The Swim Beach at Aurora Reservoir is the only place in the reservoir where recreational swimming is allowed. Aurora Reservoir is a drinking-water reservoir owned by the City of Aurora, built in 1989 and filled in 1990, and it holds about 31,650 acre-feet at the far southeastern edge of the city. The city's Parks, Recreation and Open Space department runs the park. The beach is a strip of sand on the west shore, just south of the boat launch ramp and a separate boat beach, with open prairie and new subdivisions around the rest of the shoreline.

The park entrance is at 5800 S. Powhaton Road, Aurora, CO 80016, east of E-470. Every vehicle needs a day pass or an annual pass. The day pass is $15 per vehicle during the summer season (Memorial Day weekend through Labor Day) and $10 per vehicle the rest of the year. A calendar-year pass good at both Aurora and Quincy reservoirs is $85 for non-residents and $75 for Aurora residents. The city lists no extra charge for using the beach. Aurora Reservoir is not a Colorado state park, so the state parks pass sold with vehicle registration does not get you in. Park hours change by the month, so check the city's page before you go.

Swimming is allowed only inside the swim line that marks the designated area, from Memorial Day weekend through Labor Day. Lifeguards work 10 a.m. to 6 p.m., Wednesday through Sunday, from Memorial Day weekend into early August, and again over Labor Day weekend. There are no lifeguards on Mondays and Tuesdays. After Labor Day you can still swim at your own risk through September 30, with no guards. The bottom is sand. The city does not publish a depth for the swim area, and the water is an untreated reservoir at roughly 5,900 feet, so it is cold early in the season. Dogs are not allowed on the beach or in the water, and grilling is not allowed on the sand.

Bacteria closures happen here. The city tests the swim area regularly under state health rules and closes it when levels run high, then reopens it once tests come back clean. The beach closed for elevated bacteria on June 18, 2025, and was shut briefly over E. coli in early July 2024 before reopening for the Fourth. Waterfowl and storm runoff were named as likely sources. Swimming also stops during lightning and storms. The city gives no refunds when the swim area is closed for weather or water quality.

Boating is limited to non-motorized craft and electric motors, from ice-out in March through November 30, and life jackets are required on every person aboard any craft, including paddle boards. In summer the city rents kayaks and stand-up paddle boards by the hour ($20 for a single, $30 for a tandem kayak). An eight-mile trail circles the reservoir for walking and biking year-round, the park also has the Senac Creek Nature Center and an archery range, and a separate scuba and open-water swim training area at the northeast end below the dam is off limits for recreational swimming.