Grays Lake

I love visiting Grays Lake. It has a beautiful paved trail for walking, biking or skating. It can get quite busy but everyone generally does a good job of sharing the space. It is well cared for and clean. Really an oasis when you need some outdoors time without leaving the city.

Vacationing in the area and stopped by here with our toddler. It is a great walk and has a playground. Recommend bringing a stroller or similar, as this is too far of a loop for a toddler to walk. We brought my daughters barbie fishing pole and fished off the dock as well. Fun time. Clean park, no sketchy people like the sculpture garden.

Great place to walk. Paths are wide. The lighting is nice since sun sets so early. Beautiful location, easy to access, only about 2 miles around the lake. We even got to see eagles. If you are on a bike please let walkers know when you are approaching. And dog owner, please pick up!!!

We love Grays! Its a nice park with a good playground for children and charcoal grills for a family picnic. The walking path is well maintained. We often see people doing things on the water like canoeing, fishing, and on paddle boats. The only downside is that its among the most popular parks and as a result can sometimes get a bit crowded.

A great place to take the family for some outdoors activities. Clean, pet friendly park. canoe rental, clean bathrooms, swimming, nice views of downtown, handicap accessible.

Gray’s Lake is gorgeous. One of the busiest parks around, but very well maintained. Included are some of my pics from the memorial for 9/11.

Amazing. Wish it wasnt so close to traffic, but what are ya gonna do? Great spot to hammock, relax, run, read, hike, bike, walk, and hang out on a day off. Kayak rentals are only 15 bucks an hour and well worth it. Shame winter is just around the corner

Lovely fall day. 2 mile trail circles the lake and crosses a lighted bridge with many plaques on it. Connects through a new tunnel to Water Works Park and new public art and also connects to downtown Des Moines across another lighted bridge. Concession stand and boat rental available.

Great place to get out and go for a nice walk, with plenty of room to maintain safe social distancing. Also a good place to safely meet others in a small group (pod) around a picnic table if everyone stays masked up. Not many tables, and seating is very limited, unless everyone brings their own chair, or is willing to sit on the ground (blanket might help). But dont get down on the ground unless youre sure you can get back up again. Also, a good place to go to just be alone, people watching or reading a good book. Just get the stink blown off once in a while. You can feel like youre out in the country, even though youre in the middle of the city.

Beautiful scenery. The trail is nice to walk. The bridge at night is amazing!

A great place to go for a walk, get some fresh air, and exposure to nature!

Beautiful lake with clean walking path around the lake. I love the scenic view.

My sisters and I walk for our health occasionally at Grays Lake trail. The path is wide to accommodate bikes, skaters,boarders and dog-walkers going in both directions. Other people on trail are polite and leave ample space for covid concerns.

I come here to practice my flips/acrobatics when its warm out. I learned and landed alot of stuff here, alot of chill good times happened here. Love this place cant wait til Spring time 2021 comes around!

Beautiful, well maintained park. Definitely feels like downtowns backyard. The tunnel under Fleur Drive connecting to Waterworks Park is a big plus.

Kayaked around, wonderful trail around the lake. Quite popular as well. Just wish there was more parking.

It was cool we had fun. However we got in Free I would not want to have to pay how much they want though. We seen all they had to offer in under 2 hours.

Do I need to tell you why its so fantastic! Perfect comfort zone, oh yeah and I work there, which makes it great !

Absolutely beautiful park. The trail is long enough to walk, run, bike or take the kids/dogs for a stroll. Theres plenty of restrooms and even a concession stand if you need a little pick me up. Great place to spend a hour or even a day.

Nice to drive through. No need to get out of the car to enjoy it. If you go early in the morning, the park is much more open and enjoyable.

Grays lake is a beautiful park to enjoy a walk

I love going to Grays Lake for exercise and social interaction. Theres plenty of space to incorporate the 6 feet rule and its very tranquil around the water.

What a fantastic trail. Very busy, but not too busy to enjoy an evening walk.

First time visitor. Beautiful place- sandy beach, lots of picnic tables and a great trail for walking, running and skate boarding!!

Beautiful scenery. Lots of shade. Clean and neat. A Des Moines jewel.

One of the best lakes to walk with beautiful views, close to everything. Lots to do here. Bring the family. Picnic, water sports scenory. Views of Eagles and their nests

Very beautiful and peaceful! Especially at night when all the lights glow up around the bridges!

Love the walk here during the day or evening. The solar lights on the bridge are a beautiful rainbow at night!

Love this park. Once it fully opens it will deserve 5 stars.

If you get the chance to go here I strongly recommend it. Grays Lake is so clean and beautiful. We had a blast.

I went walking here today for the first time. Really beautiful. Great escape from the city. They had a ton of rentals. I hope to use that in the future. Very clean.

Fun for all ages. We drive a hour to bring kids to walk the bridge. So mucy cool things to see also

Walking around the lake is a great way to start your day

Nice place to sit and relax, Fish,have a picnic. Just havent caught any fish!

I love that you get some nature with the water and trees and beach.....but the skyline to the city too. Nice location to relax!

Spectacular view, especially at night. Very gorgeous place to walk, exercise, walking your dog there, and etc. Very nice....

Great place to experience some outdoor activities right close to home.

Great place for a 2 mile walk!

Best park in Des Moines. Very helpful staff. Adaptive rowing is offered! What a fantastic sport.

Great peaceful place for a walk or running or roller blading alone or with the family.

Great place for a walk. Lots of trees and maybe you can see eagles or deer. I went to check our the new path to downtown. The bridge is nice but doesnt have great access for bicyclists at the north end. That narrow path is for bikes.

I love this lake & park. You can swim, fish, walk, bike, roller-skate, and see cute dogs!

One of my favorite places to go walk and just observe nature.

How about going walking around the lake at night its so pretty

Grays lake- A great place of Des Moines.

This lake pretty much has it all. Great fishing, different types of boat rentals, etc...

Great trail to walk around the lake. Plus a side trip to Confluence brewery taproom is a plus.

I have been enjoying Grays Lake for years. But. why do you continue to keep gates closed. ??I am more concerned about getting killed by a car or truck, than I am of dying from covid, whilecrossing Fleur Drive. My 74 year old husband and myself got stuck in the middle section on Fleur and traffic came to a screeching halt so as not to run over us as we finished crossing.There is No crosswalk, and No light for all the people crossing on foot, including families with little children on bikes and strollers. And, try getting out of your car and rounding families together on Valley Drive!!If safety is the cities first priority, I suggest priorities are re evaluated.Thank you for letting the tax payers know what you are doing..

As a newcomer to the city, I am surprised by the vast number of folks enjoying this place on a daily basis. Weekends are especially busy and I was speechless to see how many came out for yoga in the park on Saturday morning (sponsored by the citys parks & rec dept). Well done DSM!

Really nice park. Way better than it was back in the 80s.

We always have a good time. Nice family activities.

Great place to walk around the lake, picnic, or jump on the bike trails.

Visited with my pup...sat at a table, dipped our toes in the water, people were giving each other space. It was lovely.

Beautiful lake and quiet place to walk.

It was nice to get out and walk at Grays lake, not to busy at 8:30 pm. Its clean and so many friendly people were out! Wide paths and plenty of areas to rest or take in the view.

Rented a paddle boat. Lots of fun in the sun

It a nice park new trails that nice but since I skate board the cracks in the bridge are giant and my 58 mm cruiser skate board wheels cant clear it (Believe me they are big) like put some concrete in the cracks its just a big hazard for us skaters other wise its nice

Great place to go and still be able to maintain social distancing.

Beautiful area, clean and looks amazing.

Very family oriented place. Beautiful day with a nice breeze! Could not have picked a more perfect day.

City escape to somewhere beautiful and quite

Great place to walk and relax!

Great place to walk, jog, bike, skate. Love the updates too.

Beautiful place to walk and enjoy the outdoors!!

Love the !!!

Beautiful view. Lake was wonderful. Great experience. Nice place for walk.

Great place to relax or go for a walk/run

Nice setting for a walk, bike, run, or picnic.

Kayaking was such a pleasant experience for date night!

Very nice park! So cool. You could skateboard, bike, run, walk, and walk you dog here around the circle lake. Animal and kid friendly. There are two bridges. They have many chairs if you need to sit right in the front. Soo cool. Totally fun and a great way to get exercise! Awesome!! Its hard to get parking though. But otherwise AWESOME trail.

Nice view and a good place to walk, run, bike or just to stroll around. I like the bridge area.

Nice place to ride or walk. Beautiful views.

Such a wonderful public park. The nature trails and views are amazing. You can even get a great view of downtown. The bridge is beautiful. The staff at the desk are polite and helpful. The beach is kept clean during the summer time. Dogs are welcome. Waste cans everywhere to help us all keep it clean. VERY family friendly. Definitely another place to be proud of Des Moines for. ️

Nice park. Cant wait to enjoy it more. The lake is great. They have a cool walking path. Enjoy.

Beautiful place to go for a stroll, or have a pick nick

Great walking-biking trail, roughly 2 miles around Grays Lake. Parking in various lots around the lake. Various Bike trails connecting to this trail. Great brewery (Confluence), also adjacent to lake.

This is a fun place to go visit when it gets dark because of how the bridge lights up. You can kayak, canoe, paddleboard, paddle boat, bike and go sailing by renting equipment as well. I *think* the trail around the lake is about 2 miles so its also a great place to run or walk. In the summer the beach is nice to go to. There is also a good view of downtown Des Moines.

Always a great park and now parking in mostly open again.

Its a Beautiful Lake with trails that is well kept!

Rented a paddle boat for an hour. The kids loved it and it was nice to get fresh air.

The trails and views of the city are great

Thumbs up! Great little water park...

Beautiful, pet friendly, nice walking paths and even a beach!

We visited at night to see the colorful bridge, and it was so worth it! Walking across the bridge at night was interesting and the colorful lights were very pretty and picturesque. Each light had a bunch of spider webs and the spiders were all very active which was actually very cool to witness! Great place to visit if travelling to Des Moines for a visit.

Like that there was natural prarie areas, although it could be much expanded in place of the turf grass.

I like the long bridge and sitting area. We will definitely be back.

Beautiful park to walk at, bike at, etc. Swimming there is nice. The bridge has a great view and its so scenic. I just love this park.

Too many people riding bikes to fast for the walking path. Beautiful area to walk and enjoy nature.

Always a nice place to walk and get some fresh air. Especially at night when its all lit up my daughter loves it.

This park is so beautiful an amazing park to run at!

I love visiting this trail - beautiful, peaceful place to visit! Theres a walk/bike trail, and a canoe/kayak/paddle boat rental place as well.

This park is a treasure that is enjoyed by many, every single day. Its beautiful. The lake and park offer many activities to fill everyones interests. Theres a nice view of the city skyline and another of the Iowa Capital building. Many rentals and classes offered at the marina. Great multi use trail, public beach, and a bonus nesting Eagles as well as many other birds and wildlife.

Nice place for family.

It was beautiful today after our snow and ice storm yesterday. Lots of geese fishingJust a few other people there enjoying it.

You sit and have lunch and walk around the lake.

Very pretty place and has a playground, a pretty lake, and public bathrooms... but last tome I went there was a dead bird and a dead dog that looked like it had drown...

Good place to exercise or just relax

Boat rental staff was very helpful.

My family has come here generation after generation and I cant imagine a life without the memories I made here growing up. I saw my first fish here, took my first paddle boat ride with my parents, kyacked with my grandparents, fished, swam, picnics, walked our dogs, rode bikes, firefly catching, yoga, reading books on the doc, sunsets, walking the bridge at night with my grandma when it was lit up (and now my own children.) Definitly a must visit for Des Moines.

Easily accessible. Clean. Easy to rent kayaks. (They even have a kayak launch. I guess these are common, but Ive kayaked many times over the last 5 years and Id never seen one.) Anyway... Fun!Dont go just for the lights on the bridge... theyre cool, but not a destination. I waited till after dark to see them... i regret making the kids wait that long to leave.