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

  • 2009 Sizzlin' Summer Sports

    July 20th - 24th

    Grandview Park – E 33rd & Easton Blvd

    $10.00 Registration Fee includes T-Shirt


    Each camp day begins with a fun play activity, followed by a Quick Start Tennis Lesson. Tennis equipment will be provided.

    frisbeeMonday - Frisbee Golf (FREE Frisbee)croquet

    Tuesday - Croquet (FREE Ice Cream)

    marblesWednesday - Marbles & Jacks (FREE Marbles & Jacks)

    Thursday - Tug-O-War & Jump Rope (FREE Jump Rope)jump rope

    water toysFriday - Water Slide & Water Toys (FREE Water Toy)


    EXTENDED REGISTRATION DEADLINE
    5:00 PM, JULY 15th, 2009

    Return completed registration form and $10.00 fee to the Leisure Sports Office, 3711 Easton Blvd, Des Moines, IA 50317, by 5:00 pm, Wednesday, July 15th. Checks should be made payable to Des Moines Parks & Recreation. Each camp will be limited to sixteen participants, so please register as early as possible.

    For additional information, please call Recreation Programming Supervisor, Barb Baker, at 248-6310 between 8:00 am and 5:00 pm, Monday through Friday.

    Registration Form

    Press Release

  • 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.

  • 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.

  • Glendale Municipal Cemetery Water Stations


    The main waterline into Glendale Cemetery has failed, leaving much of the cemetery grounds without a water supply to serve visitors. The City is working to develop the best plan to restore water access within the cemetery, however this will take time. In order to provide temporary water within the planting areas of Glendale, Park and Recreation staff will have four water stations at main crossroad locations in the cemetery to provide visitors with access to water. If cemetery visitors believe they will need water for live floral tributes and plantings, they are asked to bring a container suitable for transporting water from the water stations to the gravesites they are decorating. A limited number of containers will be available for loan.


  • Nature Clubs:
    Going Out in Nature in Greater Des Moines


    Join a nature club yourself, with your family or a favorite youth you like to spend time with and reap the rewards. The new Leave No Child Inside program will encourage families and friends to explore Des Moines Metro parks together.

    Clubs will meet on a regular basis and will be equipped with monthly tips about which parks would be interesting to visit for special reasons that month. Check out spring’s woodland flowers at Greenwood Park or the lilac arboretum at Ewing Park. Photograph the prairie’s summertime flowers and butterflies at Glendale Cemetery and bundle up for a visit to the Scott Street Bridge or Gray’s Lake to see the bald eagles. While there try to spot signs of beavers at work to build their log homes. Take your binoculars to Easter Lake Park for bird watching or lace up your hiking boots for a winter wonderland woodland hike at Brown's Woods Park.

    Club members can learn safety tips too, like poison ivy identification and dressing to stay warm for a cold day of sledding or skating at one of Des Moines’ golf courses or neighborhood park lagoons. Club members will even get book recommendations based on the season, as well as a list of suggested activities.

    The Des Moines Park and Recreation Department, Polk County Conservation, Des Moines Public Libraries, Des Moines Area Community College and other partners have joined forces to offer this FREE innovative program. The Friends of Des Moines Parks is sponsoring the new initiative to help families discover the great outdoors together.

    Tie into nature and connect with others interested in playing and learning in the great outdoors. The program will launch in April . . . just in time for birds nesting and those spring blooms. For more information call Des Moines Parks and Recreation at 242-2860.

    What to do outside this month: Newsletter for Nature Clubs

    Join us! Download and complete the membership form. A wide variety of free, monthly events for all members of the community will be posted on Meetup.com/nature-clubs. Sign up. Show up. It's that easy.


  • Season Swim Passes on Sale!

    Get ready for summer! It is coming! Season swim passes can be purchased at City Hall’s Information Center, 400 Robert D. Ray Drive, Monday through Friday from 8:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. The 2009 swim season is Friday, June 5 through Sunday, August 23. After August 23, Birdland Family Aquatic Facility will remain open when the Des Moines Public Schools are not in session, through Monday, September 7

    Prices and more information


  • New Location for Park and Recreation Department Administration Office

    Capitol Center I, Suite 200, 600 East Court Avenue, Des Moines, IA 50309
    Office hours and phone number remain the same:
    8:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. Monday through Friday
    (515) 237-1386

  • 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.



  • More Info...


    Drake University Municipal Observatory Information

    Recreation League Standings



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City of Des Moines, Iowa
Parks and Recreation