Walnut Woods State Park
Encyclopedia
Walnut Woods State Park is a state park
of Iowa
, USA, located in suburban West Des Moines
. Within the Des Moines metropolitan area
, the park preserves a bottomland hardwood forest
featuring the largest natural stand of black walnut trees in North America. The Raccoon River
meanders through the 260 acres (105.2 ha) park, providing fishing and canoeing opportunities. The park also provides picnic areas, a limestone lodge built in the 1930s, and a small campground with 22 sites. More than 90 bird species have been seen in the park.
State park
State parks are parks or other protected areas managed at the federated state level within those nations which use "state" as a political subdivision. State parks are typically established by a state to preserve a location on account of its natural beauty, historic interest, or recreational...
of Iowa
Iowa
Iowa is a state located in the Midwestern United States, an area often referred to as the "American Heartland". It derives its name from the Ioway people, one of the many American Indian tribes that occupied the state at the time of European exploration. Iowa was a part of the French colony of New...
, USA, located in suburban West Des Moines
West Des Moines, Iowa
West Des Moines is a city in Polk, Dallas, and Warren counties in the U.S. state of Iowa. As of the 2000 census, the city population was 46,403; a special census taken in the spring of 2005 counted 51,744 residents and the United States Census Bureau estimated that 53,889 residents lived there in...
. Within the Des Moines metropolitan area
Des Moines metropolitan area
The Des Moines metropolitan area, officially known as the Des Moines-West Des Moines Metropolitan Statistical Area , consists of five counties in central Iowa, United States: Polk, Dallas, Warren, Madison, and Guthrie...
, the park preserves a bottomland hardwood forest
Bottomland hardwood forest
The Bottomland hardwood forest is a type of deciduous hardwood forest found in broad lowland floodplains along large rivers and lakes. They are occasionally flooded, which builds up the alluvial soils required for the Gum, Oak and Bald Cypress trees that typically grow in this type of biome...
featuring the largest natural stand of black walnut trees in North America. The Raccoon River
Raccoon River
The Raccoon River is a tributary of the Des Moines River in central Iowa in the United States. As measured using the longest of its three forks, its length increases to...
meanders through the 260 acres (105.2 ha) park, providing fishing and canoeing opportunities. The park also provides picnic areas, a limestone lodge built in the 1930s, and a small campground with 22 sites. More than 90 bird species have been seen in the park.