DNR-managed State Parks
| Park name | County or counties | Nearby city | Area in acres (ha) | Date estab- lished |
Body of water | Remarks |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Ambrose A. Call State Park | Kossuth County | Algona | 7002130000000000000130 acres (53 ha) | 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 | 70032000000000000002,000 acres (810 ha) | 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 | 70031162000000000001,162 acres (470 ha) | Badger Creek Lake | Features a 276-acre (112 ha) fishing lake outside Des Moines. | |
| Banner Lakes at Summerset State Park | Warren County | Indianola | 7002222000000000000222 acres (90 ha) | 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 | 7002319000000000000319 acres (129 ha) | 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 | 7002770000000000000770 acres (310 ha) | Mississippi River | Comprises two units on high river bluffs, with a nature center and butterfly garden. | |
| Big Creek State Park | Polk County | Polk City | 70033550000000000003,550 acres (1,440 ha) | 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 | 700186000000000000086 acres (35 ha) | 1935 | Black Hawk Lake | Comprises shoreline on the southernmost glacial lake in Iowa. |
| Brushy Creek State Recreation Area | Webster County | Lehigh | 70036500000000000006,500 acres (2,600 ha) | 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 | 7002423000000000000423 acres (171 ha) | 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 | 700155000000000000055 acres (22 ha) | 1924 | Clear Lake | Abuts the south shore of 3,643-acre (1,474 ha) Clear Lake. |
| Dolliver Memorial State Park | Webster County | Lehigh | 7002600000000000000600 acres (240 ha) | 1925 | Des Moines River | Showcases tall river bluffs and narrow ravines. |
| Elinor Bedell State Park | Dickinson County | Spirit Lake | 700180000000000000080 acres (32 ha) | 1998 | East Okoboji Lake | Provides public access to one of the Iowa Great Lakes. |
| Elk Rock State Park | Marion County | Knoxville | 7002850000000000000850 acres (340 ha) | 1978 | Lake Red Rock | Comprises two parcels on Iowa's largest body of water. |
| Emerson Bay State Recreation Area | Dickinson County | Milford | 700112000000000000012 acres (4.9 ha) | West Okoboji Lake | Provides public access to one of the Iowa Great Lakes. | |
| Fairport State Recreation Area | Muscatine County | Muscatine | 700117000000000000017 acres (6.9 ha) | Mississippi River | Provides water recreation opportunities 6 miles (9.7 km) from Wildcat Den State Park. | |
| Fort Atkinson State Preserve | Winneshiek County | Fort Atkinson | 70005000000000000005 acres (2.0 ha) | 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 | 7002221000000000000221 acres (89 ha) | 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 | 70031641000000000001,641 acres (664 ha) | 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 | 70031200000000000001,200 acres (490 ha) | 1940 | Cedar River and several lakes | Protects a natural area within the Waterloo – Cedar Falls metropolitan area. |
| Green Valley State Park | Union County | Creston | 7002990000000000000990 acres (400 ha) | Green Valley Lake | Surrounds a 390-acre (160 ha) recreational reservoir. | |
| Gull Point State Park | Dickinson County | Milford | 7002195000000000000195 acres (79 ha) | 1933 | West Okoboji Lake | Protects a natural area on one of the Iowa Great Lakes. |
| Honey Creek State Park | Appanoose County | Moravia | 7002828000000000000828 acres (335 ha) | 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 | 7002828000000000000828 acres (335 ha) | 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 | 70031653000000000001,653 acres (669 ha) | 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 | 7002770000000000000770 acres (310 ha) | 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 | 70031062000000000001,062 acres (430 ha) | 1961 | Lake Anita | Surrounds a 171-acre (69 ha) recreational reservoir. |
| Lake Darling State Park | Washington County | Brighton | 70031387000000000001,387 acres (561 ha) | 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 | 7002366000000000000366 acres (148 ha) | 1934 | Lake Keomah | Surrounds an 83-acre (34 ha) recreational reservoir. |
| Lake Macbride State Park | Johnson County | Solon | 70032810000000000002,810 acres (1,140 ha) | 1937 | Lake Macbride, Coralville Lake | Borders an 812-acre (329 ha) recreational reservoir. |
| Lake Manawa State Park | Pottawattamie County | Council Bluffs | 70031529000000000001,529 acres (619 ha) | 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 | 70031155000000000001,155 acres (467 ha) | 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 | 70031150000000000001,150 acres (470 ha) | Lake Wapello | Surrounds a 289-acre (117 ha) recreational reservoir. | |
| Ledges State Park | Boone County | Boone | 70031200000000000001,200 acres (490 ha) | 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 | 7002176000000000000176 acres (71 ha) | 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 | 70007000000000000007 acres (2.8 ha) | Lower Gar Lake | Provides public access to one of the Iowa Great Lakes. | |
| Maquoketa Caves State Park | Jackson County | Maquoketa | 7002323000000000000323 acres (131 ha) | 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 | 700164000000000000064 acres (26 ha) | Spirit Lake | Provides the largest campground in the Iowa Great Lakes region. | |
| McIntosh Woods State Park | Cerro Gordo County | Ventura | 700162000000000000062 acres (25 ha) | 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 | 70031387000000000001,387 acres (561 ha) | 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 | 700120000000000000020 acres (8.1 ha) | 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 | 70031119000000000001,119 acres (453 ha) | Nine Eagles Lake | Features a 64-acre (26 ha) recreational reservoir and surrounding woods. | |
| Okamanpedan State Park | Emmet County | Dolliver | 700119000000000000019 acres (7.7 ha) | 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 | 7002840000000000000840 acres (340 ha) | 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 | 7002970000000000000970 acres (390 ha) | 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 | 700115000000000000015 acres (6.1 ha) | 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 | 7002528000000000000528 acres (214 ha) | 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 | 7002585000000000000585 acres (237 ha) | 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 | 70031927000000000001,927 acres (780 ha) | 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 | 7002661000000000000661 acres (267 ha) | 1962 | Prairie Rose Lake | Surrounds a 218-acre (88 ha) recreational reservoir. |
| Preparation Canyon State Park | Monona County | Moorhead | 7002344000000000000344 acres (139 ha) | 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 | 7002649000000000000649 acres (263 ha) | Red Haw Lake | Surrounds a 72-acre (29 ha) recreational reservoir. | |
| Rice Lake State Park | Winnebago County | Lake Mills | 700115000000000000015 acres (6.1 ha) | Rice Lake | Abuts a 1,200-acre (490 ha) lake. | |
| Rock Creek State Park | Jasper County | Kellogg | 70031697000000000001,697 acres (687 ha) | 1952 | Rock Creek Lake | Surrounds a 602-acre (244 ha) recreational reservoir. |
| Springbrook State Park | Guthrie County | Yale | 7002920000000000000920 acres (370 ha) | 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 | 70031069000000000001,069 acres (433 ha) | 1935 | Big Sioux River | Preserves a natural section of the Loess Hills. |
| Templar State Recreation Area | Dickinson County | Spirit Lake | 700110000000000000010 acres (4.0 ha) | Spirit Lake | Provides a sheltered lagoon for launching boats on the Iowa Great Lakes. | |
| Trapper's Bay State Park | Dickinson County | Lake Park | 700157000000000000057 acres (23 ha) | Silver Lake | Offers additional public recreation space on the periphery of the Iowa Great Lakes region. | |
| Twin Lakes State Park | Calhoun County | Rockwell City | 700115000000000000015 acres (6.1 ha) | North Twin Lakes | Comprises two day-use areas on a 453-acre (183 ha) natural lake. | |
| Union Grove State Park | Tama County | Gladbrook | 7002282000000000000282 acres (114 ha) | 1938 | Union Grove Lake | Surrounds a 110-acre (45 ha) recreational reservoir. |
| Viking Lake State Park | Montgomery County | Stanton | 70031000000000000001,000 acres (400 ha) | Viking Lake | Preserves natural areas surrounding a 110-acre (45 ha) recreational reservoir. | |
| Volga River State Recreation Area | Fayette County | Fayette | 70035500000000000005,500 acres (2,200 ha) | 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 | 7002250000000000000250 acres (100 ha) | 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 | 7002390000000000000390 acres (160 ha) | 1923 | Wapsipinicon River, Dutch Creek | Features rocky cave- and crevice-ridden bluffs, a nine-hole golf course, and a 1877 steel bridge that is on the National Register of Historic Places. |
| Waubonsie State Park | Fremont County | Sidney | 70031247000000000001,247 acres (505 ha) | 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 | 7002423000000000000423 acres (171 ha) | 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 | 7002547000000000000547 acres (221 ha) | Missouri River | Showcases a bottomland hardwood forest on a former sandbar island named after former governor George A. Wilson. |
Read more about this topic: List Of Iowa State Parks
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