Southwoods Park has great creek access (the Jordan Creek on its way to the Raccoon River), but no restrooms. The closest public restrooms are at the West Des Moines Library.
After parking, head to the west end of the parking lot and you'll see this sign pointing toward Rothchild Memorial Nature Trail.
Follow the paved trail to the loop, then look for another trail sign, which will lead you along a dirt path to the creek. From the parking lot to the creek, it's about 1/3 of a mile.
The trail is a somewhat narrow and overgrown in places.
We were at Southwoods for a new
Muddy Boots Forest Camp program called Adventure Playmates. Today's theme was raft building. Each family built a raft and then we raced them in the creek. My boys loved it and want to attend the entire series.
