Easter Lake Park

Easter Lake Park
Interactive map of Easter Lake Park
TypeUrban park
LocationDes Moines, Iowa
Coordinates41°32′25.7928″N 93°33′32.832″W / 41.540498000°N 93.55912000°W / 41.540498000; -93.55912000
Area468 acres (189 ha)
Established1967
OwnerPolk County Conservation
WebsiteEaster Lake Park & Mark C. Ackelson Trail - Polk County Iowa

Easter Lake is a 468 acres (189 ha) reservoir located in southeast Des Moines, Iowa, completed in 1967 for recreation. The park has a 178 acres (72 ha) lake and a 4 miles (6.4 km) trail around it. It has a 6,500 acres (2,600 ha) watershed and is owned and operated by Polk County Conservation.

History

Before Easter Lake was created, it was a strip mine used to mine coal, which closed in 1959. In 1959 the strip coal mine was closed. In 1967, Easter Lake was officially opened.

In 2000, Easter Lake was visited by about 400,000 people, making it one of the busiest parks in Polk County. The lake was included on a registry of seriously polluted Iowan waterways in 2008. On August 27, 2025, the Polk County Conservation found that the levels of E. coli in the lake made it unsafe to swim in.

References

  1. ↑ Krogman, Rebecca (May 5, 2017). "Easter Lake". Friends of Reservoirs. Retrieved September 6, 2025.
  2. ↑ "Easter Lake Park | Des Moines, Iowa". Travel Iowa. Retrieved September 6, 2025.
  3. ↑ "Easter Lake Watershed & Fishery Renovation". Easter Lake Watershed Project. December 6, 2022. Retrieved September 10, 2025.
  4. ↑ "History of Easter Lake". Easter Lake Watershed Project. December 28, 2022. Retrieved September 6, 2025.
  5. ↑ "Easter Lake thriving thanks to local watershed improvement efforts | Department of Natural Resources". Iowa Department of Natural Resources. May 8, 2025. Retrieved September 6, 2025.
  6. ↑ Clayworth, Jason (December 5, 2001). "County to spend $7.2 million on Easter Lake Park revamp". The Des Moines Register. p. 103. Retrieved September 18, 2025 – via Newspapers.com.
  7. ↑ Pulliam, Jason (July 14, 2008). "Public's voice vital to Easter Lake fate". The Des Moines Register. pp. 1B2B. Retrieved September 18, 2025 – via Newspapers.com.
  8. ↑ Reyna-Rodriguez, Victoria. "16 lakes have too much E. coli for safe swimming, final Iowa DNR beach monitoring shows". The Des Moines Register. Retrieved September 10, 2025.