Facilities and Activities

Picnicking/Shelters/Lodge
Clear Lake State Park contains more than 10 acres of picnic grounds with tables and grills. The shady picnic areas provide a great place for a family cookout. An open picnic shelter, constructed through donations in 1986, is available and may be reserved online through the park reservation system. Playground equipment for small children is located in the picnic area adjacent to the campground.

A lodge is located in the picnic area near the beach. The lodge features a stove, refrigerator, microwave, and rest rooms along with a rustic fireplace. It was built by the Work Progress Administration in 1938 with an extensive renovation in 1998, which included accessibility for those with disabilities. This impressive historical facility is a great place for such group events as wedding receptions, company picnics, and family reunions. The lodge may reserved online through the park reservation system.

Camping
Clear Lake State Park has one of the most popular campgrounds in the Iowa state park system. The modern rest room and shower facilities and a trailer dump station are present for camper convenience and enjoyment. Advance campsite reservations can be made online through the park reservation system. Half of the campsites are still available on a first-come, first-serve basis.

Lake Activities (swimming, boating, fishing)
A 900-foot sandy beach is located in close proximity to the picnic area and campground. The beach, which offers unsupervised swimming, is a great place for swimmers and sunbathers, young and old. A concrete path runs the length of the beach and is accessible for the mobility impaired.

Clear Lake is a great place for fishermen throughout the year. The lake offers good fishing for walleyes, muskie, northern pike, bullheads, catish, yellow bass, crappies, and other panfish. Boaters enjoy skiing, jetskiing, sightseeing, wind surfing and sailing.

Clear Lake State Park is located on the southeast shore of beautiful 3,643-acre Clear Lake, one of the major outdoor recreation features of northern Iowa. Although the state park is only 55 acres in size, it offers a tremendous diversity of outdoor recreation opportunities due to its location on the lake as well as its natural beauty. The park is characterized by gently rolling ground with open, mature groves of oak trees. Several small draws and thickets provide habitat for owls, squirrels, opossums, raccoons, rabbits, many species of songbirds and an occasional deer. Scenic Woodford Island is a 3-acre island managed primarily for wildlife habitat and is an excellent spot for fishing.

Clear Lake State Park began in 1924 with the acquisition of land now occupied by the picnic area. In the following year, the remaining area of the present beach was purchased. In the 1960s and 1970s, additional property was acquired in order to provide enhanced outdoor recreation opportunity and visitor enjoyment. Woodford Island was donated to the state in 1971 by the Woodford family.

Nearby Towns
The park lies adjacent to the town of Clear Lake which contains a thriving business and civic community. A short distance away lies Mason City, one of the largest retail centers in northern Iowa. The town of Ventura lies several miles away to the northwest.

Contact Information
2730 South Lakeview Drive
Clear Lake, IA 50428
ph. 641/357-4212
fax: 641/357-4242

E-mail address: Clear_Lake@dnr.iowa.gov