Dear Iowa State Parks Visitors,
We greatly appreciate your support and trust. In accordance with CDC guidelines and state recommendations pertaining to COVID-19, we want to share with you important information about Iowa state parks.
At this point, Iowa State Parks are open. Our highest priority is the health and well-being of our visitors, volunteers and employees. During this time, we remain diligent in taking steps to make your visit as safe and enjoyable as possible.
Here’s how you can help:
- According to State of Iowa recommendations, limit your group to less than 10 people when visiting a state park.
- If you have been sick in the last two weeks, please stay at home for your health and the safety of others.
- Avoid popular areas where people may congregate, and also avoid larger groups in general. Areas to avoid may include scenic overlooks, buildings, playgrounds, etc.
- Please maintain distance between you and other park visitors according to guidelines and recommendations by health officials. Please take into consideration the health of others when spending time outdoors.
- Pack extra soap or hand sanitizer. Please be aware that bathrooms and showers are closed seasonally every year through April 15. Due to increased use or at remote locations, soap or sanitizer may not be available.
- Additional information on best practices for keeping you and your family safe can be found online at the CDC website.
Here’s what we are doing:
- If you feel cancelling your stay is the safest choice, we will waive cancellation fees for visits (cabins, campsites, lodges) with arrival dates through April 30, 2020. To cancel without fees, contact the Customer Service Call Center at (877) 427-2757. If you have a lodge or cabin reservation involving groups of 10 or more, we will be contacting you to cancel your reservation. Additionally, the DNR is working to temporarily limit reservations at lodges and cabins to groups of less than 10, so please be aware of changes that may be coming if you are making plans for the spring.
- We are implementing additional cleaning procedures, according to CDC guidelines, such as more stringent and frequent cleaning of cabins and other public areas.
- We are postponing programs and events at all state parks through April 30, 2020. This will help keep visitors safe, and we will reassess this policy in mid-April. We are also temporarily closing any visitor centers or museums managed by state parks.
- We are monitoring the situation. We promise to remain diligent and intentional in protecting you and making your visit a great experience. As conditions change, so may our policies on park visitation and overnight stays. We will keep you informed of any changes moving forward.
Thank you for your patience and flexibility. We appreciate your support of Iowa state parks as we all work together to keep each other safe.