Water's Edge Nature Center and Smith Lake Park

The Water's Edge Nature Center and Smith Lake Park offer a wide variety of outdoor and indoor activities including: camping, fishing, kayaking/canoeing, picnicking, hiking, educational opportunities, a meeting room inside the nature center, an enclosed shelter, swimming, playgrounds, and much more.  Visit our webpage watersedgenc.com for more information.

Location

The Water's Edge Nature Center address is 1010 250th St., Algona, IA 50511.  We are located just off of US Hwy. 169, 3 miles N of Hwy. 169 / Hwy. 18 junction at Algona, and about a 1/2 mile W on county blacktop B30.

Features

Meeting Room
The Water's Edge Nature Center Meeting Room is a large 35' by 45' meeting and convention room complete with tables, chairs, sound and video system, attached full kitchen, adjacent restrooms, and a beautiful view of Smith Lake. The Meeting Room can accommodate a maximum of 219 people for a come-and-go affair and can comfortably seat about 120 people with tables and chairs at a sit-down meal gathering.The Meeting Room is available for rent for graduation receptions, class reunions, wedding receptions, birthday parties, anniversary receptions, family reunions, club meetings, retreats, business meetings and a wide variety of other functions. Weekend rates are full day rental only (Saturday or Sunday) at $200 from 8:00 am till 1:00 am.  Weekday rates are $30 an hour with a minimum of 2 hours.  In addition to the rental fee, all renters are required to submit a fully refundable $200 damage deposit. If you plan to have alcohol at your event, you must submit an additional $200 alcohol deposit. These deposits will be refunded if the room is in good condition after your event. For more information on how you can rent the Meeting Room, call 515-295-2138.  See also Meeting Room Brochure
KCCB Camping Information

Fishing
Smith Lake offers excellent bass and catfishing.  It also currently supports a good year class of crappies.  Other species include: yellow perch, an occasional walleye, bluegill, and bullhead.

For more fishing information at Smith Lake, click this link.

Kayak Rental
KCCB has two kayaks, life jackets, and paddles for rent at the Nature Center.  Call (515) 295-2138 for details.
Sample Kayak Rental Form
Enclosed Shelter
There is an enclosed shelter on the south side of the lake that may be rented for any number of activities including: receptions, graduations, club meetings, reunions, etc.  Call the Nature Center for information. 

Operating Hours & Seasons

Hours of Operation

The Nature Center is generally open to the public for visitation between 8:00 am and 4:30 pm Monday through Friday (except holidays). We are also open Saturdays and Sundays seasonally between 1:00 and 4:00 pm. We do our very best to maintain these visitor hours regularly, but it is always a good idea to call ahead to be sure about the availability of the Center. Call 515-295-2138 to inquire about visiting.