Polk: Parks, Trails and Culture

Polk County combines expansive natural areas with a diverse range of attractions and cultural discoveries. Anyone looking for a vacation rental or holiday home in Polk can plan their stay according to their preferred travel pace: Follow active days with long walks by museum visits, wildlife observation or historical insights. The varied landscapes and attractions make it easier to choose the right focus for your trip.

Nature, Lakes and Trails for Active Days

Polk County Conservation manages more than 16,000 acres of parks, trails, prairies, woodlands and wetlands. Walnut Woods State Park is home to the largest stand of black walnut trees in Iowa. Big Creek State Park has the largest beach in Iowa’s state park system. If you want to experience nature along longer routes, you will also find the paved Neil Smith Trail there. It is 27 miles long and runs between the beach, the Saylorville Lake area and Des Moines for hiking and cycling.

The Chichaqua-Neal Smith Bird Conservation Area also showcases a variety of landscapes: Grasslands, wooded areas and oak savanna provide habitats there. Chichaqua Bottoms is one of the two most important public areas within this conservation area. The Chichaqua Valley Trail is a 26-mile route between Valeria and Bondurant that was converted from a former railway line. This lets you choose between a paved trail and a former railway line when planning your day, without treating the two excursions as equivalent.

Saylorville Lake and Jester Park

In the Polk County area, Saylorville Lake offers opportunities for camping, boating, fishing, hiking, cycling and wildlife observation; the lake is located near Des Moines. Jester Park covers 1,675 acres on the west shore of Saylorville Lake. To get there, take Exit 127 from I-80 and I-35, then travel 6.5 miles west on Highway 141. Such specific starting points can be helpful when choosing accommodation if you want to include nature days and excursions around the lake in your travel plans.

Culture, Animals and History

In Des Moines, the John and Mary Pappajohn Sculpture Park provides a cultural highlight. The park opened in 2009, covers 4.4 acres in Western Gateway Park and displays works of art by more than two dozen artists. Blank Park Zoo is the only AZA-accredited zoo in Iowa. Its 49 acres include enclosures for tigers, seals, lions and giraffes, as well as opportunities to feed animals.

You can visit the State Historical Museum of Iowa and its research center free of charge. The museum is located in the State Historical Building of Iowa, directly west of the State Capitol in Des Moines. Living History Farms is an interactive open-air museum dedicated to the rural history of the Midwest and can be reached via Interstate 35/80, Exit 125 near Hickman. Tours of Salisbury House provide insight into the life of the Weeks family, who built the house. At the Greater Des Moines Botanical Garden, the tours offered include the greenhouse and outdoor areas, weather permitting.

The Iowa State Fairgrounds also host various events outside the annual Iowa State Fair: Car shows, livestock shows, flea markets, antique shows, concerts and trade fairs take place there. When choosing a vacation rental in Polk, you can therefore consider whether nature, culture, animal experiences or events should be the focus of your trip. You can then select accommodation based on the area that suits your planned excursions and preferred daily pace.

More Places to Help with Your Planning

You can also view the local pages for Des Moines, Johnston, Clive, West Des Moines, Urbandale, Ankeny and Grimes. This allows you to further tailor your search for a suitable vacation rental or holiday home to your preferred type of trip.

For the overarching travel overview: Iowa.

More Destinations

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Jefferson County.