Big Creek Beach — Attraction in Polk City

I enjoy the beach, but the water is a bit questionable... I have checked the Iowa DNR website, and frequently Big Creek has been labeled as "not recommended for swimming" due to the water quality (I believe due to an E.coli issue here). The problem I have with this is that there wasn't any signage indicating this at the beach itself (if there was it is not very easy to find), so you really have no way of knowing unless you navigate the poorly constructed Iowa DNR website... I went with 3 stars since the beach itself is large and tends not to be too crowded so good times on dry land. Really would like to see the DNR post some more visible signage regarding frequent water quality updates for the safety of...

Love this beach. We go here nearly every weekend in the summer. Never rowdy. Plenty of space to post up. Shelters avaliable to rent along with watercraft. Nice wooden playground for the kids. Concession stand in case you forgot your snacks or drinks.

Good fishing for wipers in the summer early AM.

I saw an osprey there every day last year diving for fish.

The beach is well kept. The park officer and staff take care of it every morning...

Favorite beach within 30ish minutes of the Des Moines Metro area! Love coming here with a box of pizza while my kids look for shells or wade in the water or having a friend beach day and chilling on floaties for hours after a picnic lunch. I'd love to see it be a bit more clean but I more blame that on visitors leaving things behind instead (clean up after yourselves folx so others can enjoy it as much as...