Clear Lake (Iowa) facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Clear Lake |
|
|---|---|
 Clear Lake
Location in Iowa
Clear Lake
Location in the United States
|
|
| Location | Cerro Gordo County, Iowa |
| Coordinates | 43°07′32″N 93°25′29″W / 43.12556°N 93.42472°W |
| Basin countries | United States |
| Surface area | 3,684 acres (15 km2) |
| Average depth | 12 ft (3.7 m) |
| Max. depth | 30 ft (9.1 m) |
| Shore length1 | 27.6 mi (44.4 km) |
| Surface elevation | 1,227 ft (374 m) |
| 1 Shore length is not a well-defined measure. | |
Clear Lake is a natural lake in Cerro Gordo County, Iowa. It gets its water from underground springs. The lake is about 3,684 acres (14.9 km²) in size. It is a very popular spot for fishing. You can catch fish like walleye, yellow bass, and channel catfish here.
Many people from Des Moines and Minneapolis–Saint Paul have owned homes on the lake's shores since the 1870s. The lake is usually about 10 feet (3 m) deep. Its deepest point is 30 feet (9 m) in a specially dug area on the west side. The shoreline of Clear Lake stretches for about 13.6 miles (21.9 km). Since 2004, a lot of work has been done to make the lake water clearer. This includes using special filters, dredging (removing mud from the bottom), and teaching local farmers to use fewer harmful chemicals. Clear Lake has been called the "Best Iowa Lake Town" by The Des Moines Register. Midwest Living magazine also named it a "Top Vacation Spot."
Contents
Fun on the Water: Boating and Sailing
Clear Lake is a great place for all kinds of water activities!
Sailing Adventures
The Clear Lake Yacht Club is a popular sailing club located in downtown Clear Lake, Iowa. Many club members enjoy racing their sailboats. Others prefer to simply cruise around the lake. Every weekend from Memorial Day to Labor Day, you can see sailboats racing across the main part of the lake.
Another favorite sailing spot is Cougar Bay beach. This 250-foot (76 m) beach used to be home to many Catamaran sailboats during the summer. Clear Lake is the highest point in Cerro Gordo County. This means there's almost always a good breeze, making it a perfect spot for sailors!
Other Water Sports
The Lady of the Lake is a boat that looks like an old steamboat. It often takes people on cruises all over the lake. Many other exciting activities happen on the lake too. People love water skiing, wakeboarding, and tubing behind boats. These are all common ways to have fun on the water.
Exploring Clear Lake: Landmarks and Towns
Clear Lake has many interesting spots that help you know where you are on the water.
Important Landmarks
Woodford Island is a key landmark. You can often see it from almost anywhere on the lake, which helps with navigation. A hotel once stood on the island, but it burned down in the 1930s. Today, the island is covered mostly with trees and other plants.
Other natural areas include Lone Tree Point, Farmers Beach, and Mcintosh Woods. These places have many trees and beaches, with very few buildings.
Lakeside Communities
Several towns and neighborhoods are located along the lake's edge:
- The city of Clear Lake is on the eastern side of the lake. It has many restaurants, parks, and other services.
- The smaller city of Ventura is on the northwestern part of the lake. It is the farthest town from the city of Clear Lake.
- Bayside is a neighborhood on a peninsula south of Woodford Island. It used to have an amusement park, but now it's a residential area.
- Dodges Point is another peninsula on the south shore. It has houses along the lake and open grassy areas in the middle.
- Buzzards Bay is a bay area between Dodges Point and Tanglefoot. Many houses in this bay have a sidewalk along the lakeside.
- Tanglefoot is a neighborhood west of Buzzards Bay and Dodges Point. It is home to a Girl Scout camp and many houses. A large wooded area connects its western part to Farmers Beach and Lone Tree Point.
- Bell Harbor is a community between Bayside and Dodges Point. It has a large lawn by the lake, surrounded by condos and houses.
- The Venetian Village and The Harborage are two other communities on the northern shore. Both are built around man-made canals and harbors.
The Surf Ballroom
Clear Lake is also home to the historic Surf Ballroom. This famous venue is where musicians Buddy Holly, The Big Bopper, and Ritchie Valens played their last concert. This was on February 3, 1959, just hours before they died in a plane crash. This sad event is often called "The Day the Music Died." It was even mentioned in Don McLean's hit song "American Pie."
