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NatureBeaches, Lakes & Rivers

Add A Trip To Iowa’s Giant, Kid-Friendly Sand Dunes To Your Nature Bucket List

Quarry Springs Park in Colfax, Iowa, features unique sand dunes and a variety of outdoor activities, making it a great kid-friendly destination.

Updated Jan 13, 2024

Written by 

Cristy Carr

The Hawkeye State is full of natural areas to explore, with wonderful forests, lakes, rivers, and streams, but are there sand dunes in Iowa?  Iowa has so many kid-friendly destinations, and here's yet another amazing one to add to the list: Quarry Springs in Colfax, Iowa, located just minutes from I-80. And although 480-acre Quarry Springs Park boasts a variety of fun activity options, there's one clear kid favorite: the sand dunes.

You might think this looks like an exotic tropical paradise. But guess again! This is Iowa. Welcome to Quarry Springs Park in Colfax.

A serene riverbank scene with sandy shores, lush greenery, and calm water under a clear blue sky.
Cristy / OIYS

The park features a ring of beautiful quarry ponds around a sand "island." The land around the quarry ponds is what was left behind after the quarry mined and sifted all the useable rock and gravel from the property.

A sandy shore with grass leads to a calm lake surrounded by lush green trees under a clear blue sky.
Cristy / OIYS

And where there is a sand island, there are also sand dunes.

A sunny landscape featuring a grassy area with a sandy hill and trees in the background under a clear blue sky.
Cristy / OIYS

Scattered throughout the park, these sand dunes aren't your typical Iowa landscape, and that makes them extra fun for kids and kids-at-heart to climb up and slide down with every visit.

A person walks up a sandy hill surrounded by green vegetation and trees under a clear blue sky.
Cristy / OIYS

So come on out to Quarry Springs, snag a picnic table, or reserve a campsite at the lakeside campground, kick off your shoes, and sink your toes in the soft, fine, smooth sand.

A wooden picnic table by a calm lake, surrounded by greenery and trees under a clear blue sky.
Cristy / OIYS

Fishermen, kayakers, and hikers are also welcome here at Quarry Springs Park.

A child sits on the sandy bank of a river, fishing with a rod, surrounded by lush greenery and calm water.
Cristy / OIYS

You can find Quarry Springs Park at 200 North Park Road in Colfax, just off of exit 155 along Interstate 80.

A calm river scene with a sandy shore and a person kayaking in the distance under a clear blue sky.
Cristy / OIYS


Let's go for a kayaking trip in Quarry Springs Park in this video from Trent Borth:

youtube embeded image

To learn more about Quarry Springs in Colfax, Iowa, check out this interactive Google Map of Quarry Springs Park with all the details about parking, dune locations, quarry ponds, and more. You can also visit Quarry Springs Park on the web or the Quarry Springs Park Facebook page.

Have you taken the time to explore Quarry Springs Park? Did you even know there were sand dunes in Iowa? If you love sun and sand, you might also be interested to learn about Iowa's unique sand prairie ecosystems.

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