Editing Des Moines, Iowa (section)

==Parks and recreation==
[[File:Kruidenier Trail Bridge at night.jpg|thumb|upright|Kruidenier Trail bridge across Gray's Lake]]
Des Moines has 76 city parks and three golf courses, as well as three family aquatic centers, five community centers and three swimming pools. The city has {{convert|45|mi|km}} of trails. The first major park was Greenwood Park. The park commissioners purchased the land on April 21, 1894.

The [[Principal Riverwalk]] is a riverwalk park district being constructed along the banks of the Des Moines River in the downtown. Primarily funded by the [[Principal Financial Group]], the Riverwalk is a multi-year jointly funded project also funded by the city and state. Upon completion, it will feature a {{convert|1.2|mi|km|adj=on}} recreational trail connecting the east and west sides of downtown via two pedestrian bridges. A landscaped promenade along the street level is planned. The Riverwalk includes the downtown Brenton Skating Plaza, open from November through March.

Gray's Lake, part of the {{convert|167|acres|0|abbr=on}} of [[Gray's Lake Park]], features a boat rental facility, fishing pier, floating boardwalks, and a park resource center. Located just south of the downtown, the centerpiece of the park is a lighted {{convert|1.9|mi|km|adj=on}} Kruidenier Trail, encircling it entirely.

From [[downtown Des Moines]] primarily along the east bank of the Des Moines River, the Neil Smith and John Pat Dorrian Trails are {{convert|28.2|mi|km|adj=on}} paved recreational trails that connect Gray's Lake northward to the east shore of [[Saylorville Lake]], [[Big Creek Lake (Iowa)|Big Creek State Park]], and the recreational trails of [[Ankeny, Iowa|Ankeny]] including the [[High Trestle Trail]].<ref name="NorthSouthTrails">{{Cite web |title=Neil Smith and John Pat Dorrain Trails |url=http://www.inhf.org//trails/neal-smith-john-pat-dorrian.cfm |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130503145431/http://www.inhf.org/trails/neal-smith-john-pat-dorrian.cfm |archive-date=May 3, 2013 |access-date=April 28, 2013 |website=Iowa Trails |publisher=Iowa Natural Heritage Foundation}}</ref> These trails are near several recreational facilities including the Pete Crivaro Park, [[Principal Park]], the Principal Riverwalk, the [[Greater Des Moines Botanical Garden]], Union Park and its Heritage Carousel of Des Moines, Birdland Park and the Birdland Marina/Boatramp on the [[Des Moines River]], Riverview Park, McHenry Park, and River Drive Park.<ref name="Parks">{{Cite web |title=Parks and Recreation |url=http://www.dmgov.org/Departments/Parks/Pages/Parks.aspx |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130429172024/http://www.dmgov.org/Departments/Parks/Pages/Parks.aspx |archive-date=April 29, 2013 |access-date=April 28, 2013 |publisher=City of Des Moines}}</ref> Although outside of Des Moines, Jester Park has {{convert|1834|acres|0|abbr=on}} of land along the western shore of Saylorville Lake and can be reached from the Neil Smith Trail over the Saylorville Dam.

Just west of Gray's Lake are the {{convert|1500|acre|ha|0}} of the Des Moines [[Water Works Park (Des Moines)|Water Works Park]]. The Water Works Park is along the banks of the [[Raccoon River]] immediately upstream from where the Raccoon River empties into the Des Moines River. The Des Moines Water Works Facility, which obtains the city's drinking water from the Raccoon River, is entirely within the Water Works Park. A bridge in the park crosses the Raccoon River. The Water Works Park recreational trails link to downtown Des Moines by travelling past Gray's Lake and back across the Raccoon River via either along the Meredith Trail near Principal Park, or along the Martin Luther King Jr. Parkway. The Water Works Park trails connect westward to [[West Des Moines, Iowa|Valley Junction]] and the [[Clive Greenbelt Trail#Connections to other trails|recreational trails]] of the western suburbs: [[Windsor Heights, Iowa|Windsor Heights]], [[Urbandale, Iowa|Urbandale]], [[Clive, Iowa|Clive]], and [[Waukee, Iowa|Waukee]]. Also originating from Water Works Park, the [[Great Western Trail (Iowa)|Great Western Trail]] is an {{convert|18|mi|km|adj=on}} journey southward from Des Moines to [[Martensdale, Iowa|Martensdale]] through the Willow Creek Golf Course, Orilla, and [[Cumming, Iowa|Cumming]]. Often, the location for summer music festivals and concerts, Water Works Park was the overnight campground for thousands of bicyclists on Tuesday, July 23, 2013, during [[RAGBRAI]] XLI.<ref name="WaterWorks">{{Cite web |title=Water Works Park |url=http://www.dmww.com/parks-events/water-works-park/ |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130524211057/http://www.dmww.com/parks-events/water-works-park/ |archive-date=May 24, 2013 |access-date=April 28, 2013 |publisher=Des Moines Water Works}}</ref>