I have been missing something ever since I moved from Connecticut. This is truly what I needed to find. A center in my life. I will absolutely be coming back again.

Nice State Park along the Raccoon River. You can picnic or hangout. Big lodge if you have a big occasion tocelebrate. The bird blind was amazing. Closed because of COVID, but if you stay quiet and still the birds will come.

I love this park but had to give it only 3 stars this time.....its has been a great park to go too but the other day we went the toilets where full like full full and the door wouldnt lock, and fire pit was dangerously full......I understand with covid staff is probably short but come on

Walnut Woods is a small, but very scenic State Park. Its has an unpaved hiking trail that is about 2 miles long and takes you through lush woods with wonderful views of the Raccoon River. At some points you can even see some beaver dens, and there even offshoots that you can set up a first and look put over the calming river. We also made a little raccoon friend on our hike.

Always a fave!! Luv how close it is but still uncrowded cuz everyone hits Browns woods instead...sure its neat but try the walnut no hills

Great Hiking location. Beautiful trail and a quick jaunt down to the river! Very easy Hiking, wide trails, beautiful scenery etc.

I have always loved this park! It has all sorts of trails and places to camp with shelters for gatherings and bbqz. Great view of the river in multiple places and there are plenty of restrooms just in case.

Beautiful park away from the city. Lots of trees and shaded areas with picnic tables and fire pits. They also had a really fun play ground for the kids to play on. Will go again and would recommend.

They really need to clean up the trails that run along the river because some of them are in accessible due to storm damage, but what you can walk is very well shaded made it made for a nice afternoon out in nature

We visited to take advantage of the trails, but I was impressed with the open park area. The trail was extremely moderate, with no elevation. Easy and relaxing to walk, with many views of the river, and birds everywhere.

Walnut Woods is a pleasant state park with a small, well tended campground with mostly full hookup sites but no shower house. There are pretty walking paths through the timber in Walnut Woods and adjacent Browns Woods. A good place for bird watching. The park offers access to the Raccoon River.Walnut Woods is very convenient to the Des Moines metro area.

An extremely nice quiet small Campground that we really enjoyed staying at, I would definitely go back and camp again

Trails were disappointing. Maybe even less than two milesCampsites are mediocre at bestToo bad they close the campsite restroom during winterWhat about tent campers??

A great place to go for a hike. Nice trail system, fire pits for cookouts, bird blind, and a beautiful shelter/lodge you can rent. I havent had very good camping experiences but for day use its nice.

Beautiful park, easy hiking trails - checked out the bird observatory and even though it said it was closed so we couldn’t be in the observation hut there were still plenty of birds coming to feed!

Shelter house is a great place lots of outside shade for social distending. If you are serving food it has a nice kitchen with counter space for roasters or crock pots.

Great spot for hiking and camping 2 other parks close by are good but this is my favorite park because it is all about nature and water and camping

Nice little park. Short walk to the amenities. Dump site with water on your way out of the camping sites.

Beautiful towering old trees. Easy hiking trails. Great views of the Racoon River. Convenient to the Des Moines metropolitan area.

Very beautiful campgrounds, the beautiful trees. Very well kept grounds. Very peaceful. Bbq and picnic tables at every site.

A nice little camp site. The Racoon River was a disappoint though since it hardly had any water. Also there were a few fighter jets flying over during our two day stay.

I love it here, except they dont have any trash cans. Thats a big - for me

Beautiful clean and peaceful. Park was in good shape and was taken care of. People need to clean up their garbage and messes after their lunches. Good trails and could use some markings to let you know where you are going.

Really nice park with lots of cool trail options. We discovered a really huge sycamore tree!!!! Definately recommend bringing mosquito spray. Huge walnut trees and equestrian trails!!!! I hear it may soon get connected to raccoon River Park with an awesome bridge over the river.

Beautiful scenery and fairly quiet but can be busy during weekends

Nice trail, but it lead nowhere.

Have only driven around it and used the boat ramp but really nice place. I will be camping there

Calm, peaceful, beautifully well kept state park. ️ It here!!

Walnut Woods State Park is as hidden gem. It is local and a beautiful location to be part of nature. The bird blind is a particularly wonderful aspect. To sit and watch the large number of feeders draw birds of all kinds, sizes, colors and with unique calls. Just give yourself a gift. Hike the trails, watch the birds and calm yourself.

Booked this site online, no checkin needed. Once we got there our little card was already in the holder. Site was a little tricky to back into because the road is narrow, but not too bad. Full hook-ups, good water pressure, decent shade, neighbors were mostly quiet. It got a little busy the closer it got to the weekend but we only stayed till Friday morning. If youre here on the weekend I would expect some noise. This place stays booked and now I know why. Well be back if I can get a reservation.

The lodge is beautiful and can be rented for events. There are plenty of camp sites with power. The hiking trails are well maintained and offer views of the Racoon River. This is my favorite cross country skiing place after fresh snow. I would also say this is the best first day hike, as the snacks, hit cocoa, and REI folks are fantastic! A boat ramp is available and there are two entrances, with plenty of parking along the park drive. The newer playground features a rock with climbing, swings, sand, however its in the sun and quite hot in the summer.

We went to a party in the lodge (Western area) and loved it. Nice heated space and fire in the winter and open outdoor area for warmer weather. Of course the woods are great for a hike. Big space right in the city.

LOOK OUT!!! If your rig is taller than 136, you will get a good wack on your A/C or overhead (on SW 52nd Ave, approaching the Parks entrance). Knocked off the end cap on my front awning. One of the rotten trees fall. It took them about 1 hour to clear the road. The DNR Park manger is friendly and helpful. Try navigating a 42 long 5th wheel onto site 004 (see pics) TREES EVERYWHERE!! AT $17 per night...full hook-up, GREAT DEAL. No bath house but, its family/pet friendly and safe. Reserve ahead (at least 4 days) to get a full hook up site.

Beautiful park! Trail was awesome!! Great way to start out the new year!

Beautiful place..very clean and inviting

Great quiet campground could use shower facilities

Park is off the normal path built back alongside the Raccoon River, always well maintained and kept. Has 8 seasonal full service cement pads as well as power and available water on all other cement padded lots. Very wooded camp ground easy access off I35 South

Walnut Woods State Park is a wonderful Park that has picnic areas and camping spots. It has hiking trails and has boat ramps on to the Raccoon River. A great place for family get togethers. They also have a beautiful lodge that is available.

It is a great place to escape from the city for it is just 15 mins away from the heart of Des Moines. It is well maintained and very beautiful, it has many public spaces, tables, and benches. There are deers, rabbits, and many squirrels. It also has a bird viewing area!

We camped at their little wooded campground. Super clean, well groomed and maintained. Some sites have full hook ups $17 and others are electric and water $14. Flush toilets, but no shower. Camp host and ranger are great. Would definitely come back!

Decent state park in the Des Moines area. Trails and campground could both use some additional maintenance. Campground in particular collects water in low areas, and some sites in desperate need of additional gravel. Friendly park ranger. Enjoyable bird blind for watching birds.

Good for a weekend visit and walk thru trails

Far away yet still at home . Love it here.

The lake across the river is part of the park too and its fun to walk around.

Camped for a few days. Good as it gets.

This place has an amazing bird viewing area and has THE BEST bluebells in the spring.

Small, quiet, nature all around.

It was a fun mellow hike

We had our annual mothers day trip. My mom, me and my sister went camping over the weekend and it was so nice. Clean and quiet. Although we were probably too loud for our neighbors. Everything was close by no need to walk more than 50 feet for whatever we needed. Beautiful!

We enjoyed snowshoeing on this beautiful winter day. Plan to bring the Nordic skis out next time.

Enjoy Iowa parks forFree

Peaceful and lots of birds and I enjoyed relaxing and getting to watch them and figure out what birds there were and was amazing

Owls and wildlife are very popular

Vast area of natural life. Great for families.

Beautiful Park & campground. There are picnic tables and grills for barbecuing. 2 different trails, one with multiple access points and views of the river. A bird blind with multiple types of bird feeders. And a playground.

Small and quiet with good trails

Love this state park! Small park in a beautiful setting with tall black walnut trees. Really a lush area in an unexpected area of town. The only drawback for us is the lack of water hookups in all the sites. We had a really good site except for that. Thus the 4 star rating.

Beautiful setting for a wedding.

1 of the worst places I ever stayed/visited. I wouldnt recommend this place to my worst enemy.

Beautiful well kept park

One night stop over, so did not nvestigate too much. Quiet except for vehicles on the road. Nice rest rooms, no shower found. Walnuts will be bouncing off your roof when they mature.Fairly easy in and out for being stuck in town.Dale

I will be back. Place is looking really good.

Wish I could camp here longer. We only had one night. We had electric only site although full hookups are available. Sites are fairly level but pretty tight. Very pretty park, nicely located. Recycling.

Great place to start the New Year. First day hike at Walnut Woods

First time here. First impressions: very clean, nicely paved road. Hiking trail is nice. Lots of tall beautiful trees.

A beautiful park with lots of camping space and plenty of space to walk around and admire all the trees. Just one issue - the trees can be a bit arrogant and perhaps even haughty. They stand taller than your typical tree and you can tell by the expression in their branches that they believe themselves to be superior to humans due to their height. Nonetheless, these unpleasantries can be avoided by simply averting your gaze and looking at the humble river, which is not nearly as tall and makes one feel very tall indeed when staring at it.

Quiet, lots of space, totally able to relax.

Very nice park and lake

A great place for a family outing. The park has nice trails, great play area for kids, multiple grills and decent camp ground. The park is well maintained and clean.Love this place.

So far this place seems to be relaxing and clean and nice cement pads to park the camper on..

Same great place. Just a few road changes since 1995.

Quaint state park. Nice level cement pads. Trails along the river. A few full hook-up spots. Could use more. Beautiful trees.

The trails that are there are nice but there arent many of them. Great for how closer it is to the city. Better for campers than car camping and no hike-in sites in aware of.

A close spot for camping, nice location with some mostly flat trails nearby. Gets a bit crowded during camping season.

Early in camping season, so Port a Potty will do for bathroom. Reservation for campsite is through Reservation America. 11.00 dollars for electric hook up only. Best to bring own water and firewood during early camping. Out of State firewood must be reported to Park Office because of wood pests that bring harm to the woods.

A favorite spot of mine for some R&R.

Expansive urban park on the edge of sprawling West Des Moines. Plenty of room to get away from everyone. The park lays along the Raccoon River and is just one of several large beautiful parks along the rivers in Des Moines and West Des Moines area

Very quiet and well kept very inexpensive for a night of sleep. But no shower house has everything else. Hoist is very friendly

Beautiful and secluded park. Great spot not too far from the metro area.

Beautiful area, but the campgrounds are congested and extremely limited. Theres plenty of unutilized space that should be taken advantage of. Many unused campsites that the state could make money off of.

Wonderful getaway right in town. Staff does an excellent job of maintenance and keeping birds feed. Great opportunities near bird blind.

Best park in WDM!

Price is right. Quite, small park. Came in April. Lots of frog noises. Endless hiking trails. No shower buildings. It was still cozy and nice.

Wonderful place to stay. In the camping area they onkky have restrooms, no showers. Its very clean and you get a nice amount of firewood for $5.

It was a bit flooded, but the trails seemed otherwise nice and had good views of the river.

Good picnic areas, nice shade, a few trails. Enjoyable afternoon family outing.

Great campground is quiet and has easy access to Des Moines. Online reservations are a must to get one of the few full hookups.

Well maintained. Accessible Park Ranger and Staff. Boat Ramp for Raccoon River. Reservable lodge, though currently under renovation. A few non reservable campsites for daily guests. Reservation America is best option for a 2 week stay.

I have cosans in des moines and they come here all the time so i come to camp with them first i stay at there house behand the creek and bahine the road by waterworks park it is about 5 in a half hours from st louis i take i64 to 61 north to hannibal and take 27 north then take 218 north then i like to go around mt pleasant take 34 to 63 to 163 to des moines highway 92 to highway 5 an extra 10-15 minnits if i take 218 to i80 to des moines it is 5 hours 45 minnits and i like to take on the way back 34 to highway 16 to highway 218 south to st louis 5 hours 40 5 hours 35 34 to highway 1 to highway 16 i think waterworks park is the best park in des moines if you want to hike racoon ridge is the best one for the beach

Beautiful setting and the camp sites are large. Nice hiking trails

Beautiful park

We had our reception they are in a was absolutely perfect. All of our guests loved it and I know that they are going to preserve the lodge as well in the future. Beautiful big space and the price was right

Great place to have a picnic. Had a wonderful time watching the river and playing on the swings. The climbing rock was an added bonus for the toddlers. Defiantly will be back!

Great place to kayak

Nice place to hike, observe birds, and see the Raccoon river so close to Des Moines.

We had a wonderful family reunion and the shelter was perfect.

Had a wonderful weekend. Small and peaceful

So beautiful and hardly even crowded! Great for kids and adults!

Got haunted here. will never forget

Nice enough. Not a lot of amenities or hiking trails.