Waukee, IA Outdoor Activities

Roy Michael, who has been a PGA professional for 15 years, conducts golf lessons and intensive group seminars at Echo Valley Country Club, where he is the head of instruction. Roy tweaks the mechanics of students’ full swings on the driving range as they take aim at target greens or listless physicists attempting to discover gravity. On the practice green, the instructor assesses putting strokes and offers advice for correcting each pupil’s physical and mental approach to this notoriously difficult part of the game. As golf is not learned through rote repetition alone, students also receive instruction through on-course play, which is better for seeing the importance of course management, maintaining a positive mindset, and learning to deal with distractions from clouds shaped like turkey legs.

As children and their caretakers enjoy a leisurely day at Union Park, a cluster of animals—storks, giraffes, brown bears, and ostriches among them —suddenly storms past. What sounds like a stampede is really the family-friendly site of The Heritage Carousel of Des Moines, which has been entertaining guests since 1998. For only 50 cents, participants can hop aboard the turn-of-the-century replica carousel, which builders hand carved from basswood and hand painted. As the dulcet tones of an old-fashioned band organ hum in the background, the carousel accommodates children, wedding parties, and bull riders in training. Elsewhere, riders can pause from carousel excursions to sample other Union Park attractions such as multiage play equipment and the Rocket Slide, whose recent repainting replicates its original look from the early 1970s.

Erv Wagner began shooting arrows at insolent targets in 1956, and since then he has earned a national title and maintained active membership in the National Field Archery Association, the Iowa Bow Hunter Association, and Mid-Iowa Archers. He passed down his love of outdoor sport to his son, and together they run Archery Field & Sports. They outfit first-time archers with the appropriate gear before granting tailored instruction at group or private lessons. Guests can test their aim at a 45-yard indoor range or inhale Mother Nature's fresh breath while shooting at a 20-target outdoor range. Those in need of a little more color can square off against opponents and drab blades of grass at the outdoor paintball field. Their pro shop dispenses the necessary paintballs, along with archery and hunting supplies.

When owner Aaron Stevens says that climbing “builds strength, self-confidence, and trust,” he’s speaking from experience. For much of his life, Aaron suffered from acrophobia, otherwise known as a fear of heights. To deal with his fear, he took an unexpected strategy. He started climbing.

Today, when he walks around Climb Iowa’s 10,000 square feet of top-roping, bouldering, and lead-climbing stations, his proudest moments are when he sees guests “persevere on the climbing wall and achieve a level they never thought they could attain.” An avid outdoorsman, Aaron and his crew oversee simulated climbing terrains that include cracks, overhangs, laybacks, verticals, and slabs. In addition to open sessions, Climb Iowa’s team members lead classes tailored for both beginning and intermediate to advanced climbers. They also offer yoga classes to keep climbers lithe, along with youth summer camps and a recreational and competitive climbing team. Beyond the classes, an extensive stock of gear equips climbers for adventures inside and outside of the gym. Climb Iowa’s construction reflects its team’s love of the outdoors, sporting an eco-friendly design with plentiful natural lighting, geothermal heating and cooling, bicycle racks, and parking spaces for Flintstone cars.

Started as a nonprofit club back in 1974, Des Moines Skydivers originally provided a way for its skydiving-enthusiast members to enjoy an expensive passion as cheaply as possible. After upgrading its Cessna 195 to two newer models, the group expanded its focus, welcoming members of the public to Winterset Airport for first-time jumps, tandem jumps, accelerated training courses, and varied jumps for seasoned skydivers. The group also holds an annual get-together every Labor Day weekend called Dollar Daze, during which partygoers can pay a dollar to either jump from an airplane or give a quick smooch to the pilot.

Like many other horseback-riding facilities, Louw Stables’ 50 acres of rolling hills, dotted with trees and lined by picket fences, paint a picturesque backdrop for warm-weather riding lessons. But it’s the way owners Louis and Jennifer Louw have prepared for the winter months—when snow generally blankets these pastures—that sets their facility apart from the rest. To accommodate riding year-round, they built an expansive indoor arena that, along with a 30-stall stable, is heated so that lessons and trainings can go on through winter without interruption.

Jennifer draws upon 22 years of experience as she teaches children and adults the art of horsemanship along with equine care. Her eight trained lesson horses are all steady-tempered and work with novice riders and advanced equestrians alike. She also oversees an open barn each Saturday from 8 a.m. to noon, during which students can help with chores around the stable, including brushing horses and ironing their saddles.