Pearson Park, West Des Moines IA

I give this place 5 stars and believe that if I could give it ice cream cone and unicorn tears I would give it a stiff 8.35 in happy Jollibee. I proclaimed in the name of sir Pearson McPearson Thompson Henry. "thall shhall Haveth quant blastanmasy Puerto Rico taketh wench! " Good day my loyal marching watermelon seeds

The shelter at Pearson Park was all we could have asked for, except for the gorgeous weather we had! Everyone enjoyed themselves.

Really nice secluded park, bathroom and play ground next to a massive shelter. Sits on top of a hill with a creek and a bridge on both sides.

Pearson is a hidden little gem of a park in West Des Moines. It's a more casual park than those designed more recently and has several steeply hilled acres with a deep ravine and creek separating the northern quarter of the park from the more popular southern end. It’s a great park for outdoorsy kids eight to thirteen as there’s a fair bit of area to explore with a sense of freedom where mom and dad can’t see you.

The south end is accessed from 19th street and has a small lot for about 20 vehicles. In the 80’s, the park would be packed on spring and early summer days just from neighborhood kids, but the area has gentrified so now most visitors are driving in. On street parking can be a problem, but there is a lesser known “secret” second parking on the north side of the park, just head down to 17th street and north on Center Street until you see an unmarked pull-in to a gravel lot. That’s park property.

There’s a nice balance of kids play area, and relatively safe “wilderness” for younger people to explore. Overall it’s a good balance for families – young kids have the sand and gyms, school-age kids can explore the gardens and ravine, teenagers shoot some hoops or sulk near the parents, and parents can have some shade under the shelter to talk or just scroll your phone. The play-area and a probably 4/5ths size BBall court are the traditional park offerings. There is also couple acres of moderately sloped hill popular with winter sledding, or near suicidal dirt bike runs at the creek. Nope, never did that, definitely not in 1979, wasn’t me.

The north end is less usable than it used to be as over the last few years, the city has intentionally reduced maintenance, replacing what used to be a decent although unofficial area to kick a ball around with “butterfly gardens” – AKA weeds the city doesn’t need to pay to mow. It's still nice enough and parking in the north lot is a great reason for me to get some hill-walking steps over the lunch hour on nice days.

We loved this park! We stopped on our way through Des Moines. It’s easy to get to right off the interstate, and we loved the two playground structures right next to each other.we also liked that it was clean and new, with plenty of picnic tables and there is even a walking loop for the adults to walk on while the kiddos play. The restrooms were also very clean. We will definitely stop here again our next time through.

A small park tucked away in the middle of a residential area. It has a shelter, a basketball court, benches and 2 inclusive playgrounds. Heavily shaded with a long bridge from the parking lot. It's a quiet, beautiful little park.

#NatsJourneys #Recommended

Perfect for all ages, smaller area for 2-5yr olds. Basketball court partially fenced in. Shelter was a decent size as well. Super cute park, my 2.5 yr old twin boys loved it!

Might be the best kept secret! This small park has a great shelter that is a good size, its in a quiet neighborhood, well kept, modern playground equipment for multiple age groups (even special need accommodations), basketball court, grill, and bathrooms. The only thing is it doesn't have a trail per say (it has a "mini trail" that goes not to far from the park over a creek) but thats not for everyone and I can't knock a star for that. 5iver.

Clean park. Always room to run around and play. The playgrounds are nice and easy to watch the kids while they play. Bathrooms there and nice condition. Good pavilion and easy access. The parking is tight but not too bad. Nice park and has a good feel to it.