The Ankeny Brief
Prairie Ridge is the big one: roughly 133 acres of open space, paths and fields that's a favorite for walkers and runners. Hawkeye Park is the go-to for courts: tennis, sand and court volleyball, and baseball, plus playgrounds, restrooms, drinking water and parking. Between the two you've got most of a weekend covered.
These four neighborhood parks have free splash pads that run Memorial Day through Labor Day. Just push the button to turn the water on. They're the easy, no-cost summer outing when the pool feels like too much. (For the bigger pool-and-slide setup, see pools & splash pads.)
The Prairie Ridge Skate Park at 1400 NW Prairie Ridge Dr is a 30,000+ sq-ft outdoor park: ramps, stairs, roll-ins, a shelter and benches, built for skateboards, BMX and inline skates. It's been rated one of the best in Iowa.
With 40+ parks, there's almost always a playground within a few blocks. The city keeps the full parks list and interactive map at ankenyiowa.gov/parks, the fastest way to spot the nearest playground, shelter, ball field or restroom. Many parks also connect to Ankeny's paved trail network, so you can walk or bike between them without touching a road.
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The four splash-pad parks (Crestbruck, Dean, Sunrise, Watercrest) are hard to beat in summer: free water play plus playgrounds. Hawkeye Park has playgrounds too.
Hawkeye Park has tennis, court volleyball and beach (sand) volleyball, along with baseball. For pickleball specifically, see our pickleball guide.
Yes. The City of Ankeny publishes a complete parks list and map at ankenyiowa.gov/parks, covering all 40+ parks.
Trails & bike paths · Pools & splash pads · Fishing · Dog park · Things to do
Ankeny has more than 40 parks and about 80 miles of trails, ranging from big destination parks with sports complexes to small neighborhood playgrounds. The city keeps a full list and map at ankenyiowa.gov/parks.
One of the largest is the Prairie Ridge Sports Complex, which covers roughly 133 acres and is popular with walkers and runners. Hawkeye Park is another major park, with tennis, volleyball, baseball and beach volleyball courts, playgrounds, restrooms and parking.
Four neighborhood parks have free splash pads: Crestbruck Park (1001 NE Crestmoor Place), Dean Park (1720 Abilene Road), Sunrise Park (506 SE Peterson Drive) and Watercrest Park (811 NW Abbie Drive). They run Memorial Day through Labor Day and are activated by a button.
Yes. The Prairie Ridge Skate Park at 1400 NW Prairie Ridge Drive is a 30,000+ square-foot outdoor skate park with ramps, stairs and roll-ins for skateboards, BMX and inline skates, plus a shelter and benches.
Free, every Monday 7 AM
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