Swimming

Never swim alone! This is the first and most important rule when swimming. First find a friend and then find a safe swimming place.

The safest places to swim at Rathbun Lake are designated swimming beaches. There are three designated swimming beaches located at Rathbun Lake. Two are located in Buck Creek Park, and one is located in Island View Park. Designated beaches are designed and constructed to eliminate hazards and underwater obstructions. These beaches are buoyed each summer to delineate the usable portion and to exclude boats. These beaches also have parking, change houses and vault toilets. The Island View 5 beach has a volleyball net for beach users.

At Rathbun Lake, day user fees are charged at all three designated swimming beaches maintained by the Corps of Engineers. The fee for swimming is $1 per person for those 13 and older, not to exceed $4 per vehicle. An annual non-transferable pass may be purchased at the Rathbun Lake Information Center, or park attendant booths (in season). There is a $30.00 fee per pass and it is good at all Corps managed parks nationwide.

Several areas at Rathbun Lake are permanently closed to swimming because of their inherent risks. The whirlpool in front of Rathbun's control tower and the heavy boat traffic at the boat ramps, courtesy docks, and the marina boat mooring facilities make those areas too hazardous for safe swimming.

You are invited to enjoy a relaxing and refreshing afternoon swim at Rathbun Lake with your friend at a safe swimming area. But, please, think about water safety as you are having fun in the sun.

Being water safe is a high priority for the Corps of Engineers and Iowa Department of natural Resources.

Every spring the Corps of Engineers at Rathbun Lake furnishes water safety kits to local schools to tech and learn water safety. Approximately 12 schools take turns using the kits, with over 800 children receiving water safety education.

Along with the kits are various booklets and pamphlets the children keep for future reference material.