Glenwood Lake Park

Glenwood Park Address:
100 Lake Drive
Glenwood,  Iowa (Mills County)
Park Size: Medium, Lake Size Small

Glenwood Lake Park is located “not too far” from Council Bluffs Iowa and Omaha Nebraska in the town of Glenwood Iowa. This medium sized park has a lake small enough to walk around for most people, and there is a nice cement walkway circling the lake.

If you would like to just sit and admire the lake, there are a number of benches near the sidewalk, so you should be able to find one oin the sun or in the shade, depending on your preference.

Glenwood Lake Park offers camping (712-527-3334), picnic shelters, playground equipment, fishing, and most important of all, it is a pleasant spot to spend a few hours.

Do you know the Iowa state record fish for common carp came from this lake? It was caught by Fred Hougland in May of 1969, was 44 inches in length, and weighed 50 pounds. For other Iowa state record fish, you may wish to visit the Iowa DNR Website.

Mills County Historical Museum is located at the Glenwood Lake Park, and of particular interest to myself is this threshing machine

After sending a copy of this picture to my mom, she emailed back to say it was very nearly the same as the one my grandfather used on his farm in Wisconsin (1920s-1940s, I think). During harvest season the farmers would get together, sharing the work of harvesting as they moved from farm to farm.

Railroad buffs of any age may enjoy poking around this Burlington Northern caboose at the Museum. Not pictured here, but the museum also includes a very small brick jail, and a genuine outhouse from the old days.
Note: On the Glenwood Lake Park ground is also located the Davies Amphitheater, offering quality family entertainment during the summer months. This facility is also sometimes used for weddings and church services, and is available for public rental.

Unfortunately, internet searches failed to reveal the size of this park or its lake. If you have that information, please post it in the comments section. Thank you.

Mile Hill Lake

Mile Hill Lake Address
US Highway 34
3 miles Southwest of Glenwood Iowa
Park Size: 39 acres. Lake Size: 12 Acres

Mile Hill Lake is not what you might consider a park, perhaps think of it as a nice place to get outdoors, enjoy the scenery, fish, boat, or go for a short hike. Don’t look for playgrounds, picnic tables, or even a restroom here.

This 12 acre lake is located in 39 acre Mile Hill Lake/Scenic Overlook, a Mills County Park which offers canoeing, hiking, lake fishing, and 2 acres of prairie, according to the Mills County Conservation Board.

We missed the turnoff for Mile Hill Lake, and needed to turn around and retrace a bit before arriving here. The entrance to this lake is near the top of a hill, which was an unexpected place to find a lake entrance.

Near the parking area we soon discovered the reason for placing the entrance on top of a hill. An excellent view is available of Mile Hill Lake from the well constructed overlook, which is high above the lake.

Near the overlook is a somewhat steep trail leading down to the lake. Expecting to have to return up this trail, we had to have a closer look at the lake, so went down this path. To our delight, there is a road leading back up the hill from the lake, which we used for our return to the overlook.

Mile Hill Lake is a ways from Omaha, and, unless you plan on doing some fishing or boating, may not be worth a special trip just to look around. However, Pony Creek Lake is nearby, and a day at Pony Creek Lake may also be a good time to have a look at Mile Hill Lake.

Prairie View Lake

Prairie View Lake Recreation Area Address
180th St (1/2 mile south of Hwy 36)
Omaha Nebraska
Park Size: 80 Acres. Lake Size: 42 Acres

Prairie View Lake Recreation Area is mainly all lake, but you will find parking, boat launch, picnic shelters, a small island (accessible by bridge), and a bathroom at the place.

The bathroom is not modern, but has been fairly clean on our visits here

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There is a crushed gravel trail circling Prairie View Lake, fine for walking, but maybe not quite as fine for bicycles.

Most of the trail is without shade, and the little tiny bit of shade offered at this bridge is welcome, and makes for an ideal place to stop and cool off if you are making the trail circuit of the lake.

Prairie View Lake Recreation Area should be a pleasing experience if you are looking for a nice walk, about 1 1/3 miles once around the lake. If you are making a clockwise walk, you should reach the above bridge (the 2nd bridge on  the trail) about 3/4 into your walk.

Don’t forget to bring something to drink, especially in the summertime.

Keep in mind that Prairie Rose Lake and Prairie View Lake are two different places.

Walnut Creek Lake

Walnut Creek Lake Address:
I-80 Exit 439, E. 5 mi., S. 1 mi., W. 3/4 mile
Papillion Nebraska
Park Size: 450 Acres. Lake Size: 105 Acres

Walnut Creek Lake is part of the Papio Missouri River Natural Resources District, and is a worthwhile location for a walk, a bike ride, fishing, RV camping, or a picnic. You won’t find trash cans here. Bring it in, take it out! The main entrance to this recreation area has a playground for kids, both the main entrance and the boat launch entrance have bathrooms. No, they are not flush toilets, but they are better than nothing.


Confused by the address? From Omaha head South on 84th Street till you get to Highway 370. Turn right. Keep going till you see the sign for Walnut Creek Lake (it’s on the left side of the highway). If you take a left here and drive past the main entrance to Walnut Creek Lake, don’t worry, you can go a bit further until you reach Schramm Road, turn right, and you’ll get to the boat launching entrance to Walnut Creek Lake.

Walnut Creek Lake Trail is three miles long, about ten feet wide, concrete surface, and nice and smooth! Signs advise hikers that is about a one hour walk.  The trail has a few steeper slopes in some areas.

Along the trail we did see a good sized snake (don’t they always look big?). We did not see it till next to it, and it let out a warning rattle as we passed by. Research tells us there are 29 species of snakes in Nebraska, including four venomous snakes: timber rattlesnake, prairie rattlesnake, copperhead and Massasauga.

If you are patient enough (and lucky enough) you may get a few pictures of airborne waterfowl at this Nebraska lake. If not, you can just sit back on one of the many benches along the trail and enjoy the outdoors.

Wehrspann Lake

Wehrspann Lake (Chalco Hills Recreation Area) Address
156th and Giles
Sarpy County, Nebraska
Park Size: 940 Acres. Lake Size: 250 Acres

 A simple to remember way to get to Chalco Hills Recreation Area and its Wehrspann Lake is to head south on 144th Street from West Center Street.

Chalco Hills Recreation Area is a place worth multiple trips. There’s too much to see in one day unless you have a high energy level and don’t pause too often to admire the lake or wildlife you may see. Keep your eyes open for white tail deer! You won’t see them every trip, but you’ll never know when one or more will appear.
In my opinion, this is one of the best places to spend a few outdoor hours in the Omaha area.

If you like to walk, jog, or bicycle, the seven miles of trail here should be more than enough. Overall, the trails are smooth, wide enough for bicycle traffic and hikers to share, and you can circle Lake Wehrspann on the trail!

Scenery along the trail is varied enough to make a trail bike ride or walk a pleasure. Although the bathrooms along the trail are not top of the line, there are more restrooms than expected at Wehrspann Lake. Yes, they are mostly pit toilets, but sometimes that really doesn’t matter. Benches are also fairly numerous along the trail.

Trails here are not without hills and turns, but overall they are not bad at all. Don’t be too surprised to see someone out pushing a friend or relative in a wheelchair on a trail here. It’s smooth enough in most places for that to be enjoyable.

Wehrspann Lake has several sources for its water, and the stream pictured above is the largest.  Waterfowl are fairly common here.

The most common fish in the lake include Largemouth Bass, Catfish, Walleye, Sunfish, Crappie, and it is stocked by the Nebraska Game and Parks Commission.

Spring, summer, fall, or winter, this is a great place to be!