Gray's Lake Park

Gray's Lake Park is one of the reasons the Des Moines area is a great place to live. Its beauty, accessible hiking and biking trails, and many other amenities are first-class. You can even rent a small boat and buy a snack at the concessions. There are many different parks throughout its many neighborhoods. The Bike trails connect to both suburbs and distant towns, creating opportunities for day-long excursions to ice cream shops, Freedom Rocks, and many other activities. If you enjoy modern apartment living with bars and shops nearby or ethnic neighborhood communities, Des Moines offers one of the most diverse places in the Midwest. However, parks like this make it unique.

Love this place so much! Such a Beautiful place to visit! So much to see and do here. Walking, running, swimming, relaxing, riding your bike, roller skating, fishing, tanning, reading a book, having a picnic, listening to music, family pictures. Perfect place for kids to let out some energy! The playground is just another bonus! The park is very Dog friendly.

We visited this lovely park on a Sunday afternoon and really enjoyed it. We drove around most of the lake to get a good view of everything and during which there was a marathon or 5K going on which was cool to see. We ended up parking on the south and north side of the lake to look around. On the north side, we walked over the Coleman Bridge and got to see ducks and geese in the water. It was a very clean park and had a good amount of people out and about. There is also part of the walkway (a path goes all the way around the lake) where you can walk over part of the lake on the south side. It is a really nice, beautiful, and peaceful area for sure!

It's a beautiful lake with many paths and a couple of bridges. You can rent a bike and boat or bring your own. It also has a plenty of nice bences and tables for a picnic or meeting a friend.

It's a very pleasant walk around the lake. The path is paved, so it is used by pedestrians, bicyclists, and skaters. Most people are polite; cyclists let you know of their approach if you are walking. If there doesn't seem to be a place to park, drive around the lake a little farther. There are also restrooms in a couple of different places, There's a swim beach, and a boat rental that offers kayaks, canoes, paddle boats, paddle boards, and one sailboat-a small Hobie catamaran.

There is a sign that explains the local bird life along the path. In another place there is a sign that explains how the lake and park came into existence. You can also explore the other side west of the lake because of the tunnel under the street.

Best place to have some peaceful time and walk around after along day at work.

Amazing running path around a beautiful lake!

This park is just a bit outside of downtown Des Moines & is a great place to visit if you're in the area. They have a nice paved trail system that goes all the way around the lake, a couple beautiful bridges that light up at night, & an area to get concessions along with the ability to rent out small boats & canoes so you can spend a bit of time on the water.

Beautiful trail encircling a serene lake with a breathtaking bridge. Perfect for dog lovers; it's incredibly dog-friendly.

It was so nice! Cold but nice. Very clean park and not crowded at all but could of been because it was mid-day on a Monday and cold lol. I enjoyed the walking paths it was a great scenic way to kill time before catching a flight from the airport when you get there way too early

Very nice place to visit all the seasons! It has a long walking trail and a very nice bridge. The color is very warm during fall season!

Love this park, you can rent out canoes, kayaks, paddle boats and a few more things at the park all at a very reasonable price. We rented a paddle boat for $15 for three people (1 hour). Beautiful park with great walking trails too.

I am so thankful for this beautiful park. Lots of wild life, the most beautiful trees, so much open space. So many fun things to do! Really encourages me to get fresh air and move my body.

Wonderful place for a stroll. Very well lit and colorful at night. Unfortunately they close the park at 10. So you get very little time to view the lights.

Late winter views. Love this place and 60° weather in Iowa brings people out to the park. Clean up your trash and after your dogs. The homeless housing project in the far portion along the river are a little disturbing. They seem to keep to themselves. Just be careful at night.

Best park in Des Moines by a long shot. Beautiful (almost) 2 mile path around the lake. Great skyline views. Perfect all seasons.

I really like this lake park. Lots of green in may/June, lively and a great 2 mile run or walk. Bring fish food for the carp along the lake when crossing the bridge, you will likely see some near you.

Beautiful city park, just south of downtown Des Moines. Great amenities and lots to do.

Really clean park, always busy with a great loop around the lake for running or rollerblading/skating.

This place is so beautiful. It's peaceful, beautiful scenery, paths to walk on, lots of parking space. It's definitely a must go to place to see. Love the beautiful water and the sand.