Brown's Woods
Brown’s Woods
465 SE Brown's Woods Drive
West Des Moines, Iowa
Brown’s Woods, Iowa’s largest urban forest, offers more than four miles of trails to explore. This 486-acre forest in West Des Moines features a canopy of oak and hickory trees stretching from Brown's Woods Drive to the Raccoon River. The rolling hills and small streams of Brown's Woods are a joy to explore at any season. This wildlife area is named after Tallmadge E. Brown, a successful Des Moines lawyer who acquired large tracts of land around Des Moines in the late 1800s. One of them was this beautiful forest acquired by the Conservation Board in 1972.
- Hiking
- Cross-Country Skiing
- Snowshoeing
- Dogs must be kept on a six-foot leash; please remember to pick up after your pets.
The trails are sensitive to erosion and cannot withstand wear caused by:
- No Horses
- No Bicycles
- No motorized vehicles
Visitors may collect the following for non-commercial use if the plant is not harmed:
- Nuts
- Fruit
- Edible mushrooms
Removing plants, hunting, trapping animals, and cutting wood is illegal here.
VIRTUAL PARK MAP
Spanish Translation: Park Map
PARK HOURS
Summer |6:30 a.m. – 10:30 p.m. | April 1 - October 31
Winter | Sunrise - Sunset | November 1 - March 31
Unless Otherwise Posted
TRAILS
Total Mileage: 4.4 Miles | Difficulty: Moderate
Check out the Chronolog
While in the park, become a citizen scientist! Help monitor Polk County's conservation efforts to improve the timber at Brown's Woods. Place your phone in the Chronolog station, snap a photo, and then uploading it to the Chronolog platform. Over time, you'll be able to see the area transform, as well as catch a glimpse of the changing season.