Green Valley State Park - Creston, IA - Iowa State Parks

Picnicking/Shelters
Green Valley is a popular family picnic spot. Its 2 open shelters may be reserved online through the park reservation system. Multiple other picnic areas are found throughout the park.

Cabins
The 3 rustic pine log camper cabins offer visitors a sense of pioneer lifestyle. The cabins have electricity, a covered porch and basic furnishings. 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 the park reservation system.

Camping
There are 101 campsites including electric and full hook-up sites, modern restrooms and showers, and a trailer dump station. One fourth of the campsites are first come/first serve and half can be reserved through the park reservation system. A playground is located near the campground.

Trails
A new 3.5 mile paved trail starts in the campground, bordering much of the east side of the lake, and finishes near the Green Valley Lake Dam. The paved trail connects with 3 miles of other paved trails south of the lake that travel through MItchell Marsh Wildlife Management Area, past Southwestern Community College, and ends at McKinley Lake City Park in Creston. Other grass multi-purpose trails, many bordering the lake, provide visitors excellent opportunities to investigate remote areas of the 1,060-acre park and enjoy its wildlife and plants.

Lake Activities (boating, fishing)
The swimming beach is a great place to cool off on a hot summer day for both kids and grown-ups. Green Valley has long been a popular "fishing hole" for both bank and boat anglers. A number of fishing jetties are available. Two fishing piers on both the north and south shorelines are accessible to persons with varying abilities. In-board motors are not allowed on Green Valley Lake, this includes jet skis and jet boats. Green Valley Lake is used for all types of boating; water skiing is allowed in a designated area. For safety reasons, there are special regulations governing water skiing. All other boats must keep out of the general traffic pattern of boats pulling skiers and must not operate at speeds greater than five miles per hour when within 50 feet of another craft or person. All water skiers, including those using surfboard-type devices, must wear U.S. Coast Guard approved life-saving jackets. No boat is allowed to be operated within 100 feet of shore at speeds greater than five miles per hour. Boats must also maintain a "no wake" speed when outside the ski zone. Four boat ramps on Green Valley Lake provide convenient lake access. Green Valley's 390-acre lake draws hundreds of visitors on hot summer days. Not only does it offer excellent fishing, boating and swimming, it is also the focal point for a great variety of other outdoor recreation pursuits.