McFarland Park

Located five miles northeast of Ames directly west of I-35.

McFarland Park offers guests a number of activities and facilities to participate in and explore. With over 200 acres of land, the park includes a tallgrass prairie, woodlands, stream and a fully-stocked lake.

The county conservation center is also located at McFarland Park along with a stargazing observitory and an 1890 restored log cabin.

The hard-surfaced Touch-a-Life Trail cuts through various plant communities including prairie, woodlands, and ponds.

There is handicapped access to the fishing dock and a deck overlooking the lake.

Doolittle Prairie

One mile west of I-35 and one mile south of county road E-18.

Doolittle Prairie is a 40-acre tract of pothole prairie that is a blaze of color from May through October as prairie wildflowers and grasses bloom. The pothole areas provide valuable habitat for wetland wildlife.

Doolittle Prairie is utilized by the Environmental Education Program as an outdoor classroom, with many classes using it as a destination for their field trips.

The prairie is divided into two tracts.

Plover Tract, the northern tract, is owned by the Iowa Department of Natural Resources and is managed by Story County Conservation.

The 24-acre Plover Tract has six natural potholes, native prairie areas, and shrub thickets.

It has been managed by the conservation board since 1980 and is a state public hunting area.

The southern tract, Matheason Tract, is owned by Story County Conservation. It was purchased with the help of the Iowa Natural heritage Foundation.

This 16-acre tract has native prairie areas and three potholes. This tract is also open to public hunting.

Peterson Park

Located about two miles east of Highway 69 on 180th Street, four miles north of Ames between Highway 69 (Grand Avenue) and Dayton Road.

Peterson Park is a 200-acre park which runs along the Skunk River Greenbelt. There are park entrances on both the east and west sides of the Skunk River.

Activities range from swimming, fishing, picnicking, bird watching, and boating.

The park also boasts 3.7 miles of trails open to off-road bicyclists, hikers, equestrians, and cross-country skiers.

Public hunting and fishing is available at East and West Peterson Park and along the Skunk River.

Wakefield Woods

Located at the junction of E29 and Dayton Road. Wakefield Woods is a ten-acre oak-hickory woodland that was donated to the conservation board in 1988 by John and Anne Wakefield. A prairie savanna planting was completed on the area in 1994.

Wakefield Woods offers a small playground for children and hiking trails throughout the woods.

Larson Marsh

1/2 mile west of 600th Avenue on 220th Street.

Larson Marsh is a 12-acre marsh that was acquired from Maurice and Ruth Larson in 1981. Prior to acquisition, the area was farmed. However, half of the site would regularly flood in the spring due to the presence of a large pothole.

Assistance from the state’s wildlife habitat stamp fund grant program allowed the conservation board to make wildlife habitat improvements on the area. The large pothole was deepened, and two islands were created within the pothole. Native prairie grasses were planted on the islands and other areas around the pothole.

The marsh is currently a public hunting area. The conservation board’s Environmental Education Program also uses the marsh as one of its many outdoor classrooms.

Dakins Lake

1/2 mile north of E-18 (130th Street) on 710th Avenue.

Dakins Lake is a 41-acre park located just north of Zearing in northeast Story County. It has a five-acre lake stocked with largemouth bass, bluegill, channel catfish, and crappie. it also has a small restored prairie and wooded areas suitable for biking and hiking.

Hickory Grove Park

Between 250th and 255th Streets and 670th and 680th Avenues.

Hickory Grove Park is the largest and most popular of the conservation board’s parks. This 445-acre multiple-use recreational area southwest of Colo contains a 98-acre lake stocked with largemouth bass, bluegill, crappie, channel catfish, and grass carp.

The on-site facilities include 43 modern camping sites – most with electricity, a shower house, sand beach, two lodges and trails for biking and hiking.

Christiansen Forest Preserve

Located on 310th Street, between 550th Avenue and 560th Avenue.

Christiansen Forest Preserve is a 45-acre wooded tract near Huxley. It was donated to the conservation board in 1985 by Charles Christiansen. Wild raspberries and mulberries are in full bloom during the summer months. The area is designated as a wildlife refuge; no hunting is allowed.

Cooper Prairie Marsh

1/2 mile west of 590th Avenue on 200th Street.

Cooper Prairie Marsh is a ten-acre marsh in central Story County that was acquired from Robert Cooper in 1976. Prior to acquisition, part of the area was farmed. However, the naturally occurring pothole on the site fills with several feet of water each spring. The area also supports a large population of pheasants and waterfowl.

The agricultural land has been converted to restored prairie, and a parking area was installed in the southeast corner of the marsh. The marsh and surronding area still provide habitat for a variety of wildlife.

Today, the marsh is a public hunting area. The conservation board’s Environmental Education Program also uses the marsh as an outdoor classroom.

Jim Ketelsen Greenwing Marsh

Directions: 1/2 mile north of 220th Street on 570th Avenue.

The Jim Ketelsen Greenwing Marsh is a 68-acre tract with a native prairie pothole and a restored wetland, restored and native prairie, pasture grasses, a sedge meadow, and a shelterbelt. The marsh is a memorial to honor the late Jim Ketelsen, an avid outdoorsman and supporter of the Ducks Unlimited Greenwing program. He died while hunting ducks along the Des Moines River.

The area was acquired by the conservation board in 1987. The marsh is a public hunting area. It is also used for research by Iowa State.