The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers manages the Bloomington East swimming beach. 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 the area 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. There are 2 waterborne restrooms located on opposite sides of the parking area and two small outdoor showers are located closer to the swimming area for a quick rinse off. A playground and four picnic shelters, each with a volleyball court, are available for use in this area. These shelters can be reserved by calling (877) 444-6777 or by going online at www.recreation.gov.

For people not camping in the Corps of Engineers campgrounds, there will be a $5.00/vehicle fee. The fee for buses or commercial vehicles is $20.00/vehicle. Beach users, 16 yrs. of age and older, that walk or bicycle in, will need to pay $2.00/person. Shelter users, with or without reservations, will still need to pay the day use fee if they use the beach or launch at a boat ramp. These day use fees can be paid at the Bloomington East entrance automatic self-pay station, or the automatic self-pay station located at the beach. These machines only accept credit/debit cards.

An annual Corps of Engineers day use pass can be purchased from the Clinton Lake Information Center/Project Office or from the automatic self-pay stations located in the park for an annual fee of $40.00. The annual day use pass is good at Corps of Engineers areas nationwide for one year from the purchase date. Holders of any America the Beautiful Pass (Annual, Senior, Access, Military, Every Kid in a Park 4th Grade Pass, Volunteer) or Golden Age and Golden Access Passports, can use the beach and boat ramps with no additional fee when pass is displayed on dash or rear view mirror. Any version of the America the Beautiful pass may be purchased/obtained at the Clinton Lake Information Center as well.


A few rules to remember when visiting the Bloomington Beach are:

Alcohol is not allowed on the beach.
Pets are not allowed on the beach.
All users must have a permit (see above).