This July, explore parks and trails around Waukee to celebrate National Park and Recreation Month with Waukee Parks and Recreation. Created by the National Recreation and Park Association (NRPA), National Park and Recreation Month highlights the essential and powerful role local park and recreation professionals — such as our staff at Waukee Parks and Recreation — play in building stronger, more vibrant and more resilient communities all across the country.
Wondering what to do next?
We have some ideas. Parks and Recreation staff listed 31 ways to enjoy Waukee parks and programming in this downloadable calendar. People of all ages and abilities will find something to enjoy. If you post about your experience on Facebook or Twitter, be sure to tag Waukee Parks and Recreation. If Instagram is your preferred platform, tag the City of Waukee. We can't wait to see your discoveries and favorite moments!
Have Waukee parks or programs had a positive impact in your life? Tell us about it! Share your favorite memory or just say thanks to our dedicated Parks and Recreation staff by tagging us in your social media post or emailing parksandrecreation@waukee.org.
Find a Golden Ticket
Five golden tickets will be hidden in different Waukee parks on July 29 by noon. If you’re lucky enough to find one, turn it in for a fun prize! Only one ticket can be redeemed per person.
A few ways Parks and Recreation enhances our community
Making a Positive Economic Impact
This summer, Waukee Parks and Recreation has employed 139 youth and young adults in essential positions not only for the community, but as a starting point to grow skills and experiences that will serve them for future career opportunities. Tournaments and events also bring visitors to the community, who visit and spend money at local businesses. In addition, an active community is a draw for businesses when they consider were to locate or expand their company.
Cultivating Community
Our parks host many great events for residents and visitors to mingle and local businesses to share their goods and services. Several community events put on by Waukee Parks and Recreation have become beloved traditions in Waukee, including FamilyFest, Independence Day Celebration and WinterFest.
In addition, a variety of facilities are available for rent so community members can gather to celebrate important milestones and events with their loved ones.
Ensuring residents of all ages and abilities can access parks or recreation opportunities in Waukee is important, so staff make inclusivity and accessibility key considerations as they plan for the future. Triumph Park includes one of the nation’s largest inclusive playgrounds and a Miracle League field, so people of all ages and abilities can play together. Many playgrounds include play equipment to, such as a swing design to hold a parent with an infant or small child, to make play more accessible.
Supporting Mental and Physical Wellness
With 23 miles of trails and 18 parks that contain a variety of sport courts and fields, playgrounds and green spaces, Waukee Parks and Recreation creates opportunities for residents and visitors to be physically active, interact with natural spaces and take breaks for mental wellness.
Staff also plan and manage around 70 recreation programs every year, which serve thousands of participants from Waukee and surrounding communities.
Contributing to Sustainability
Waukee Parks and Recreation are environmental stewards who advocate for and protect precious public resources — our City’s land, water, trees and open spaces. Parks staff incorporate sustainability practices, such as using a recirculation system for the splash pad and irrigating out of retention ponds. They also plant trees in public spaces and run our annual Canopy Program to make low-cost trees accessible to residents.
A few projects in the works
The mayor, city council and City staff continually prioritize parks and recreation as critical to our community. You might even wonder when our Parks and Recreation staff sleep! Here are a few new things underway this summer:
- Stratford Crossing Park will soon be Waukee’s newest neighborhood park. Currently under construction in northwest Waukee, the park will have a basketball court, playground, open shelter, restroom and a trail connection.
- Heart of the Warrior Trail was recently extended to reach a new retail development just west of 6th Street. In addition, a new trail amenity with bike fix-it station and butterfly garden will soon offer a great spot for trail users to rest along Ashworth Drive.
- Staff are in planning stages for Spring Crest Park in western Waukee.
- Trails were added along Ute Avenue to connect the Willow Pines neighborhood to Sugar Creek Park.
- Planting and care for all the green spaces, equipment and beautiful flowers you see at our parks, trails and City buildings is a continuous responsibility, one that grows every year as we add parks and trails. Staff maintain more than 200 acres of parkland, trails and facilities within Waukee—mowing, cleaning bathrooms, removing trash, weeding, watering, repairing amenities and anything else needed to keep spaces ready to serve residents.