Sun Valley Lake, IA

Sun Valley Lake is an unincorporated community and census-designated place on the shore of its namesake lake in northeastern Ringgold County. The 2020 census counted 187 residents. The private residential lake is spring-fed, covers about 422 acres, and has roughly 16 miles of shoreline. That waterline sets the community's geography: homes and roads face coves, inlets, and open views across southern Iowa.

Lake association facilities include a sandy beach, swimming and boating areas, fishing water stocked with walleye, bass, crappie, and bluegill, a nine-hole golf course, pickleball and tennis courts, shuffleboard, and the Clubhouse Bar and Grille. Members use the lake for fishing, golf, court games, and seasonal gatherings, with shared recreation spread along the private residential shoreline and beach. Sun Valley Lake uses the Mount Ayr Community School District, while Ellston supplies a fire department, post office, and community library. It is a place organized around a private lake, with school, emergency, and library connections reaching beyond the shoreline.