The Waukee Brief
Waukee is one of the fastest-growing cities in Iowa, and there's more to do here than most people realize, with the entire Des Moines metro a short drive east. Here's the complete local guide: get outside on the trail, take the kids to Triumph Park, throw some disc golf, catch a summer festival, or pile in the car for a day trip. Bookmark it.
The marquee outing is the Raccoon River Valley Trail - one of Iowa's longest paved trails, 89 miles with a 72-mile loop, and it starts right at the Waukee trailhead by the landmark Railroad Pergola. Closer in, Triumph Park is the flagship: a 66-acre sports complex with a fishing pond, the EPIC inclusive playground and the Miracle League field. Centennial Park adds a 12-hole disc golf course, sand volleyball and a Gaga Ball pit, and Fox Creek Park has the free summer splash pad. The city also runs the Sugar Creek Municipal Golf Course. Full rundown on our Waukee parks and trails guides.
Waukee leans hard into recreation. Centennial Park has a free 12-hole disc golf course, two sand volleyball courts, three ball diamonds, a basketball court and a Gaga Ball pit. Fox Creek Park and Painted Woods West Park add pickleball courts, and Triumph Park hosts tournament softball and baseball all summer. Golfers have the city-run Sugar Creek Municipal Golf Course. It's an easy town to fill a weekend without leaving the city limits.
In town, the free Fox Creek splash pad runs all summer, Triumph Park's EPIC inclusive playground is one of the best in the metro, and the Waukee Public Library (950 S. Warrior Lane) runs story times and kids' programs year-round. The Miracle League at Triumph Park offers adaptive baseball for kids of all abilities. Ten to twenty-five minutes east in the metro: Adventureland (amusement and water park in Altoona), Blank Park Zoo, and the hands-on Science Center of Iowa. More on our Waukee with kids guide.
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With a car, your options multiply. Just east in West Des Moines is Jordan Creek Town Center, the metro's largest mall, with shopping, dining and a movie theater. Within about 20 to 30 minutes are Living History Farms in Urbandale, the free Pappajohn Sculpture Park and Des Moines Art Center, the gold-domed State Capitol, the walkable East Village and Court Avenue districts, Gray's Lake and Water Works Park, and the renowned Downtown Farmers' Market on summer Saturdays. A little farther for a Saturday: the Madison County covered bridges in Winterset and the Dutch town of Pella.
The signature summer event is the Waukee Arts Festival, a free two-day festival at Centennial Park each July put on by the Waukee Area Arts Council - 100-plus artist booths, live music and headline concerts, food and beer trucks, and kids' activities, drawing more than 13,000 people. Beyond that, the city's Parks & Recreation department plans the town's annual festivals, and the Raccoon River Valley Trail brings rides and events through Waukee all season.
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Top things to do include riding the Raccoon River Valley Trail from the Waukee trailhead, visiting Triumph Park's ball fields, fishing pond and inclusive playground, playing the free disc golf course at Centennial Park, cooling off at the Fox Creek splash pad, and catching the summer Waukee Arts Festival.
Yes. Waukee is a well-known family suburb, with 22 parks, the Fox Creek splash pad, Triumph Park's inclusive playground and Miracle League field, a busy public library, and year-round youth sports.
Plenty is free: the Raccoon River Valley Trail and 25 miles of city trails, all 22 city parks and playgrounds, the disc golf course and Gaga Ball pit at Centennial Park, the Fox Creek splash pad in summer, the Waukee Public Library's programs, and the Waukee Arts Festival.
A short drive east brings Jordan Creek Town Center in West Des Moines, Living History Farms in Urbandale, Adventureland in Altoona, Blank Park Zoo and the Science Center of Iowa, plus downtown Des Moines attractions like the sculpture park, East Village and the Downtown Farmers' Market.
Waukee's outdoor draws include the paved Raccoon River Valley Trail, about 25 miles of connecting city trails, Triumph Park's fishing pond and greenspace, disc golf and sand volleyball at Centennial Park, pickleball at Fox Creek and Painted Woods West, and the Sugar Creek Municipal Golf Course.
Yes. The Waukee Arts Festival is a free two-day art, music and food festival held at Centennial Park each July, drawing more than 13,000 people with 100-plus artist booths, headline concerts and kids' activities.