Outdoors

A multitude of activities exist within the 23 parks and recreational areas of the Clay County Conservation Department: camping, hiking, educational programs, hunting, fishing, boating, swimming, picnicking and much more.

Click HERE or see the PDF below for a listing of all parks in Clay County.

Iowa Great Lakes Connection Trail  

To outdoor  bicycle enthusiasts the continuing growth of bike trails has promoted an enjoyable and much safer bicycling experience. Thorughout the past several years, many Iowa communities and local volunteers have banded together to enhance trail growth in their area. As more and more drivers, have become distracted drivers, the need for a saver way to get from community to community, by bicycle has become a top priority. Iowa is home to over 2,000 miles of multi-use trails used by cyclists, walkers & runners.

One such project began, in 2011. when the Clay County Trail group was organized, in Spencer. This group saw the need to not only build trails within the cities of Spencer, but to also find a way to join communities together. Thus, the Iowa Great lakes Trail Connection Trail began. With a rails to trail project completed connecting the communities of Jefferson, Panora & Perry, it became apparent that there were only five counties to connect in northwest Iowa, to complete a contiguous 200(+) mile paved trail from Okoboji to Des Moines. In 2015 the communities of Carroll and Sac began connecting the communities of Carroll and Lake View,. To date, the Sauk Rail Trail committee has  built over 33 miles of trail and are currently working to connect Lake View to Sac City. In 2024, Clay County completed their portion of the trail from Spencer north to  Dickinson County . Okoboji will begin their trail construction south to Spencer, this spring, with completion in 2026.

Iowa is home to over 2,000 miles of multi-use trails, used by cyclists, walkers and runners. The Iowa Great Lakes Connection Trail is just the beginning as more and more trails are being proposed across the state. The amount of lakes that are encompassed in this span of trails,  make this a huge tourism component for the state of Iowa.

In March, the five county representatives, will once again gather, to begin plans for the final phase joining Spencer, Storm Lake and Sac City. Fundraising efforts are underway in each community. For questions, to make a donation or to get involved please contact Kathy at 712-363-3936.