SARA Park
Tomahawk, Wisconsin · on Wisconsin River · Sara Park
Verified · 4 independent sources
- WATER
- reservoir
- ACCESS
- Designated swim area
- FEE
- $50/night
- SEASON
- Warm-weather months; the on-site campground operates seasonally from April 27 to October 13 per the booking platform listing.
About SARA Park
SARA Park is a roughly 130-acre City of Tomahawk (Wisconsin) recreation complex at 900 W Somo Avenue, fronting the Wisconsin River where it widens into the Lake Mohawksin impoundment. The city maintains an official public swim beach here alongside a campground, boat landing, and ball fields, making this stretch of Lake Mohawksin the town's main swimming hole and an easy lake to swim in.
The park sits just west of downtown Tomahawk's Main Street, along the Wisconsin River at the point where it backs up into the 1,515-acre Lake Mohawksin reservoir (formed by the Tomahawk Dam). Wisconsin DNR lake records describe the water here as having low clarity and a maximum depth of 25 feet, with about 35 miles of connected shoreline; the DNR lists one public beach and six boat landings on the lake, one of which is at SARA Park.
Swimming at SARA Park
The city and tourism board describe an official, family-friendly swimming beach with changing rooms, showers, and restrooms adjacent to the picnic area and campground. No source described sand type, depth gradient, or water temperature in detail; the swim area is on flat reservoir/river water rather than a fast-moving river stretch.
How to get to this swimming hole
SARA Park is located at 900 W Somo Avenue in Tomahawk, WI, just west of Main Street (Wisconsin Ave) in the city.
Parking: A public boat landing with parking is available at the park (per the city tourism page); no separate parking area was specifically described for the swim beach.
The walk in
No real hike here. The water is a short walk from where you park. This is a drive-up city park beach -- visitors park in the park/boat-landing area and walk a short distance to the swimming beach; no hike is required. The Hiawatha Trail (hiking/biking) begins at the park but is a separate recreational trail, not the access route to the swim beach.
Plan your visit
Bringing kids
OK with supervision
Official city/tourism sources call it a 'family-friendly swimming beach' with changing rooms, showers, and restrooms, and it sits on flat reservoir water (Lake Mohawksin impoundment) rather than a fast-moving river stretch, which favors families. However, no source confirms lifeguards on duty, and the Wisconsin DNR lake page notes low water clarity, so caregivers can't see the bottom to judge depth/drop-offs at a glance -- hence 'with_care' rather than an unqualified yes.
Parking
Free
The city campground page states 'camping and parking in designated areas only' with a 10 mph speed limit through the park; a public boat-landing parking area also serves the park. No day-use parking fee was found (fees found only cover overnight camping and RV dump station use), and no dedicated swim-beach lot separate from the general park/boat-landing parking was described.
Restrooms
Yes
Restrooms, showers, and changing rooms are on-site per the City of Tomahawk and gototomahawk.com pages, serving the beach/picnic/campground area; exact building location relative to the beach itself wasn't specified in any source.
Water clarity
Often murky
The Wisconsin DNR's official lake page for Lake Mohawksin (WBIC 1515400, the Wisconsin River impoundment SARA Park fronts) explicitly rates the lake's water clarity as low; no Secchi-depth figure was published on that page. No first-hand visitor accounts of clarity were found (see visitor_insights).
On the water
SARA Park has its own public boat landing on Lake Mohawksin/the Wisconsin River, and the lake hosts the Kwahamot Water Ski Show, indicating motorized craft and water-skiing are normal uses of this reservoir. The Wisconsin DNR lake page does not list a specific horsepower cap or no-wake ordinance for this lake and directs boaters to check posted signage at the landing for any local rules. No paddleboard-specific mention was found, though the flat, sheltered reservoir water is typical paddleboard/kayak terrain.
What regulars say
No first-hand visitor discussion of SARA Park's swim beach could be located; searches for 'Tomahawk' returned mostly unrelated results (the missile, the tool, the band) rather than the Wisconsin city. One campground listing shows 39 reviews, but the review text itself was not accessible, so no direct visitor quotes are available here.
SARA Park: FAQ
Does SARA Park charge a fee?
No fee was found for day-use beach access. Campground sites are $50/night (or $300/week) with a 14-day maximum continuous stay; the RV dump station at the City Garage (415 W Spirit Ave) costs $10 per use or $25 annually.
Is SARA Park kid friendly?
Official city/tourism sources call it a 'family-friendly swimming beach' with changing rooms, showers, and restrooms, and it sits on flat reservoir water (Lake Mohawksin impoundment) rather than a fast-moving river stretch, which favors families. However, no source confirms lifeguards on duty, and the Wisconsin DNR lake page notes low water clarity, so caregivers can't see the bottom to judge depth/drop-offs at a glance -- hence 'with_care' rather than an unqualified yes.
Do I need to hike to reach SARA Park?
No significant hike is required. The swimming area is close to parking and access.
Where do I park for SARA Park?
The city campground page states 'camping and parking in designated areas only' with a 10 mph speed limit through the park; a public boat-landing parking area also serves the park. No day-use parking fee was found (fees found only cover overnight camping and RV dump station use), and no dedicated swim-beach lot separate from the general park/boat-landing parking was described.
Can I bring a kayak or paddleboard to SARA Park?
SARA Park has its own public boat landing on Lake Mohawksin/the Wisconsin River, and the lake hosts the Kwahamot Water Ski Show, indicating motorized craft and water-skiing are normal uses of this reservoir. The Wisconsin DNR lake page does not list a specific horsepower cap or no-wake ordinance for this lake and directs boaters to check posted signage at the landing for any local rules. No paddleboard-specific mention was found, though the flat, sheltered reservoir water is typical paddleboard/kayak terrain.
When is the best time to visit SARA Park?
Warm-weather months; the on-site campground operates seasonally from April 27 to October 13 per the booking platform listing.
What are the rules at SARA Park?
Per the city's campground rules: quiet hours 10:00pm-6:00am with no generators, campfires only in designated rings, no sewage dumping in the park, pets limited to 2 per site ($3 each for up to 2 more), and a maximum of 6 people per campsite; violations can lead to arrest or ejection. These rules govern the adjoining campground rather than the beach specifically.
What water body is SARA Park on?
SARA Park is on Wisconsin River, a natural reservoir verified in USGS hydrography data.
