Big Creek State Park
Managed by Iowa DNR - Parks
432 acres3.5 mi of trail
Dog rules not recorded
Directionsto the parking lot
Photo: PopePompus · CC BY-SA 4.0A+Outdoors
Outdoors in Polk City
More than half of Polk City’s land is conserved: 69%
69% of Polk City’s land is conserved, about 2,422 acres. 11 miles of mapped trail cross Polk City, 2.1 per square mile of land. 653 acres are parks and preserves, 108 per 1,000 residents.
Among the top 1% of U.S. towns · #1 of 140 in Iowa. What drives it
Conserved land
69%
2,422 acres · of 5.6 sq mi of land
Trails
11 mi
2.1 per sq mi of land
Park land
653 ac
108 acres per 1,000 residents
Near a park
98%
of residents within ½ mile
Bike routes
7.8 mi
1.7 mi lanes · 6.1 mi paths
What kind of outdoors town is Polk City?
Read from the map. The page puts what stands out first.
Outdoors grade
How much outdoors does Polk City have?
On conserved land, trails, park land and how close residents live to a park, Polk City is among the top 1% of U.S. towns, #1 of 140 in Iowa. All four inputs put Polk City near the top nationally; conserved land ranks highest.
A+
OutdoorsA character grade: shown, never part of Polk City’s overall grade.
Conserved land69% of the land · typical IA town 3% · U.S. 4%A+Trails2.1 miles of mapped trail per square mile of land (11 mi) · IA 0.3 · U.S. 0.4APark land108 acres of park per 1,000 residents (653 acres) · IA 19 · U.S. 13AParks close to home98% of residents within a half mile of a park · IA 91% · U.S. 72%A
All U.S. towns we grade (21,298)Among the top 1%
LessMore
Iowa towns of 2,500+ (140)#1 of 140
How sure. Graded on any three of the four inputs instead, the letter would still be A+. Trails and many small parks come from OpenStreetMap, mapped by volunteers, so coverage varies from town to town; the half mile is a straight line from each census block, so a river or highway in the way isn’t counted against it.
PAD-US, OpenStreetMap (© OpenStreetMap contributors), Census 2025 Gazetteer and 2020 blocks; details in Sources below. How TownRatings grades the outdoors →
The map
Conserved land, trails & bike routes
Tap a number to zoom to a park. Tap a layer to hide it.
Easements protect land from building but are usually private.© OpenStreetMap contributors · USGS PAD-US
Places to walk
Pick a walk
The longest trail network is Big Creek State Park, with 3.5 miles. Directions go to the nearest trailhead or public parking.
Polk City Refuge
Managed by Iowa DNR - Wildlife
500 acres0.1 mi of trail
Dog rules not recorded
Directionsto the parking lot
Saylorville Lake Project
Managed by United States Army Corps of Engineers
66 acres
Dog rules not recorded
Directionsto the parking lot
All Seasons Park
Managed by Polk City, Iowa
4 acres0.1 mi of trail
Dog rules not recorded
Directionsto the parking lot
All 10 parks & preserves
Big Creek State Park432 acres · 3.5 mi of trail · Iowa DNR - Parks
DirectionsPolk City Refuge500 acres · 0.1 mi of trail · Iowa DNR - Wildlife
DirectionsAll Seasons Park4 acres · 0.1 mi of trail · Polk City, Iowa
DirectionsPolk City Square1 acres · 0.1 mi of trail
DirectionsMorse Family Park1 acres · 0.1 mi of trail
Saylorville Lake Project66 acres · United States Army Corps of Engineers
DirectionsMiller Park3 acres
Polk City Iron Lagoon2 acres
DirectionsLeonard Park2 acres
Doc Simmer Memorial Park1 acres
Who protects it
2,422 conserved acres
69% of Polk City’s land. Who manages Polk City’s conserved land, from the USGS Protected Areas Database. Approximate, because parcels can overlap.
Army Corps of Engineers2,282 ac
State natural resources923 ac
Town or city15 ac
County10 ac
Recreation Management Area · 2,282 acState Conservation Area · 492 acState Park · 423 acLocal Park · 26 acFederal Other or Unknown · 8 ac
The biggest protected parcels
| Parcel (PAD-US) | Managed by | Acres | Public access |
|---|---|---|---|
| Saylorville Recreation Area Recreation Management Area | Army Corps of Engineers | 2,282 | Open |
| Polk City Refuge State Conservation Area | State natural resources | 497 | Open |
| Big Creek State Park State Park | State natural resources | 423 | Open |
| Polk City Cemetary Local Park | County | 10 | Open |
| Marina Cove Park Local Park | Town or city | 3 | Open |
| Unknown Park Local Park | Town or city | 3 | Open |
| Miller Park Local Park | Town or city | 3 | Open |
| All Seasons Park Local Park | Town or city | 3 | Open |
| Leonard Park Local Park | Town or city | 2 | Open |
| Big Creek Wildlife Management Area State Conservation Area | State natural resources | 2 | Open |
3 smaller protected places aren’t shown.
Things to do
9 places to go in Polk City
Beaches, playgrounds, peaks, falls and more. Pick a kind.
Playgrounds in Polk City
9 playgrounds without a name on the map. Tap “Show all on map” to see them.
Biking & sports
7.8 miles of bike routes
Bike lanes are often missing from the map in smaller towns, so that number is likely low.
1.7 mi
painted or protected bike lanes
6.1 mi
off-road bike paths
Courts & fields
2Baseball
2Soccer
2Softball
2Tennis
1Beach volleyball
1Basketball
Includes school and college facilities, which aren’t always open to the public.
History along the way
History →1 place on the National Register
The country’s official list of places worth saving (National Park Service).
Big Creek SchoolhouseBuilding · listed 2004
About itWhen to get out
September is the best month for walking in Polk City
NOAA’s 1991–2020 normals for the town and the daylight at its latitude. Outlined months have long days, highs of 59 to 86 °F and little rain for the place.
| Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Daylight (h) | 9.5 | 10.5 | 11.8 | 13.3 | 14.5 | 15.2 | 14.9 | 13.8 | 12.4 | 11.0 | 9.8 | 9.2 |
| High (°F) | 30 | 35 | 48 | 62 | 72 | 82 | 85 | 83 | 77 | 64 | 48 | 35 |
| Rain (in) | 0.9 | 1.1 | 2.2 | 3.9 | 5.1 | 5.2 | 4.2 | 4.2 | 3.5 | 2.6 | 1.8 | 1.3 |
January is the driest month (0.9 in) and July the warmest (highs of 85 °F). 5.2 inches fall in June, the wettest month. The climate in Polk City →
Questions about parks and trails in Polk City
Where can I hike in Polk City?
The longest trail networks: Big Creek State Park, 3.5 miles; Polk City Refuge, 0.1 miles; All Seasons Park, 0.1 miles. Each one is on the map above, with directions to the nearest trailhead or parking.
How much of Polk City is conserved land?
69% of its land, against a typical 3% for an Iowa town and 4% nationally (PAD-US). Conserved doesn’t always mean open to visitors: easements are usually private land.
Are dogs allowed on Polk City’s trails?
Big Creek State Park and Polk City Refuge don’t have dog rules recorded on the map; check the signs at the trailhead.
Where can I bike in Polk City?
7.8 miles of bike routes are on the map: 1.7 of painted or protected lanes and 6.1 of off-road paths.
Is there public land near Polk City?
16,130 acres of parks and open public land lie inside Polk City or within 10 miles of it (PAD-US), 1,996 of them inside the city line.
How much outdoors does Polk City have?
Among the top 1% of U.S. towns on the Outdoors grade, #1 of 140 in Iowa. The grade combines the share of land that is conserved, miles of mapped trail per square mile of land, park acres per 1,000 residents and the share of residents within a half mile of a park. It’s a character grade, so it isn’t part of the overall grade. How it works.
Trail talk
Conditions, parking and favorite walks from Polk City neighbors.
Share a tip
Sources
Where this page comes from
Conserved and public land: USGS Protected Areas Database of the United States (PAD-US), service updated July 2026. Parks, trails, playgrounds, beaches and other places: OpenStreetMap (© OpenStreetMap contributors, ODbL), map data as of 2026-10-28. Land and water area: Census 2025 Gazetteer. Residents near a park: 2020 Census blocks. National Register: National Park Service. How TownRatings grades the outdoors →