Sail and powerboat races take place regularly on the lake. It is a popular angling venue and also supports a small commercial fishery.
A fenced wildlife enclosure of 6 400 acres has been established on the south bank. Composed of a mosaic of grasslands and Brachystegia/ Julbernardia woodlands, it supports some good populations of large mammals, most of which have been reintroduced. Common species such as impala, kudu, eland, zebra and wildebeeste are well represented.
There is a good population of tsessebe and the park also holds a number of the rare white rhinoceros, developed from a breeding group brought into Zimbabwe from South Africa in the 1960s. The lake also attracts some large concentrations of waterfowl.
The park is widely used for education in conservation awareness by schools from the Harare area. The Department of National Parks and Wild Life Management provides accommodation in campsites, caravan sites and lodges, and operates safaris on foot and on horseback.
McIlwaine was proclaimed a Game Reserve in 1952 and was upgraded to Recreational Park status under the Parks and Wild Life Act (1975).