Pleasant Creek is a great place for a family picnic. Picnic areas are located on the northeast and southeast shores.
Several open shelters and the day-use lodge may
reserved online through the
park reservation system.
The Pleasant Creek campground features 69 campsites, 43 electrical hook-ups and 2 modern shower and rest room facilities.
From the campground, campers have a pleasing view of much of the recreation area. Advance campsite reservations can be
made through the park reservation system. Half of the campsites are
available on a first-come, first-serve basis.
Four camper cabins are available seasonally. The rustic pine
log cabins offer visitors a sense of pioneer lifestyle. The cabins have electricity, microwave ovens, small refrigerators,
basic furnishings, and covered porches. Visitors must provide their own bedding, towels, cooking utensils and other
camping items. Cabins are located near the campgrounds so cabin users will have use of the shower and toilet facilities.
The cabins can be reserved online through
park reservation system.
There are 10 miles of trails for the hiker, snowmobiler, bicycling, cross-country skier and equestrian, with connecting
access to many area facilities and scenic overlooks. Contact the park office for trail closings due to wet
conditions.
(swimming, fishing, boating)
The lake is one of the highest quality fishing lakes in the region and is stocked with largemouth bass, crappie,
bluegill, channel catfish and mussel lunge. Shoreline fishing has been enhanced by the construction of jetties. Bait is
available for sale at the boat house.
Pleasant Creek is a relaxing place to spend a day at the beach. The swimming area is located on the north shore.
Pleasant Creek Lake is one of the most popular boating spots in eastern Iowa. Four launching sites are conveniently
located around the lake. These sites have a total of seven ramps for fishing, leisure boating and sailboating access.
Any size boat motor may be operated at "no wake speeds."
Pleasant Creek State Recreation Area is open to public hunting and trapping. Popular species of game include rabbits,
pheasants and quail. Pleasant Creek is also a popular site for organized dog field trials.
The idea for a state recreation area at Pleasant Creek originated in the early 1960s when the Iowa Conservation
Commission (now the Iowa Department of Natural Resources) began investigating the possibility of a large lake to serve
the outdoor recreation needs of a multi-county region of northeast Iowa. Today, a 410-acre lake and more than 1,500
acres of land are available to visitors conveniently close to the cities of Cedar Rapids, Iowa City, Palo and
Waterloo/Cedar Falls. The lake offers a variety of fishing, boating and swimming opportunities. Trails offer visitors
scenic views of wooded hills, marshy areas and meadows. The area is open year-round and provides a maximum of outdoor
recreation activities.
Pleasant Creek lies approximately 15 miles northwest of Cedar Rapids and 40 miles southeast of the Waterloo-Cedar Falls
metropolitan area. Palo is located 5 miles south.
4530 McClintock Road
Palo, IA 52324-0242
ph. 319/436-7716
fax 319/436-7715
E-mail address: Pleasant_Creek@dnr.iowa.gov
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