Recreation and Parks in Cedar Rapids
Recreation and Parks
The Cedar Rapids area provides an unparalleled array of recreational activities that serve to enhance the area’s quality of life for both spectators and participants.
Spectator Sports
The Cedar Rapids Kernels, an affiliate of the Anaheim Angels professional baseball organization is based in Cedar Rapids.
The Kernels play in a new $14 million stadium that seats 5,300 people. Everyone can enjoy playing year round on the new two-sheet $13 million Cedar Rapids Ice Arena. The new Ice Arena has increased the participation in hockey and has also become a favorite winter sport in Cedar Rapids. The Cedar Rapids RoughRiders, a junior hockey franchise for the United States Hockey League, has brought a lot of excitement to the winter blahs. It is great entertainment for the entire family.
Hawkeye Downs Speedway offers a paved racing track with both ¼ mile and ½ mile tracks, paved pits, quality lighting, electronic message board, full concession facilities and many other features. In 2003 a new scoreboard and transponder timing and scoring system was added. Hawkeye Downs Speedway has become a popular venue for visiting regional and national series including the American Speed Association, USAC Sprints, IMCA Summer Series, the Mid-American Stock Car Series, Mid-American Super Trucks, NASCAR REMAX Series, American IndyCar Series, UMARA Midgets and many others.
Cedar Rapids residents can also access many college sporting events due to our central location. The University of Iowa, located only 25 minutes south in Iowa City, offers a wealth of opportunities for college sports fans with its Big 10 action. Iowa State University, located in Ames, which is a 90-minute drive, is part of the Big 12 Conference. The University of Northern Iowa, a Division I school located 45 minutes north in Cedar Falls, has teams in many sports. Cedar Rapids also offers local sporting events at the small private college and community college levels.
All major league sports such as football, baseball, basketball and hockey are available within a five-hour drive in Minneapolis, Milwaukee, Green Bay, Chicago, St. Louis and Kansas City. If soccer is your sport, Kansas City and Chicago both offer professional indoor soccer teams.
Parks
The Cedar Rapids area takes pride in having the largest park system in Iowa with over 75 parks. They cover more than 4,000 acres and offer swimming, boating, ice-skating, cross-country skiing, snowmobiling, softball, baseball, volleyball, tennis, horseshoes, picnicking and scenic drives.
There are three state parks and four county parks within 20 minutes of Cedar Rapids, with fishing, swimming, sailing, camping, rock climbing and hiking trails. The 4,900-acre Coralville Lake area, on the outskirts of Cedar Rapids, is a project of the Corps of Engineers. Extensive outdoor activities are available there.
Cedar Rapids also features an 18-acre fenced off-leash dog exercise area at Cheyenne Park. This outdoor, all-weather facility includes a walking trail that encircles the park, and both mowed and tall prairie grass areas. The park is separated into exercise spaces for large and small dogs.
Golf
Iowa has more golf courses per capita than any other state in America. Golfing is readily available in the Cedar Rapids area with four municipal golf courses, four privately owned public golf courses and three private golf courses (country clubs). You have access to over 40 golf courses, each offering different challenges and amenities within a 45-minute radius of the Cedar Rapids area.
Hunter's Ridge, a one-of-a-kind golf course community, is unique to the Cedar Rapids and Marion area. Covering 400 acres, it is the only residential golf community in the area that incorporates an 18-hole championship golf course entirely within the development.
The Amana Golf Course, located just 20 minutes southwest of Cedar Rapids, provides a scenic golf setting. This 18-hole championship course winds through 300 acres of hardwood forests. Five sets of tees with yardages from 5,288 to 6,824, watered bent grass fairways, water hazards and bunkers make for an enjoyable game amidst some of the most picturesque scenery in Iowa.
Hunting & Fishing
Iowa provides a wide variety of outdoor activities, including numerous hunting and fishing opportunities. Hunting seasons are provided for deer, turkey, a variety of waterfowl, pheasant, quail, rabbit and squirrel. Plus, you can fish for bass, catfish, walleye, crappie and bluegill.
Trails
Trails have become a focus in the Cedar Rapids area, with trails expanding and winding through the heart of downtown and numerous neighborhoods. The Linn County Trails Association is a non-profit, volunteer organization raising funds to complete the grid and to connect the number of established trails that exist in the Cedar Rapids area.
The Cedar Greenbelt National Recreation Trail offers beautiful scenery for hiking, nature study and cross-country skiing throughout the Indian Creek Nature Center’s 210 acres of natural preserve. The Cedar Valley Nature Trail is 52 miles long and is built on a former railroad bed that connects the communities of Cedar Rapids and Waterloo. It is also available for biking, hiking, nature study and cross-country skiing.
The Cedar River Trail provides twelve miles of asphalt for skating, biking, hiking or skating through Cedar Rapids. The Sac & Fox National Recreational Trail follows the picturesque Indian Creek through heavily wooded areas and is available for hiking, horseback riding, nature study, bicycling, cross-country skiing and dog sledding. It is designated as a Boy Scout Heritage Trail. Many more trails exists throughout Cedar Rapids and surrounding communities.
Recreational Facilities
The Cedar Rapids area has many other recreational opportunities. They include skydiving; six municipal aquatic centers; 50 or more public tennis courts and three private tennis clubs; more than 50 public baseball or softball diamonds for numerous leagues; 30-plus volleyball courts, both indoor and outdoor for numerous leagues; three outdoor ice rinks; four cross-country ski trails; a variety of sledding hills; a toboggan run; five bowling centers; and a central YMCA with two branches.
There are more than 30 soccer fields in the Cedar Rapids area, including an indoor soccer complex and the Tuma outdoor soccer complex. For an extensive list of recreational opportunities visit the Bureau's Sports Marketing Department.
Health/Fitness Clubs
Cedar Rapids has eight full-service health clubs. Each has its own specialty areas including:
| Aerobics | Aquatic Classes | Cardio Center |
| Circuit Weight Training | Free Weight Training | Ice Room |
| Indoor Swimming Pools | Kids Programs | Massage Therapists |
| Meditation | Nautilus Weight Training | Personal Trainers |
| Prenatal Exercise | Racquetball | Running Tracks |
| Steam room/Sauna | Tae Kwon Do | Tai Chi |
| Tanning | Universal Weight Training | Wallyball |
| Whirlpool | Yoga | Day Care |
| Pilates | | |