Earlier this month, we drove to Clear Lake, Iowa and we were blown away by this surprising summer destination. Who knew there was such a great beach close to us?!
Clear Lake, Iowa was a 6 hour drive from St. Louis and the city is named on the large lake on which it is located. Clear Lake is rated one of the cleanest lakes in Iowa and it is 7 miles long and 2.5 miles wide. There are several public (free) beaches along this natural, spring-fed lake that was formed by glaciers thousands of years ago. The downtown definitely had a beach town vibe and the food was great!
Beaches
Clear Lake is very shallow around much of the coastline, which was so great with young ones. My kids were able to walk out (sometimes 400ft) with the water coming up only to their chests!
Clear Lake City Beach: This was our favorite! There was a splash pad connecting to the beach!! It was also right in the downtown area. Clear Lake City Park (with two playgrounds) is right next to the beach too. We loved spending the day here bouncing between the park, splash pad and beach.
Clear Lake State Park: This state park has some trails, a campground and a beach. We enjoyed relaxing at this beach and seeing the many boats close to the shore. Many boats dropped anchors here too because you could walk 400ft out! People parked their boats and were standing in the water relaxing near their boats.
Other Activities
Bike riding: The Clear Lake Lap is a paved 14-mile trail that goes around the perimeter of the lake! We enjoyed biking around the city and to the beaches. My favorite section was the Sister’s Prairie trail. This scenic paved trail goes just over one mile through a prairie-wetland. The trail also connects to the Mason City Bike Trail System (by riding the Trolley Trail that connects them).
Central Gardens of North Iowa: We absolutely loved this free botanical garden. It is completely volunteer-run and has a great kids’ section. My kids enjoyed digging, playing and even saying hi to a chicken! There was beautiful landscaping and a stream throughout the garden.
Boat Rental: We had a pontoon boat rental through Freedom Boat Club at Lakeside Inn. This pontoon ride was a great way to see more of this beautiful lake! We had a 2 hour boat rental, which was plenty of time to ride the lake. We ordered dinner at Lakeside Inn and then ate dinner on the boat with the lake as our view. It was so peaceful!
Clear Lake Farmers’ Market: This Farmers’ Market, located at the Surf Ballroom’s parking lot, is open seasonally every Saturday from 9-noon. We met local vendors and farmers. There was live music and food trucks too! I think a local market shares a lot about a community and this one was incredible. We could sense how positive and uplifting this area is by how kind and supporting the other vendors were of each other.
Yoga at the Seawall: This is a great drop-in yoga class at the Seawall on Saturday through the summer. We woke up a little before 7am and it was a great way to wake up with the lake views. This class was one hour and just $2/person (cash only). Clear Lake City Park is right across from the Seawall, so our kids enjoyed the playground while my husband and I took turns participating in the yoga class.
Playgrounds: Everybody Plays Play is an Inclusive Playground with the local pool and a splash pad connected. There are also two playgrounds at Clear Lake City Park (right next to Clear Lake City Beach).
Favorite Eats
There is such a great variety of food and drinks through Clear Lake. The Olde Creamery, Charlie’s Soda Fountain, Lillie Mae Chocolates and FizzCo were our favorite for a sweet treat! Ge-Jo’s by the Lake, Gyro Place and Lakeside Inn were our favorite lunch and dinner spots. South Shore Donut Co. & Cabin Coffee were the most amazing breakfast locations!
Lodging
We stayed at the rustic Blue Cottage at PM Park. This was a two bedroom home with a full kitchen and a living room. It had lake views and we could bike through a neighborhood to get to the main roads! There are many other rental spaces around Clear Lake too, including more modern options. Even if you don’t stay at PM Park, I recommend boating or visiting the restaurant. It has a very casual and rustic outdoor restaurant area with colorful picnic tables right next to the lake.
This trip to Clear Lake helped us soak up summer together as a family. I remember memories at the beach growing up, so this was so special to experience this beautiful lake town with our kids. The people of Clear Lake were so kind and we were surprised at the budget-friendly costs for meals and activities. I highly recommend it!! You can find more about an Iowa vacation and travel tips here.
