Clive: Trails, Water and Culture

If you’re planning a hotel stay in Clive, you can choose your destination based on the focus of your trip: trails and scenery along the Clive Greenbelt, swimming at the Clive Aquatic Center, or a visit to the Clive Festival. These activities also differ in their timing: the Aquatic Center operates seasonally, while a visit to the festival depends on the dates of that year’s event. This helps you plan your time in Clive around your chosen activity and travel dates.

Trails and scenery in Clive

The Clive Greenbelt Trail runs along Walnut Creek through scenic, densely wooded areas. West of the Maddox Parkway Trailhead, about 10 acres of restored prairie lie along the trail. Walnut Creek, the wooded areas, and the prairie offer several distinct landscape features to explore in the Greenbelt.

The Clive Greenbelt trails are open from 6:00 a.m. to 10:00 p.m. The Clive Greenbelt Trail is used year-round by runners, walkers, and cyclists. Check for current notices about temporary closures before your visit. The Raccoon River Valley Trail in Clive is 2.6 miles long; this length refers to that trail, not to the Greenbelt’s opening hours.

Swimming and activities at the Aquatic Center

The Clive Aquatic Center offers public swimming, swimming lessons, and water aerobics. The facility includes a leisure pool for young children and families, as well as a standard swimming pool with slides and diving boards. A lazy river rounds out the options: you can float in an inner tube around its short loop. This lets you consider lessons, the pools with slides and diving boards, and floating around the loop as different ways to spend your time.

The center operates seasonally. Since facility details may change with a redesign, check current seasonal information about opening hours and pool offerings before your visit.

Festival and culture

The Clive Festival is an annual, multi-day community celebration. For the 2025 edition, the sponsors’ guide lists Clive’s Greenbelt Landing as the venue and July 18 and 19 as the dates. The festival includes the “Thunder Over Clive” fireworks. If you want to plan your stay around the festival, check the dates for the relevant year’s event before you travel.

In 2019, the Clive Greenbelt was designated an “Iowa Great Place” by the Iowa Department of Cultural Affairs. The City of Clive also aims to develop and promote a public art program. It is intended to foster civic pride, give important places in the city an artistic character, and contribute to the aesthetic education and appreciation of residents and visitors. The Greenbelt’s historic designation and the city’s public art initiative are distinct cultural features.

Discover more destinations: Urbandale, Johnston, Ankeny, Grimes, Des Moines, West Des Moines

For the regional travel overview: Polk.