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Gray's Lake Park

"The Place to Meet"

With its many opportunities for walking, biking, and other activities, Gray’s Lake Park is the “Place to Meet” in the Des Moines Metro area. The centerpiece of the park’s renewal plan is the two-mile trail encircling the lake. This trail is lit and equipped with emergency phones, providing a beautiful, clean, and safe outdoor experience.

Connecting the trail on the south edge of the lake is a 1/4 mile pedestrian bridge, the only one of its kind in the Midwest. The bridge is lit and visible from Fleur Drive... a powerful message that Des Moines is an attractive and welcoming place to live and do business.

News & Info

• Canoe Lessons

  
  Lessons Available:
  
  Canoe Basics
  Advanced Canoe Basics
  Des Moines River Canoe Outing
  Basic Whitewater Canoe Class (with Optional Trip to Minnesota)
  
  Complete Schedule and Lesson Details

  
  

• Concession Stand

  
  Open Daily, Weather Permitting
  11:00 A.M. - Sunset
  Rent a canoe, peddle boat or kayak for $4/half hour
  
  Click here for our food menu
  
  

• Yoga in the Park

  
  Saturdays at 9:00 a.m.
  June - September
  Classes are free!
  No experience or pre-registration required. Parking available at the north-side beach.
  
  2009 Instructor Schedule
  
  Organic Yoga in the Park t-shirts on-sale at the Gray's Lake-South Side concession stand for $15. Men and Ladies sizes available.

  
  
  

• Sail the High Seas of Gray’s Lake
  Register for Sailing Lessons Today

  
  Captain your own sailing vessel and earn your sea legs this summer with basic sailing instruction at Gray’s Lake. Classes begin in June 15th and will be held each week through August 10th. Sailboats and lifejackets are provided. Lessons are Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday, 6 – 8 p.m. Cost is $25 per person per three-day session and includes sailboats and lifejackets. Pre-registration is required. Click here for session dates and the registration form. Hurry! Classes fill fast. Email GraysLake@dmgov.org for more information.

• Join us on Facebook

  
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  Gray's Lake on Facebook

  
  
  

• Map of Gray's Lake

  
  
  Basic Map of Gray's Lake Park
  
  Detailed Map of Gray's Lake Park
  
  

  
  
  
  
  

• Plaque Donations

  
  Along the railing of the pedestrian bridge, individual bridge plaque sponsors are recognized with a plaque bearing their name, company name, friends’, or loved ones’ names. A minimum $100 donation entitles you to a plaque. Each plaque is a brushed-aluminum rectangle measuring 4 x 2 1/3 inches. Sponsors may include up to two lines of text with 17 characters each, including spaces, for a total of 34 characters per plaque. An additional line at the top of a plaque, reading “In Memory of,” may be added upon request at no charge.
  
  Pedestrian Bridge Plaque Form
  
  To learn more about donating, Click here.

• Gray's Lake Park History

  
  Through the centuries, the area that is today’s Gray’s Lake Park was part of the ever-changing course of the Raccoon River. Left behind after one such change in the Raccoon was an oxbow that would become Gray’s Lake Park. Residents of Des Moines in the early 20th century remember this body of water as a small pond. The land was originally owned by T.E. Brown, who sold 79 acres on the eastern edge of the property to Gaylord E. Gray. With concrete just coming of age, Gaylord Gray had the idea of mining sand and gravel out of this lake.
  
  Click here for more Gray's Lake History

  
  

• Gray's Lake Park Rules

  
  Alcohol
  Consumption or possession of alcoholic beverages is not allowed.
  
  Bridge
  Fishing or jumping from the bridge are not allowed.
  
  Hours
  November through March: 6:00 A.M. - 10:00 P.M.
  April through October: 5:00 A.M. - 12:00 Midnight.
  
  Click here for complete rules