facility rentals, ticket sales, swimming passes, golf certificates and cart permit sales, etc. will be handled by staff at the City Hall Information Center. City Hall is located downtown at 400 Robert D. Ray Drive and is open to the public 8:00 a.m. until 5:00 p.m. Monday through Friday.

  In addition, the public is now able to reserve park shelters and wading pools online. A click of the mouse allows renters to search by date, facility and availability, or by checking preferred amenities. The reservation request can be completed online by entering name, address and Visa or MasterCard information for payment. Customers will receive a confirmation of the reservation and payment transaction the next business day.

  
  
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  More Info...

  
  

  Drake University Municipal Observatory Information
  
  Recreation League Standings