Clinton Lake Swim Beach
Lawrence, Kansas · Clinton Recreation Area
Verified · 4 independent sources
- WATER
- lake
- ACCESS
- Designated swim area
- FEE
- No fee found
- SEASON
- June
About Clinton Lake Swim Beach
Swim Beach is the designated swimming area within Clinton State Park on Clinton Lake, a U.S. Army Corps of Engineers reservoir just west of Lawrence, Kansas. It sits inside the Kansas Department of Wildlife & Parks-operated state park, about 0.2 miles from the park office.
The beach lies on the north shore of Clinton Lake within Clinton State Park's wooded, roughly 1,500-acre grounds in Douglas County, just west of Lawrence. The park surrounds a large Corps of Engineers flood-control reservoir with mixed prairie and woodland shoreline.
Swimming at Clinton Lake Swim Beach
A sandy, designated swim beach with shallow entry suited to families and casual swimmers, marked off by buoys as required by park rules. It is a reservoir beach rather than a natural shoreline swimming hole, and conditions/water levels can vary significantly with lake levels.
How to get to this swimming hole
Parking: Day-use parking is located close to the beach and can accommodate larger vehicles, per a Clinton State Park visitor guide.
The walk in
No real hike here. The water is a short walk from where you park. Drive-up swim beach with adjacent day-use parking; no hike is needed to reach the water. (Clinton State Park separately has a 25-mile hike/bike trail system and mountain bike skills course elsewhere in the park, per KDWP's facility directory, but these are not required to access the designated swim beach itself.)
Plan your visit
Bringing kids
Good for kids
Sandy, buoy-marked designated swim beach with a gradual shallow entry, distinct from the open reservoir (per KDWP facility listing and third-party park guides). Caution warranted because it is a working reservoir: water levels can rise/flood the beach during high water (documented 2019), and Clinton Lake has periodically been placed on Kansas's blue-green algae watch/warning list during summer (most recently June-July 2026, though not on the active list as of July 31, 2026) - check KDHE's HAB advisory before a summer visit.
Parking
Paid
Day-use parking is close to the beach and can accommodate larger vehicles (per a visitor guide). Entry requires a Kansas State Park vehicle permit (sold daily or annually); exact current daily/annual rates were not confirmed - sources found gave conflicting figures and referenced a possible 2026 fee change, so the specific dollar amount is left unconfirmed rather than guessed. In addition, the seasonal swimming-beach operator charges a separate walk-in entry fee of $2 per person (all ages) for beach access during the Memorial Day-to-Labor Day operating season, per funatclintonlake.com (the beach concessionaire's site), which may not apply to visitors just using general park/lake shoreline outside the fee-gated beach.
Restrooms
Yes
A restroom building sits at the beach area itself, reached by walking through a reservable shelter near the beach and continuing down a sidewalk (per Kansas Dept. of Wildlife & Parks' Clinton State Park Beach Area page). A separate operator page for the seasonal swimming-beach concession states bathrooms close at 6:30pm even though the beach itself stays open until 7pm.
Water clarity
Varies with season and flow
One independent write-up describes Clinton Lake's water as clear enough to make it a popular swimming/beach lake, but as a fertile Kansas reservoir it is subject to seasonal blue-green algae blooms; the Lawrence Journal-World reported Clinton Lake was placed on the Kansas Dept. of Health & Environment's harmful-algae 'watch' list on June 18, 2026 and elevated to the more serious 'warning' designation by July 10, 2026. As of a July 31, 2026 check of KDHE's active advisory table, Clinton Lake was not listed among currently active HAB warnings/watches, indicating the bloom had cleared by then. KDHE guidance for watch/warning periods: swimming, wading, skiing and jet skiing are discouraged near any visible bloom, though boating/fishing are considered lower-risk.
Hours
The swim beach itself operates seasonally, per the concessionaire's own site: open daily 10am-7pm from the Friday before Memorial Day through Labor Day (2025 season dates given as 5/23-9/1; low attendance or poor weather can shorten hours). This is consistent with the prior dossier's note that the broader park's swim season runs roughly June-August with a Nov-Feb off-season. The Clinton State Park office itself keeps separate hours of Monday-Friday 8:30am-4pm per KDWP's official facility information; the park/lake grounds are otherwise accessible extended hours.
On the water
Restrictions: Within the swim beach itself, buoys/markers delineate a boat-free swimming area (KDWP rules bar motorized and non-motorized watercraft from crossing into the marked swim zone, and separately prohibit dogs there). Elsewhere on Clinton Lake, all watercraft types are permitted - the reservoir has four numbered boat ramps (including ADA-accessible ramps) and a full-service marina, per KDWP's facility directory for Clinton State Park.
Clinton Lake is also known locally as a windsurfing/sailing lake, per a Lawrence-area visitor discussion, since windy days are common on the open reservoir.
Rentals nearby
Pontoon and tritoon boat rentals (models ranging from a 6-passenger fishing boat up to 16-passenger tritoons), plus boat storage/slips and sales; partners with a third-party kayak rental service on-site.
1329 E 800 Road, Lawrence, KS 66049, on Clinton Lake · Tue-Thu 8am-6pm, Fri-Sat 8am-8pm, Sun 8am-5pm, closed Monday (summer hours)
Single/tandem kayak rentals with paddle and PFD included
Prices: $16 for the first hour, then $12/hour thereafter; a $99 seasonal unlimited membership (2-hour complimentary rentals) was also advertised
1329 E 800th Rd, Lawrence, KS 66049 (Clinton Marina) · Open daily sun-up to sun-down
Kayak rentals with equipment included, at Boat Ramp 7 on the south side of Clinton Lake
Prices: $16 for the first hour, then $12/hour thereafter
716 N 1190 Rd, Lawrence, KS 66047 (Boat Ramp 7, Bloomington Park) · Open daily sun-up to sun-down
What regulars say
Visitor reports: a long-running r/Lawrence thread on 'best places to swim in Clinton Lake' notes there are really two distinct sandy swimming beaches on the reservoir - Bloomington East (USACE-managed, on the south side) and the Clinton State Park swim beach (this listing, KDWP-managed, north shore) - and that windsurfers favor the lake generally because windy days are common in Kansas. That thread describes Bloomington East's beach hours as 8am-10pm, May through September, which is a separate facility from this KDWP swim beach and its own 10am-7pm seasonal hours, so don't confuse the two when planning a visit.
Clinton Lake Swim Beach: FAQ
Is Clinton Lake Swim Beach kid friendly?
Sandy, buoy-marked designated swim beach with a gradual shallow entry, distinct from the open reservoir (per KDWP facility listing and third-party park guides). Caution warranted because it is a working reservoir: water levels can rise/flood the beach during high water (documented 2019), and Clinton Lake has periodically been placed on Kansas's blue-green algae watch/warning list during summer (most recently June-July 2026, though not on the active list as of July 31, 2026) - check KDHE's HAB advisory before a summer visit.
Do I need to hike to reach Clinton Lake Swim Beach?
No significant hike is required. The swimming area is close to parking and access.
Where do I park for Clinton Lake Swim Beach?
Day-use parking is close to the beach and can accommodate larger vehicles (per a visitor guide). Entry requires a Kansas State Park vehicle permit (sold daily or annually); exact current daily/annual rates were not confirmed - sources found gave conflicting figures and referenced a possible 2026 fee change, so the specific dollar amount is left unconfirmed rather than guessed. In addition, the seasonal swimming-beach operator charges a separate walk-in entry fee of $2 per person (all ages) for beach access during the Memorial Day-to-Labor Day operating season, per funatclintonlake.com (the beach concessionaire's site), which may not apply to visitors just using general park/lake shoreline outside the fee-gated beach.
Can I bring a kayak or paddleboard to Clinton Lake Swim Beach?
Clinton Lake is also known locally as a windsurfing/sailing lake, per a Lawrence-area visitor discussion, since windy days are common on the open reservoir.
When is the best time to visit Clinton Lake Swim Beach?
Peak swimming season is June through August; a visitor guide notes the beach effectively closes for the season from roughly November through February.
What are the rules at Clinton Lake Swim Beach?
Kansas Dept. of Wildlife & Parks rules prohibit dogs on swimming beaches or swim areas delineated by buoys/markers at Clinton State Park.
