Clear Lake Wildlife Management Area
Nature preserve
415 acres
Dog rules not recorded
Directionsto the parking lot
–Not graded
Outdoors in Ventura
More than half of Ventura’s land is conserved: 70%
70% of Ventura’s land is conserved, about 789 acres. 350 acres are parks and preserves, 477 per 1,000 residents. 0.1 miles of mapped trail cross Ventura, 0.1 per square mile of land.
Conserved land
70%
789 acres · of 1.8 sq mi of land
Trails
0.1 mi
0.1 per sq mi of land
Park land
350 ac
477 acres per 1,000 residents
Near a park
99%+
of residents within ½ mile
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
Directions go to the nearest trailhead or public parking.
Ventura Marsh Wildlife Management Area
Managed by Iowa DNR - Wildlife
64 acres
Dog rules not recorded
No trailhead mapped yet
All 8 parks & preserves
Clear Lake Wildlife Management Area415 acres
DirectionsMcIntosh Wildlife Area205 acres
DirectionsVentura Marsh Wildlife Management Area64 acres · Iowa DNR - Wildlife
McIntosh Woods State Park57 acres
DirectionsHoffman Prairie36 acres
Clear Lake Access3 acres
Ventura City Park1 acres
West Lake Park1 acres
Who protects it
789 conserved acres
70% of Ventura’s land. Water is left out: Ventura has 1.8 square miles of land and 0.7 of water, so the share counts land only. Who manages Ventura’s conserved land, from the USGS Protected Areas Database. Approximate, because parcels can overlap.
State natural resources754 ac
Land trusts & nonprofits34 ac
Town or city5 ac
State Other or Unknown · 407 acState Conservation Area · 280 acState Park · 63 acPrivate Conservation · 34 acLocal Park · 5 ac
The biggest protected parcels
| Parcel (PAD-US) | Managed by | Acres | Public access |
|---|---|---|---|
| Clear Lake State Other or Unknown | State natural resources | 407 | Open |
| Mcintosh Wildlife Management Area State Conservation Area | State natural resources | 216 | Open |
| Ventura Marsh Wildlife Management Area State Conservation Area | State natural resources | 64 | Open |
| McIntosh Woods State Park State Park | State natural resources | 62 | Open |
| Hoffman Prairie Fee Private Conservation | Land trusts & nonprofits | 34 | Closed |
| Clear Lake Access State Recreation Area | State natural resources | 4 | Open |
| Lynne Lorenzen Park Local Park | Town or city | 3 | Open |
| Ventura City Park Local Park | Town or city | 1 | Open |
| Harbor Inn Park State Park | State natural resources | 1 | Open |
| West Lake Park Local Park | Town or city | 1 | Open |
Things to do
4 places to go in Ventura
Beaches, playgrounds, peaks, falls and more. Pick a kind.
Playgrounds in Ventura
1 playground without a name on the map. Tap “Show all on map” to see it.
Boat launches in Ventura
2 boat launches without a name on the map. Tap “Show all on map” to see them.
Campgrounds in Ventura
McIntosh Woods State Park CampgroundIn McIntosh Woods State Park
DirectionsTrails & water
1 named trail
Named trails
Prayer Walk0.1 mi
Biking & sports
0.0 miles of bike routes
Bike lanes are often missing from the map in smaller towns, so that number is likely low.
Courts & fields
3Tennis
1Baseball
1Beach volleyball
1Basketball
Includes school and college facilities, which aren’t always open to the public.
When to get out
The walking year in Ventura
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) | 9.3 | 10.5 | 11.8 | 13.3 | 14.6 | 15.4 | 15.1 | 13.9 | 12.4 | 10.9 | 9.6 | 9.0 |
| High (°F) | 24 | 28 | 42 | 57 | 69 | 79 | 82 | 79 | 73 | 60 | 43 | 29 |
| Rain (in) | 0.9 | 1.0 | 2.0 | 3.9 | 5.0 | 5.4 | 4.5 | 3.9 | 3.5 | 2.5 | 1.6 | 1.3 |
January is the driest month (0.9 in) and July the warmest (highs of 82 °F). 5.4 inches fall in June, the wettest month. The climate in Ventura →
Questions about parks and trails in Ventura
Are dogs allowed on Ventura’s trails?
Clear Lake Wildlife Management Area and McIntosh Wildlife Area don’t have dog rules recorded on the map; check the signs at the trailhead.
Is there public land near Ventura?
8,309 acres of parks and open public land lie inside Ventura or within 10 miles of it (PAD-US), 759 of them inside the city line.
Trail talk
Conditions, parking and favorite walks from Ventura 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 →