Big Creek State Park in Polk City has a large wooden playground next to a swimming beach. There are several covered picnic areas near the playground, which can be used if they're not reserved. The small beach cabanas with one picnic table are $25/day to rent.
Big Creek Marina is open seasonally and has boat rentals including pontoon boats, kayaks, canoes, sailboats, fishing boats, paddle boats, hydro bikes, and stand up paddle boards. They also sell drinks, snacks, ice cream treats, and items you may have forgotten like sunscreen and beach floats.
Before visiting Big Creek, I recommending checking the water quality on Iowa State Parks' Beach Monitoring page and also checking the State Park Alerts & Closures to see if any issues are affecting the park.
PLAYGROUND
![]() |
Big Creek Marina |
.