Clearwater Park

Matthew Newell a year ago

Clearwater Park in Bloomington, Illinois, has become one of the most important places in my life. I started going there during a long, quiet depression. For two years, I walked the half-mile loop nearly every day. It wasn’t dramatic or visible from the outside, but those walks helped me come back to life. The park gave me somewhere to go when I didn’t know where else to be. It gave my body a rhythm and my mind a little room. It’s a beautiful, open park. The kind of place where you can hear your own footsteps and still feel the presence of others. There are wide grassy fields, a playground, a walking path that gently curves past ballfields and shaded benches. People play volleyball in the sand, or basketball on the courts that stay busy from late morning until dusk. Some evenings there are softball games, often church teams or community leagues. There’s laughter, cheering, the crack of the bat. It’s low-key but full of life. I’ve come to love the feeling of motion there—small groups coming together, then drifting apart again. It never feels crowded. It feels like something living. My favorite part of the park is a stand of malice trees. They aren’t especially tall or showy, but I

Dr. Elahe J a year ago

Nice walking path around the playground with beautiful trees on the sides.

Joshua Daily 4 years ago

Review Date: October 22nd, 2014 Clearwater Park should also be called Spacious Park. Clearwater Park is one of many city parks in Bloomington-Normal. The city has literally 7+ parks, if I am seeing this map right. But what sets this one apart from the others? Space. This park is relatively bigger than a standard park. It has basketball courts, a volleyball sand pit area, a playground, a gazebo for parties and openness. I didn’t spend a whole lot of time here, but I enjoyed every second of it. The leaves were changing colors, the weather was just right. It was a nice visit. I just enjoy the openness of this park. If you find yourself in Bloomington, there are quiet a few nice parks to visit. McGraw Park and Holiday Park are two you should definitely check out, if you have kids and they love parks… or if you are a kid at heart like myself.

Ashley Lara 5 years ago

This park is great. The whole area is nice and my son loves it! The only thing I get nervous about is the drops from the higher slide area. There is not a lot of protection if my son wanders up there and it can definitely be nerve wracking to any parent in the same situation, I’m sure. Other than that, I like this park a lot!

Michael Perez Edited 5 years ago

Update, there is a new playground, which was much needed. Very good park. Nicely kept up and lots of activities. Beware, there are two sand volleyball courts. Odds are that your child(ren) will want to play in it. Plan accordingly.