Bloomington Beach

Bloomington Beach is a day-use area managed by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, located within Bloomington East Park at Clinton Lake. This large, sandy beach is open 1 May through 30 September, 8:00 a.m. to 10:00 p.m. The swimming area is marked with a yellow, floating buoy line that surrounds the area; boats are prohibited from entering by buoys and signs, and designated mooring areas are indicated. The parking lot is paved and large enough to accommodate users on all but the busiest of weekends. Two waterborne restrooms are located on opposite sides of the parking area, and two small outdoor showers sit closer to the swimming area for a quick rinse off. A playground and four picnic shelters (shelters 3, 4, 5 and 6), each with a volleyball court and electrical outlets, are available in this area, along with several single picnic tables for smaller groups. Flush toilets, drinking water and showers are provided, and there is a covered, accessible fishing dock a short drive or walk away. Clinton Lake offers boating, fishing, canoeing, jet skiing, swimming and countless other water sports, making it the main attraction in Bloomington East Park. Bloomington East offers 4 sets of boat ramps with courtesy docks; three boat ramps (#5, 6 and 7) are within a short driving distance of the campgrounds. The lake is well-stocked with crappie, walleye, channel catfish and white bass, and visitors enjoy viewing bald eagles, white-tailed deer, Canada geese, wild turkey and other wildlife in abundance. Horseshoe pits, sand volleyball courts and playgrounds are located in several places in the park, and a full 18-hole professional disc golf course is free to all visitors, with sets of discs to borrow from the camp host stations. Bloomington East offers the Smokehouse Trail, while the North Shore, South Shore and George Latham Trails are within a 20 minute drive, all with hiking, biking and equestrian opportunities. Congress authorized Clinton Lake in 1962, and the finished reservoir was filled in 1980. Built originally for flood control, the area has become a recreational oasis against the beautiful green Kansas backdrop. Clinton Lake's setting of steep bluffs, wooded shoreline and clean water is unequaled among Kansas lakes, and shoreline development has been limited in an effort to preserve as much of the natural setting as possible. The lake spans 8 miles up the Wakarusa Valley and covers 7,000 surface acres. The Visitor Center, on the northwest side of the dam, has displays covering the history of the area, the reasons for the dam, and the wildlife. The Clinton Lake Museum, within Bloomington East Park, covers the history of the region and the Underground Railroad. The cities of Lawrence and Topeka are within a 30 minute drive.