Lake Miola Swim Beach
Paola, Kansas · Lake Miola Park
Verified · 4 independent sources
- WATER
- lake
- ACCESS
- Designated swim area
- FEE
- $15/day
- SEASON
- Varies by conditions
About Lake Miola Swim Beach
Swimming Beach is the designated swimming area at Lake Miola Park, a roughly 560-acre city-owned park with a 200-acre lake on the north edge of Paola, Kansas. The City of Paola's own park ordinance establishes an official sand-beach swimming hole here, distinct from the city's separate Paola Family Pool (Aquatic Center) at Wallace Park, giving locals a true lake to swim in. Swimming is permitted only within the marked designated area and only during daylight hours.
Lake Miola is a 200-acre municipal lake within a roughly 560-acre city park at 299th Street and Hedge Lane Road on the north edge of Paola, Kansas. The park also serves as the city's water supply reservoir and includes camping and picnic areas, a playground, and hiking trails. The official park map places the designated 'Swimming Area' (a sand beach) near the Lions Park/International Park section on the west side of the lake, close to vehicle parking, playgrounds, picnic shelters, and bathrooms.
Swimming at Lake Miola Swim Beach
Swimming is confined by city ordinance to a marked designated swimming area with a sand beach, plus a buffer within 25 feet of anchored watercraft in the lake's no-wake zone; swimming anywhere else on the lake is prohibited. The lake is otherwise used for boating, water skiing, and fishing, so the swim area is set apart from boat traffic lanes. No official description of water clarity, depth, or bottom composition at the beach was found.
How to get to this swimming hole
Lake Miola Park is located at 299th Street and Hedge Lane Road on the north edge of Paola, Kansas; the designated swimming/beach area sits on the west side of the lake near the Lions/International Park picnic and playground area, off Lake Miola Drive.
Parking: Designated vehicle parking area shown on the official park map adjacent to the swimming/beach area.
The hike in
The city's park page mentions general 'hiking trails' exist somewhere within the roughly 560-acre Miola Park, but no trail name, map, or route to the swim beach was found, and none is needed to reach it.
The designated swim/sand-beach area sits immediately next to its own vehicle parking lot per the official park map, so this is a drive-up/walk-up swimming spot, not a hike-in one.
Plan your visit
Bringing kids
OK with supervision
There is a designated sand-beach swim area (suggesting a gradual, gentle entry rather than a cliff or deep drop-off), but no lifeguards are documented anywhere in the city's park materials, and the city ordinance itself warns the whole lake contains shoals, rocks, stumps, and submerged logs and is used 'at own risk.' The swim area also sits inside a working lake shared with motorboats, water skiers, and personal watercraft, separated only by a no-wake buffer, so adult supervision is advised.
Parking
Free
A designated vehicle parking area is shown on the official park map directly adjacent to the swimming/beach area. No day-use or beach entry fee is listed in the city's fee schedule (only camping fees, boat license fees, and private-dock lease fees are charged).
Restrooms
Yes
Bathrooms are shown on the official park map near the swimming/beach area in the Lions Park/International Park section, adjacent to the designated parking, playground, and picnic shelters (per City of Paola park map/rules document).
Hours
Swimming/wading is limited to daylight hours by city ordinance (Sec. 12-210): the designated swim area must be vacated once the light next to the boat ramp closest to the Caretaker's house comes on. No separate posted gate-open/close clock time was found. The Lake Miola Caretaker's office is reachable M-F 7:30am-4:00pm (913-259-3620); the campground portion of the park closes to camping Nov 1-Apr 1, though the lake/swim area itself is not stated to close seasonally.
On the water
Restrictions: All boats/watercraft on Miola Lake must be registered with the Caretaker (license fee waived for non-motorized craft or any watercraft used solely for fishing; motorized boats over 10 hp cost $7/day or $35/year for City of Paola/Miami County residents, $15/day or $70/year for non-residents). Speed is capped at 5 mph within 100 ft of a no-wake zone, dock, boat ramp, swimmer, anchored/moored vessel, non-motorized craft, or skier, and at 10 mph within 100 ft of shore. All watercraft must travel counter-clockwise from the boat ramp. Personal watercraft (jet skis) are barred from operating between sunset and sunrise. Houseboats and improvised flotation devices (barrels, drums) are banned outright. Swimming is confined to the designated beach area plus a 25-ft buffer around anchored boats in the no-wake zone.
Boating, water skiing, and fishing coexist with swimming on this 200-acre lake, kept apart mainly by the no-wake buffer around the beach rather than a separate no-boating cove.
Lake Miola Swim Beach: FAQ
Does Lake Miola Swim Beach charge a fee?
No entry fee is specified for day use/swimming in the park's fee schedule; fees listed are for camping (primitive $15/day, electrical hookup $20/day, sewer hookup $22/day) and boat licenses ($7-$15/day or $35-$70/year depending on residency); fishing requires a valid Kansas fishing license.
Is Lake Miola Swim Beach kid friendly?
There is a designated sand-beach swim area (suggesting a gradual, gentle entry rather than a cliff or deep drop-off), but no lifeguards are documented anywhere in the city's park materials, and the city ordinance itself warns the whole lake contains shoals, rocks, stumps, and submerged logs and is used 'at own risk.' The swim area also sits inside a working lake shared with motorboats, water skiers, and personal watercraft, separated only by a no-wake buffer, so adult supervision is advised.
Do I need to hike to reach Lake Miola Swim Beach?
No significant hike is required. The swimming area is close to parking and access.
Where do I park for Lake Miola Swim Beach?
A designated vehicle parking area is shown on the official park map directly adjacent to the swimming/beach area. No day-use or beach entry fee is listed in the city's fee schedule (only camping fees, boat license fees, and private-dock lease fees are charged).
Can I bring a kayak or paddleboard to Lake Miola Swim Beach?
Boating, water skiing, and fishing coexist with swimming on this 200-acre lake, kept apart mainly by the no-wake buffer around the beach rather than a separate no-boating cove.
What are the rules at Lake Miola Swim Beach?
Per City of Paola Code Ch. 12, Art. 2, Sec. 12-210: swimming/wading is restricted to the designated swimming area on the official park map (or within 25 ft of an anchored boat in the no-wake area); swimming is limited to daylight hours and areas must be vacated when the light near the boat ramp/Caretaker's house comes on; use of the lake for swimming anywhere else is prohibited. Pets are banned from the sand beach area (must stay leashed in the grass above it); glass containers and alcoholic/cereal malt beverages are prohibited in the beach and designated swimming areas. All lake use is 'at own risk' per the ordinance, which warns of shoals, rocks, stumps, and submerged logs. The city can close the lake or block park entrances at its discretion.
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