Park Hours 6AM-10:30PM
Call (515)239-5350
(To reserve Ames park facilities)
VIEW MAP TO PARKS IN THE CITY OF AMES
Ames boasts 33 parks and a full compliment of recreational facilities. Our newest park, Ada Hayden Heritage Park opened July 1 and includes hiking trails, boat ramp, parking lots, restroom, and hundreds of acres of prairie and wetlands that serve to naturally filter water prior to it running into the lake. This filtering is critical because the 130 acre lake, which totals 1.2 billion gallons of water, serves the community as a secondary water source during drought conditions.
Since its opening, thousands of residents have already been actively hiking, jogging, fishing, sailing, bird watching, biking or sitting on the dock and watching the sun set. A formal dedication was held on Saturday, August 28, 2004.
The City Council, Parks & Recreation Commission, and City staff invites you to enjoy our City's beautiful park system.
Ada Hayden Heritage Park: 5205 Grand Ave.
Brookside Park: 1325 6th Street; acres of timberland adjacent Squaw Creek, wading pool, lighted baseball diamond, 3 picnic shelters, 1 sand volleyball court, Audubon Trail, play equipment, basketball court, 9 horseshoe courts, and 4 lighted tennis courts. 82 acres.
Inis Grove Park: 24th and Duff; includes a basketball court, tennis practice board and 4 lighted courts, 1 sand volleyball court, 3 picnic shelters, nature trails, and play equipment. 42 acres.
Emma McCarthy Lee Park: 3400 Ross Road; two play equipment areas, 4 lighted tennis courts, 1 sand volleyball court, basketball court and 2 shelters. 38 acres.
Moore Memorial Park: 3050 Northridge Parkway; 2 shelters, observation tower, 1.3 acre lake, 1.5 mile hard-surfaced walkway, handicapped accessible restrooms, play equipment, prairie restoration. 50 acres.
River Valley Park: 725 E. 13th Street; includes ball fields, 2 picnic shelters, 1 sand volleyball court, and play equipment. Park in Carr Pool parking lot, cross the bridge into East River Valley Park and hike the 2.5 miles of nature trails. 167 acres.
South River Valley Park: 1200 East 13th Street; area includes play equipment and 2 lighted softball diamonds. 15 acres.
Bandshell Park: 125 E. 5th Street; acquired in 1892, is the location for summer band concerts on Thursdays evenings in June and July. 3 acres. Bandshell Concerts
Campustown Court: Welch & Chamberlain, acquired 1990, picnic area, .25 acres.
Christopher Gartner Park: 400 Abraham Dr., acquired in 1996, play area, on paved bike path, 2.4 acres.
Country Gables Park: 500 Crystal Street; passive and active play areas, basketball court and natural wildlife habitat area. 14.3 acres.
14th and Duff Avenue Park: 1335 Duff Avenue; includes play equipment and basketball court. 0.5 acres.
Franklin Park: South Franklin Avenue; includes a basketball court and play equipment. 4.5 acres.
Daley Park & Greenbelt: 340 Wilder Boulevard; play equipment; Raymond and Gertrude Daley shelter can serve small or large groups, up to 100. Restroom, electricity and water are provided within this facility. 10 acres.
Hutchison Park: 4517 Hutchison Street; play equipment, basketball court, and picnic area. 1 acre.
Moore Park: 1101Beach Avenue, west of the ISU football stadium; area with play equipment and basketball court. 2 acres.
Old Town Park: 826 Douglas Avenue; play equipment. 0.5 acres.
Parkview Park: Located in Parkview Heights Subdivision; includes passive and active play areas, basketball court. 12 acres.
Patio Homes West: 1515 Idaho, acquired 1979, covered shelter, play area, basketball court, open field area, 2 acres.
Stuart N. Smith Park: 1501 S. 4th Street; area contains natural stream front, wooded and grassy areas, mini-shelters, a 120' pedestrian bridge and hard-surfaced
pathway. 34 acres.
Christopher Gartner Park: 400 Abraham Drive; includes play equipment. 2.4 acres.
Teagarden Park: 3510 Emerald Drive; includes play equipment for children.
1 acre.
O'Neil Park: 300 S. Maple Avenue; includes softball field, basketball court, and play equipment. 3 acres.
Tom Evans Plaza: Burnett & Main, acquired 1989, picnic area, .25 acres.
Lloyd Kurtz (Bloomington Heights Park): 3710 Hyde; Play equipment, non-reserved shelter with electricity, basketball court, water, open area. 5 acres.
Hans Christofferson Park: 2130 Oakwood Road, established in 1999, picnic area, playground, basketball court, open field space, walking path and off street parking. 7.29 acres.
Munn Woods: 401 Hickory Drive; access entrances off Woodland Street, Trail Ridge Road and Phoenix Street in West Ames. 40 acre woodland with hiking trails; part of the Clear Creek greenbelt.
McDonald/ Gunder/ Nutty Woods: An addition to River Valley Park; a natural area. 75 acres.
Gateway Park: 1500 Gateway Hills Park Drive; includes Parks and Recreation Department offices and Activity Room, Ames/ISU Ice Arena, 1 sand volleyball court, play equipment, disc golf course, and hilly areas. 42 acres.
Carr Park: 1704 Meadowlane Avenue; includes 150' x 60' outdoor pool with bath house and water slide, sand volleyball court, and access to East River Valley nature trails via footbridge. 6 acres.
Homewood Golf Course and Woods: 401 E. 20th Street; 9-hole golf course and clubhouse. 80 acres.
Shelters are available in Brookside, River Valley, Inis Grove, Moore Memorial, Emma McCarthy Lee and Daley Parks. Fee: $11/Hr with a two hour minimum. For more detailed information pertaining to park shelters, click here. Shelters may be reserved any time of the year.
Sand Volleyball and Tennis Courts may be reserved for $6.50/Hr per court.
Ball Diamonds
in River Valley parks may also be reserved. Reservations for
diamonds will be accepted after April 15. Fees: Unlighted diamonds are
$8.50/Hr;
lighted diamonds are $10.75/Hr. The rental does not include bases.
Park hours -- 6:00AM to 10:30PM daily.
Alcoholic Beverage Use -- Keg beer is NOT allowed in any park. Beer and wine are allowed in Brookside, Inis Grove, McCarthy Lee, North & South River Valley and Moore Memorial Parks. Alcohol beverages of any kind are not allowed in any other park areas.
Pets -- Pets must be leashed at all times.
Pet Waste -- Pet owners need to be responsible and are required to clean up after their pets.
Fires -- Allowed in grills only.
Horses -- Not Allowed
Snowmobiles -- Not Allowed
Trapping/Hunting -- Not Allowed
Bikes -- Not allowed in Munn Woods, East River Valley, Audubon Trail, Skate Park and on the five foot walkway in Brookside Park
Park Structures/Bridges/Equipment -- It is unlawful to utilize any structure and equipment for any purpose or in any manner other than for its intended use.
Vehicles -- Limited to roadways.
Skating/Skateboarding -- Not allowed on the tennis courts.
Vending Policies in Ames Park System
We need your help! Vandalism in your park system is a serious, unnecessary, and costly problem. Each year the City spends thousands of tax dollars to remove graffiti and repair damage done by vandals. We would much rather use your funding to enhance and beautify the parks!
If you have a cell phone with you or live adjacent a park, you can help us out with a new program called PARK WATCH. Here's how it works. If you see anyone acting suspicious, damaging property, driving on the grass or defacing playground equipment, PLEASE call the Ames Police Department at 239-5133 and report what you see. That's it! The Police Department will take it from that point on.
Thanks for your help in keeping the park system safe and beautiful.
Don't be a grinch by letting your Christmas Tree go to the landfill where it can take as long as 30 years to fully decompose. Let the Parks & Recreation Department recycle your tree and put the remains to good use as mulch in the park system. Every year 35 million Christmas trees are sold in the U.S. The tree is brought into the house, decorated, enjoyed and thrown away. This year, recycle the tree by chipping it and complete the tree's life cycle. Drop off your tree at the Ames Parks & Recreation Maintenance Building at 1125 E. 13th Street on Friday January 5th and Saturday January 6th from 8AM-4PM.
Ames offers over 55.6 miles of Recreational Paths and Bike Trails for you to enjoy. Recreational Paths 36.5 miles, On-Street Bike Lanes 1.2 miles, Widened Sidewalk Facilities 3.2 miles, Bicycle Friendly Streets 14.6 miles. Approximately 45 more miles of paths/trails are proposed for the future. Click below to view a map.
Cross Country Skiing is offered at East River Valley Park in Ames. (See Map Below) The Parks Division will groom a trail as noted on the map below. Grooming of the trail can only be performed with fresh snowfall. Your cooperation by staying on the groomed trail between snowfalls is appreciated. If you have any questions or comments about the ski trail, please call the Ames Parks & Recreation Department, 239-5364. The groomed trail is for cross country skiing only. If you witness misuse of the trail, please notify the P&R Administration Office 8AM to 5PM Monday through Friday at 239-5364. Other hours, contact Ames Police at 239-5133.
Helpful Hints for the Ski Trail: Every sport has its own rules and codes of conduct. Cross Country skiing is no exception. Here are a few rules established by the International Ski Federation.
RESPECT OTHERS: Ski so you
don't endanger or offend others.
OBEY SIGNS: Respect trail marking signs. Ski only in marked direction on one-way trails
SKI RIGHT: Ski on the right-hand side if there's more than one track on a trail. Groups should ski single file on the right of a trail.
MEETING: Keep to the right when meeting skiers. On hills, skiers skiing downhill have the right of way over those skiing up hill.
POLES IN: Keep your poles close to your body whenever near another skier.
KEEP TRAILS CLEAR: If you stop, get out of the track. If you fall, get up and out of the track quickly.
WATCH YOUR SPEED: Suit your skiing speed to your personal ability, the terrain, visibility and number of skiers nearby, especially on downhills. Keep a safe
distance from skiers ahead. As a last resort, fall intentionally if you cannot otherwise avoid a collision.
ACCIDENTS: At the scene of an accident, identify yourself, whether involved in the accident or not. Give aid if you can.
OVERTAKING: You're not required to get out of a track for an overtaking skier (except in racing), but you should allow a faster skier to pass whenever possible.
You may overtake and pass another skier on either side, in any free track or outside the track.
Mosquito Fogging in Parks for 2008
Parks are sprayed between the hours of 8 PM and 10 PM
Mondays -- Moore Memorial Park, McCarthy Lee Park
Tuesdays -- Homewood Golf Course, Inis Grove Park & Brookside Park
Wednesdays -- River Valley Park & Softball Complexes, Bandshell Park
& Country Gables Park
Fridays -- River Valley Park & Softball Complexes
In case of rain, fogging will occur on Friday mornings between 6AM-8AM or 8PM-10PM.