Place/Event: Cottonwood Recreation Area
Location: 7400 NW 37th St, Ankeny, IA 50023
Cost: Free
Grade/age range: K-12
Group size: large or small (great location for very large groups)
Hands-on: Yes
Stroller friendly: Yes (but not along the edge of the frog pond)
Bathrooms: Yes (running water and flushable toilets)
Water: Yes
Food: No
I LOVE THE FROG POND!
Nothing makes me happier than seeing my kids and their best friends overflowing with excitement and wonder, nets full of tadpoles, and 7 little voices all talking at once about “tadpole city”.
Water sloshing out of rain boots and beaming muddy faces; come join us at the frog pond!
Catching frogs is a timeless childhood tradition but I personally have found it difficult to find good locations for frog hunting, until we discovered Cottonwood Recreation Area.
The pond is filled with frogs and tadpoles (like millions of them) each spring. Visiting the pond is going to become an annual tradition for us!
In all our excitement, I forgot to take pictures of the other facilities at the park. There are several open-air shelters, nice sidewalks, two playgrounds, and access to the Des Moines River and bike trails.
Cottonwood Recreation Area is located southeast of Saylorville Dam. About a mile away is the Saylorville visitor center.
Children can catch a tadpole or frog within a few minutes of trying. The pond is shallow along the edge.
When the tadpoles are available depends on the weather and season. Last year they were out by the end of April and another year it was the middle of May.
The tadpoles take around 15 weeks to change into frogs so there are lots of opportunities to visit and see the metamorphosis.
Packing List
- snacks and water for kids to drink
- water shoes or OLD shoes that can get muddy and wet (and clothes)
- towels
- aqua nets for catching frogs and tadpoles
- jars to put them in for viewing
- magnifying glass or other fun research toys – field journals etc
- binoculars to see birds It is common to see eagles in the area.
- stroller for little ones but you can’t get a stroller close to the pond so you may want to wear baby if you are going to be walking around the pond.
One thing I really stress and cover with my kids is the responsible use of our local parks!
We want to be able to come back and enjoy the park each year and our participation is important!
As a general rule – for local and state parks, visitors aren’t allowed to remove anything from the park. If you have any questions or are unsure of the law, please check with the park ranger or Polk County Conservation, or the DNR. The DNR has a little easier-to-understand guide.
As a general rule of safety, I don’t visit wooded or remote areas alone. This area does have a full-time resident caretaker but it is more secluded and you may want to bring a friend.
It just doesn’t get any better than this!!!
Except for this poor little toad we caught – we aren’t sure what happened to him but he must be a fighter. WARNING: Graphic images below.
Poor Toad. 🙁
The kids learn so much at the frog pond. I can’t wait to take them back!
If you know of another great public park to observe and learn about frogs, please list locations in the comments!
Review this extensive list of other great science learning opportunities in the Des Moines, Iowa area.
