Easter Lake Park
Park in Des Moines, Iowa
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Easter Lake is a 468 acres (189 ha) reservoir located in southeast Des Moines, Iowa, completed in 1967 for recreation.[1] The park has a 178 acres (72 ha) lake and a 4 miles (6.4 km) trail around it.[2] It has a 6,500 acres (2,600 ha) watershed and is owned and operated by Polk County Conservation.[3]
| Easter Lake Park | |
|---|---|
 Interactive map of Easter Lake Park | |
| Type | Urban park |
| Location | Des Moines, Iowa |
| Coordinates | 41°32′25.7928″N 93°33′32.832″W |
| Area | 468 acres (189 ha) |
| Established | 1967 |
| Owner | Polk County Conservation |
| Website | Easter Lake Park & Mark C. Ackelson Trail - Polk County Iowa |
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.[4][5]
In 2000, Easter Lake was visited by about 400,000 people, making it one of the busiest parks in Polk County.[6] The lake was included on a registry of seriously polluted Iowan waterways in 2008.[7] On August 27, 2025, the Polk County Conservation found that the levels of E. coli in the lake made it unsafe to swim in.[8]
