About Grinnell

 Nature and Recreation

Bike 15 miles of trail, take in our new frisbee golf course or explore 70 acres of parks.  Go aquatic: rent a pontoon or paddle boat and go fishing, or hit the slopes with cross country skiing and sledding! Here's a map to get you started on your next Grinnell outdoor adventure.

---

Rock Creek State Park offers 602 acres with beaches, boating, 13 miles of trails, 200 self-registration campsites (some with electrical hookups), and game management area. A bike trail from Grinnell To Rock Creek starting at Eleventh Avenue and Sunset Street, is scheduled to be completed in 2003.

Conard Environmental Research Area, Grinnell College's 365-acre protected ecological research reserve. Experimental prairie grass areas have been planted, burned, and restored for ecological research.

Jacob Krumm Nature Preserve, 450 acres located just west of Grinnell, offers a 25-acre lake, fishing, a trail system for hiking and cross-country skiing, and a shelter house; no camping, bicycles, or horses. (641-792-9780)

Poweshiek County is noted for upland game bird hunting and also draws hunters for deer, ducks, cottontail and jack rabbits, and squirrels. The Iowa State Wildlife Bureau offers online hunting applications and information about hunting areas and regulations.

Please visit Grinnell College's Center For Prairie Studies for in-depth information and resources on our prairie environment.

Community Recreation

Grinnell's recreation opportunities abound with something for everyone's interests. For information on the City of Grinnell's Athletic Programs and area parks, please visit their website at Grinnell Parks and Recreation Department or call (641) 236-2620.

Local Recreation

 

Grinnell Area Recreation Trail, bicycle trail from Grinnell to Rock Creek State Park, with a trailhead at  Lions Park on 8th Avenue between Sunset and Bliss Streets, offers a wonderful opportunity to take in the majestic agricultural land around Grinnell.

 

Grinnell Country Club, a private nine-hole golf course, pool, and restaurant.

 

Oakland Acres, a public 18-hole golf course three miles west of Grinnell.

 

Local parks

 

Grinnell Parks are plentiful and varied, ranging from mostly wooded and natural to fully equipped for outdoor sports and playground activities. Please visit the Grinnell Parks and Recreation Department website for more information and parking reservation.

 

Ahrens-Paschall Memorial Park, 100 plus acres with a  one and a half mile walking path, modern playground equipment, sand volleyball court, sledding hill, golf driving range, lighted softball and baseball diamonds, soccer fields, tennis and basketball courts, picnic shelters, and restrooms. (641) 236-7779 or (641) 236-2620.  Click here for an aerial map of Ahrens Park.
 

Arbor Lake, wooded area with lake and picnic shelter, barbecue pit, hiking paths, fishing, and restrooms.

 

Bailey Park, large, newly remodeled playground, tennis courts, and restrooms. Also home to the new Grinnell Skate Park

 

Central Park, downtown's city park that hosts holiday activities, farmers' market, and concerts; new modernized playground equipment.

 

Jaycees Park, neighborhood park with playground equipment and shelter.

 

Merrill Park, baseball diamond, two shelters, barbecue pits, new playground equipment.

 

Miller Park/Lake Nyanza, a scenic park, shelter, barbecue pit, playground equipment, restrooms, lake, and fishing. Grinnell’s Frisbee Golf Course is located here.

 

Van Horne Park, a quiet neighborhood park with new playground equipment.