Coralville Lake offers a variety of education programs that can be conducted both on site and in the classroom.

Coralville Lake Field Trips

The Coralville Lake Visitor Center is open 8-4 Monday through Friday year-round and 10-5 Saturday, Sunday and Holidays from May to September. Self-guided visits are available any day that the center is open. These activities include a 10 minute movie about the Coralville Dam and Devonian Fossil Gorge, educational exhibits, and a native plant garden. Scavenger hunts are available to facilitate time in the exhibits.

For groups larger than 10, please contact the visitor center at 319-338-3543 before your visit to avoid conflict with other scheduled groups. Programs and field trips will be scheduled on a first-come, first-served basis considering staff and facility availability. There is no charge for self-guided activities or special programs.

For larger groups or groups visiting both the visitor center and Devonian Fossil Gorge, the bus or other transportation will need to stay on site throughout the field trip to transport students between locations.

Special Request Programs

Special programs can be scheduled when staff is available. Groups requesting special programming must have at least 10 people in attendance. Groups larger than the maximum for each program will be split into smaller groups and rotate between activities. Programs must normally be requested at least 2 weeks in advance.

Pre-K to 6th grade groups requesting indoor visitor center programs must have one adult for every ten children. Outdoor programs or activities including the Devonian Fossil Gorge Tour must provide the following adult supervision:

Group leaders and adults are responsible for discipline. Staff reserves the right to end a program at any time if they deem that conditions or behaviors are unsafe.

Leader/Teacher Guided Activities

Teachers or group leaders may be required to provide activities for their students when staff is not available for special programs. Activity kits are available for use on field trip days. Topics available include: Archeology, Geology, Fossils, and Mammals. Teachers or group leaders will be notified if they need to provide activities for their students.

The following staff-facilitated Special Programs are available by reservation at Coralville Lake Visitor Center. To schedule a program, please contact Visitor Center Staff at 319-338-3543.