Ada Hayden Heritage Park

From Rofflehaus

Ada Hayden Heritage Park
5205 Grand Ave, Ames, IA 50010

http://www.city.ames.ia.us/parkrecweb/Ada%20Hayden%20updated.htm

Ada Hayden Heritage Park is the most recent outdoor experience for Ames, with miles of walking and/or biking trails meandering around artificial lakes suitable for fishing and watersports (but not swimming). The park is named in honor of Ada Hayden.

(The former quarry isn't a suitable habitat for small fishes due to lack of coral. To remedy this, several companies donated metallic cages they no longer need. The idea was that the cages will provide a shelter for the smaller fishes. To deploy the cages, they spread some out on the surface of the lake when it was frozen; they will then sink to the bottom as the ice melts. There was a really nice picture of this in one of the local newspapers. It'd be nice if someone can find the source).

Ada Hayden Heritage Park locates at North of Ames

The boat ramp

The sign

A recent study by William Simpkins (Geological and Atmospheric Sciences) showed that the lake at the Ada Hayden Heritage Park served as a "flow-through lake" for the Ames aquifer. [1]

[edit] How to get there

The easiest route is probably from Highway 69. However, be informed that traffic accidents have increased ever since the park opened. Be very careful of really fast moving traffic when entering/exitting the highway. To make matters worse, the hills may also block your view.

If you're riding a bicycle, then there are various ways you can safely enter the paths while avoiding the highway:

Through Hoover Avenue: proceed north, beyond Top-o-Hollow Road, until you see the lake. A path between the housing complex connects to the trail.
Through Dawes Drive: the sidewalk on the west side of Grand Avenue merges into Dawes Drive. Proceed north, and you will run into a fenced area surrounding parts of the trail with a small entrance gate. A word of caution: bikes aren't allowed in Grand Avenue, which is part of Highway 69 highway).

Map: http://www.stuorg.iastate.edu/grebe/Envi-Run/Ada_Hayden_map.pdf