List of Iowa state parks facts for kids
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State-managed parks; 
County-managed parksThis is a list of 63 state parks and recreation areas in Iowa. These state parks of the U.S. state of Iowa can be split into two groups based on management. The first group are those state parks managed by the Iowa Department of Natural Resources. The second group are those state parks managed by the county in which they are found.
DNR-managed state parks
| Park name | County or counties | Nearby city | Area | Date established | Body of water | Remarks | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| acres | ha | ||||||
| Ambrose A. Call State Park | Kossuth County | Algona | 130 | 53 | 1925 | Des Moines River | Features heavily wooded hills and a reconstructed log cabin on the site of the first cabin in Kossuth County, built in 1854 by settler Ambrose A. Call. |
| Backbone State Park | Delaware County | Strawberry Point | 2,000 | 810 | 1919 | Maquoketa River, Backbone Lake | Features a rock ridge up to 80 feet (24 m) high, a recreational reservoir, and a museum on the Civilian Conservation Corps in Iowa. |
| Badger Creek State Recreation Area | Madison County | Van Meter | 1,162 | 470 | Badger Creek Lake | Features a 276-acre (112 ha) fishing lake outside Des Moines. | |
| Banner Lakes at Summerset State Park | Warren County | Indianola | 222 | 90 | 2002 | Banner Lakes | Provides fishing and mountain biking opportunities on the site of a rehabilitated open-pit coal mine. |
| Beed's Lake State Park | Franklin County | Hampton | 319 | 129 | 1934 | Beed's Lake | Surrounds a 99-acre (40 ha) reservoir crossed by a 170-foot (52 m) causeway built by the Civilian Conservation Corps. |
| Bellevue State Park | Jackson County | Bellevue | 770 | 310 | Mississippi River | Comprises two units on high river bluffs, with a nature center and butterfly garden. | |
| Big Creek State Park | Polk County | Polk City | 3,550 | 1,440 | Big Creek Lake | Surrounds an 866-acre (350 ha) recreational reservoir originally created as a flood control project. | |
| Black Hawk State Park | Sac County | Lake View | 86 | 35 | 1935 | Black Hawk Lake | Comprises shoreline on the southernmost glacial lake in Iowa. |
| Brushy Creek State Recreation Area | Webster County | Lehigh | 6,500 | 2,600 | Des Moines River, Brushy Creek Reservoir | Forms one of the state's largest public outdoor recreation properties, with a 690-acre (280 ha) reservoir. | |
| Cedar Rock State Park | Buchanan County | Quasqueton | 423 | 171 | 1981 | Wapsipinicon River | Offers tours of a Frank Lloyd Wright house built in 1950 in his Usonian style. |
| Clear Lake State Park | Cerro Gordo County | Clear Lake | 55 | 22 | 1924 | Clear Lake | Abuts the south shore of 3,643-acre (1,474 ha) Clear Lake. |
| Dolliver Memorial State Park | Webster County | Lehigh | 600 | 240 | 1925 | Des Moines River | Showcases tall river bluffs and narrow ravines. |
| Elinor Bedell State Park | Dickinson County | Spirit Lake | 80 | 32 | 1998 | East Okoboji Lake | Provides public access to one of the Iowa Great Lakes. |
| Elk Rock State Park | Marion County | Knoxville | 850 | 340 | 1978 | Lake Red Rock | Comprises two parcels on Iowa's largest body of water. |
| Emerson Bay State Recreation Area | Dickinson County | Milford | 12 | 4.9 | West Okoboji Lake | Provides public access to one of the Iowa Great Lakes. | |
| Fairport State Recreation Area | Muscatine County | Muscatine | 17 | 6.9 | Mississippi River | Provides water recreation opportunities 6 miles (9.7 km) from Wildcat Den State Park. | |
| Fort Atkinson State Preserve | Winneshiek County | Fort Atkinson | 5 | 2.0 | 1968 | None | Interprets the remains of a U.S. Army frontier fort manned from 1840–1849 to monitor the resettled Ho-Chunk tribe. |
| Fort Defiance State Park | Emmet County | Estherville | 221 | 89 | 1930 | None | Commemorates the site of a fort built to protect the Iowa border during the Dakota War of 1862. |
| Geode State Park | Henry County | Danville | 1,641 | 664 | Skunk River, Lake Geode | Features a 187-acre (76 ha) recreational reservoir and a display of geodes, the Iowa state rock. | |
| George Wyth Memorial State Park | Black Hawk County | Waterloo | 1,200 | 490 | 1940 | Cedar River and several lakes | Protects a natural area within the Waterloo – Cedar Falls metropolitan area. |
| Green Valley State Park | Union County | Creston | 990 | 400 | Green Valley Lake | Surrounds a 390-acre (160 ha) recreational reservoir. | |
| Gull Point State Park | Dickinson County | Milford | 195 | 79 | 1933 | West Okoboji Lake | Protects a natural area on one of the Iowa Great Lakes. |
| Honey Creek State Park | Appanoose County | Moravia | 828 | 335 | Rathbun Lake | Provides outdoor recreation opportunities on the north shore of 11,000-acre (4,500 ha) Rathbun Lake. | |
| Honey Creek Resort State Park | Appanoose County | Moravia | 828 | 335 | 2008 | Rathbun Lake | Mixes outdoor recreation with higher-end amenities such as a lodge, luxury cabins, golf course, and indoor water park. |
| Lacey-Keosauqua State Park | Van Buren County | Keosauqua | 1,653 | 669 | 1921 | Des Moines River | Protects Indian mounds and a 30-acre (12 ha) lake on a bend of the Des Moines River. |
| Lake Ahquabi State Park | Warren County | Indianola | 770 | 310 | 1936 | Lake Ahquabi | Surrounds a 115-acre (47 ha) recreational reservoir named "resting place" in the Fox language. |
| Lake Anita State Park | Cass County | Anita | 1,062 | 430 | 1961 | Lake Anita | Surrounds a 171-acre (69 ha) recreational reservoir. |
| Lake Darling State Park | Washington County | Brighton | 1,387 | 561 | 1950 | Lake Darling | Honors Ding Darling, two-time Pulitzer Prize for Editorial Cartooning winner and early conservationist, with a 171-acre (69 ha) recreational reservoir. |
| Lake Keomah State Park | Mahaska County | Oskaloosa | 366 | 148 | 1934 | Lake Keomah | Surrounds an 83-acre (34 ha) recreational reservoir. |
| Lake Macbride State Park | Johnson County | Solon | 2,810 | 1,140 | 1937 | Lake Macbride, Coralville Lake | Borders an 812-acre (329 ha) recreational reservoir. |
| Lake Manawa State Park | Pottawattamie County | Council Bluffs | 1,529 | 619 | Lake Manawa | Provides boating opportunities in the Omaha – Council Bluffs metropolitan area on a 772-acre (312 ha) lake created by the Missouri River changing course after the Great Flood of 1881. | |
| Lake of Three Fires State Park | Taylor County | Bedford | 1,155 | 467 | 1935 | Lake of Three Fires | Surrounds an 85-acre (34 ha) recreational reservoir named for a Council of Three Fires meeting once held there by three Native American tribes. |
| Lake Wapello State Park | Davis County | Drakesville | 1,150 | 470 | Lake Wapello | Surrounds a 289-acre (117 ha) recreational reservoir. | |
| Ledges State Park | Boone County | Boone | 1,200 | 490 | 1924 | Des Moines River, Pea's Creek | Showcases a 100-foot (30 m) deep sandstone gorge with concretions jutting from its side like ledges. |
| Lewis and Clark State Park | Monona County | Onawa | 176 | 71 | Blue Lake | Commemorates the site where the Lewis and Clark Expedition camped on August 10, 1804; with a replica of their keelboat on a 220-acre (89 ha) oxbow lake. | |
| Lower Gar State Recreation Area | Dickinson County | Arnolds Park | 7 | 2.8 | Lower Gar Lake | Provides public access to one of the Iowa Great Lakes. | |
| Maquoketa Caves State Park | Jackson County | Maquoketa | 323 | 131 | 1921 | Raccoon Creek | Preserves 13 caves, some developed with lighting and walkways and others in a natural state. |
| Marble Beach State Recreation Area | Dickinson County | Orleans | 64 | 26 | Spirit Lake | Provides the largest campground in the Iowa Great Lakes region. | |
| McIntosh Woods State Park | Cerro Gordo County | Ventura | 62 | 25 | 1943 | Clear Lake | Provides the primary boating access to 3,643-acre (1,474 ha) Clear Lake. |
| Mines of Spain State Recreation Area and E. B. Lyons Nature Center | Dubuque County | Dubuque | 1,387 | 561 | 1981 | Mississippi River | Features a monument to Julien Dubuque, the first European settler in Iowa, and recipient of a 1796 land and mining grant from then-owner the Governor of Spain. |
| Mini-Wakan State Park | Dickinson County | Spirit Lake | 20 | 8.1 | Spirit Lake | Lies on the north shore of the state's largest natural lake, in the Iowa Great Lakes region. | |
| Nine Eagles State Park | Decatur County | Davis City | 1,119 | 453 | Nine Eagles Lake | Features a 64-acre (26 ha) recreational reservoir and surrounding woods. | |
| Okamanpedan State Park | Emmet County | Dolliver | 19 | 7.7 | Okamanpeedan Lake | Provides fishing and boating access on the south shore of a lake on the Iowa – Minnesota border. | |
| Palisades-Kepler State Park | Linn County | Mt. Vernon | 840 | 340 | 1922 | Cedar River | Features dramatic river bluffs and deep ravines on the site of an early 20th Century resort. |
| Pikes Peak State Park | Clayton County | McGregor | 970 | 390 | 1935 | Mississippi River | Features a 500-foot (150 m) river bluff named by Zebulon Pike several years before documenting Pikes Peak in Colorado. |
| Pikes Point State Park | Dickinson County | Spirit Lake | 15 | 6.1 | West Okoboji Lake | Offers one of the most popular swimming beaches in the Iowa Great Lakes region. | |
| Pilot Knob State Park | Hancock County | Forest City | 528 | 214 | 1923 | Pilot Knob Lake, Dead Man's Lake | Features an observation tower built by the Civilian Conservation Corps on Iowa's second-tallest point, and the state's only sphagnum bog. |
| Pine Lake State Park | Hardin County | Eldora | 585 | 237 | Iowa River, Upper and Lower Pine Lakes | Encompasses two lakes surrounded by 250-year-old eastern white pines. | |
| Pleasant Creek State Recreation Area | Linn County | Palo | 1,927 | 780 | Pleasant Creek Lake | Surrounds a 410-acre (170 ha) recreational reservoir located between the cities of Cedar Rapids and Waterloo. | |
| Prairie Rose State Park | Shelby County | Harlan | 661 | 267 | 1962 | Prairie Rose Lake | Surrounds a 218-acre (88 ha) recreational reservoir. |
| Preparation Canyon State Park | Monona County | Moorhead | 344 | 139 | None | Preserves a section of the Loess Hills on the site of a town founded in 1853 by a Mormon splinter group led by Charles B. Thompson. | |
| Red Haw State Park | Lucas County | Chariton | 649 | 263 | Red Haw Lake | Surrounds a 72-acre (29 ha) recreational reservoir. | |
| Rice Lake State Park | Winnebago County | Lake Mills | 15 | 6.1 | Rice Lake | Abuts a 1,200-acre (490 ha) lake. | |
| Rock Creek State Park | Jasper County | Kellogg | 1,697 | 687 | 1952 | Rock Creek Lake | Surrounds a 602-acre (244 ha) recreational reservoir. |
| Springbrook State Park | Guthrie County | Yale | 920 | 370 | 1926 | Middle Raccoon River | Features a conservation education center, a rental retreat, a 17-acre (6.9 ha) lake, and public hunting areas. |
| Stone State Park | Woodbury and Plymouth Counties | Sioux City | 1,069 | 433 | 1935 | Big Sioux River | Preserves a natural section of the Loess Hills. |
| Templar State Recreation Area | Dickinson County | Spirit Lake | 10 | 4.0 | Spirit Lake | Provides a sheltered lagoon for launching boats on the Iowa Great Lakes. | |
| Trapper's Bay State Park | Dickinson County | Lake Park | 57 | 23 | Silver Lake | Offers additional public recreation space on the periphery of the Iowa Great Lakes region. | |
| Twin Lakes State Park | Calhoun County | Rockwell City | 15 | 6.1 | North Twin Lakes | Comprises two day-use areas on a 453-acre (183 ha) natural lake. | |
| Union Grove State Park | Tama County | Gladbrook | 282 | 114 | 1938 | Union Grove Lake | Surrounds a 110-acre (45 ha) recreational reservoir. |
| Viking Lake State Park | Montgomery County | Stanton | 1,000 | 400 | Viking Lake | Preserves natural areas surrounding a 110-acre (45 ha) recreational reservoir. | |
| Volga River State Recreation Area | Fayette County | Fayette | 5,500 | 2,200 | Volga River, Frog Hollow Lake | Provides wildlife habitat and extensive recreation options along a waterway featuring limestone bluffs and old steel bridges. | |
| Walnut Woods State Park | Polk County | West Des Moines | 250 | 100 | Raccoon River | Preserves a bottomland hardwood forest within the Des Moines metropolitan area featuring the largest stand of black walnut trees in North America. | |
| Wapsipinicon State Park | Jones County | Anamosa | 390 | 160 | 1923 | Wapsipinicon River, Dutch Creek | Features rocky cave- and crevice-ridden bluffs, a nine-hole golf course, and an 1877 steel bridge that is on the National Register of Historic Places. |
| Waubonsie State Park | Fremont County | Sidney | 1,247 | 505 | 1926 | Lake Virginia | Showcases unique Loess Hills topography, with rental facilities restored from a former Girl Scout camp. |
| Wildcat Den State Park | Muscatine County | Muscatine | 423 | 171 | Pine Creek | Features 75-foot (23 m) cliffs, rock formations, and several historic structures, including an 1848 gristmill that is on the National Register of Historic Places. | |
| Wilson Island State Recreation Area | Harrison County | Missouri Valley | 547 | 221 | Missouri River | Showcases a bottomland hardwood forest on a former sandbar island named after former governor George A. Wilson. | |
County-managed state parks
The following state parks are managed by local county conservation boards:
| Park Name | County or Counties | Nearby City |
|---|---|---|
| Bobwhite State Park | Wayne County | Allerton |
| Cold Springs State Park | Cass County | Lewis |
| Crystal Lake State Park | Hancock County | Crystal Lake |
| Eagle Lake State Park | Hancock County | Britt |
| Echo Valley State Park | Fayette County | West Union |
| Frank A. Gotch State Park | Humboldt County | Dakota City |
| Heery Woods State Park | Butler County | Clarksville |
| Kearny State Park | Palo Alto County | Emmetsburg |
| Lake Cornelia State Park | Wright County | Cornelia |
| Lake Icaria State Park | Adams County | Corning |
| Margo Frankel State Park | Polk County | Saylorville |
| Mill Creek State Park | O'Brien County | Paullina |
| Oak Grove State Park | Sioux County | Hawarden |
| Oakland Mills State Park | Henry County | Oakland Mills |
| Pammel State Park | Madison County | Winterset |
| Sharon Bluffs State Park | Appanoose County | Centerville |
| Spring Lake State Park | Greene County | Grand Junction |
| Swan Lake State Park | Carroll County | Carroll |
| Three Mile Lake State Park | Union County | Creston |
See also
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List of Iowa state parks Facts for Kids. Kiddle Encyclopedia.