Kansas State Parks

Cedar Bluff State Park is a state park and public recreation area in Trego County that spans 850 acres along the shorelines of Cedar Bluff Reservoir. The park is split into two areas – the Bluffton Area and the Page Creek Area. The Bluffton Area comprises 300 acres on the north shore and boasts a variety of facilities, including two boat ramps, campgrounds, rental cabins, picnic areas, and recreation such as shore side basketball, sand volleyball, horseshoes, a BMX track, and a lovely beach. The 500-acre Page Creek Area is on the south shore and is less busy than the Bluffton Area with large shade trees, sandy shorelines, and primitive camping grounds. Notable features in the park include Threshing Machine Canyon, which is home to rock carvings dating back to the mid-19th century.

32001, KS-147, Ellis, KS 67637, Phone: 785-726-3212

Located on the north shore of Clinton Lake at the western edge of Lawrence, Clinton State Park is a 1,500-acre state park and public recreation area offering an array of watersports and excellent fishing in the clear waters of the reservoir. Just four miles west of Lawrence, the year-round Clinton State Park features one of the largest marinas in the state, picnic shelters, playgrounds, year-round camping with both primitive and campgrounds, overnight cabins, and spectacular natural landscapes. Other amenities include hiking, mountain biking, and cross-country skiing trails, an archery range, a one-mile self-guided nature trail, a park with a 10-hole disc golf course and an 18-hole disc golf course. There is also a beautiful beach with safe swimming area, sand volleyball, a trout pond with a fish cleaning station and two fish feeders, a mountain bike skills course, and two playgrounds.

798 N 1415 Rd, Lawrence, KS 66049, Phone: 785-842-8562

Crawford State Park is a 500-acre state park with a 150-acre lake that offers a wealth of recreational activities. Located on the edge of the Ozarks, nine miles north of Girard, the park features six campgrounds with spectacular views of the lake and a group use area at the south end of the lake. There are also five lakefront rental cabins in a beautiful lake setting, including two boat ramps, several hiking and biking trails, a lovely beach with safe swimming, fishing and pleasure boating. Crawford State Park boasts some of the most beautiful natural landscapes in the state with a wide variety of lush foliage and wildflowers that support several species of butterflies and birds.

1 W Lake Rd, Farlington, KS 66734, Phone: 620-362-3671

Romantic Kansas State Parks

Nestled in the hills of Verdigris River valley in southeast Kansas, Cross Timbers State Park is a state park and recreation area south of Toronto in Woodson County. Vast prairies surround a once-favored hunting and camping ground of Native Americans, and the verdantly forested flood plains, terraces and rolling hills of oak savannah offers spectacular natural scenes of the diverse flora and fauna in Kansas. The park features shaded campsites with easy access of the lake, several hiking, mountain biking, and horseback riding trails, including the Chautauqua Hills Trail, and plenty of recreational activities such as backpacking, fishing, pleasure boating, and wildlife watching at the adjacent 4,600-acre Toronto Wildlife Area.

144 KS-105, Toronto, KS 66777, Phone: 620-637-2213

Eisenhower State Park is a 1,785-acre state park in Osage County that is home to the 6,930-acre Melvern Lake, thousands of acres of tallgrass prairie and verdant woodlands. Located northeast of Emporia and south of Topeka, the park features utility campsites, primitive camping in several areas, including Five-Star, Sailboat Beach, and Omaha Swim Beach, and 15 equestrian campsites with individual corrals in the upper loop of Westpoint Campground. Other facilities in the park range from overnight cabins, primitive yurts, and several boat ramps to the Jones Family Activity Area with a basketball court, playground, and horseshoe pits. There is also a sand volleyball court, a swimming beach, an 18-hole disc golf course, picnic shelters, a fly-fishing pond, and a walk-through archery trail with 19 targets.

Osage City, KS 66523, Phone: 785-528-4102

Nestled in the scenic Flint Hills three miles east of El Dorado in Butler County, El Dorado State Park is the largest of Kansas' state parks, sprawling along the eastern and western shores of El Dorado Reservoir for 4,000 acres. Conveniently located near three state highways and the interstate, the park offers a wealth of recreation and outdoor activities, ranging from hiking, mountain biking, and equestrian trails to boating, fishing, kayaking, and other water sports. The 98 miles of shoreline are home to a wide variety of shore and wading birds, as well as small mammals and other wildlife, making for excellent bird and wildlife watching and photographic opportunities.

618 NE Bluestem Rd, El Dorado, KS 67042, Phone: 316-321-7180

Kansas State Parks for Families

Elk City State Park is an 857-acre park west of Independence in Montgomery County that lies next to the 4,500-acre Elk City Reservoir and the 12,000-acre Elk City Wildlife Area. Boasting beautiful landscapes with rolling meadows of big bluestem and Indian grass and dense oak and hickory woodlands that are home to a diverse variety of wildlife, the small park offers a variety of recreational activities for everyone from pleasure boating, fishing, kayaking and swimming to hiking, mountain biking, horseback riding, and camping. There are children’s playgrounds and shady picnic spots, and the lake area offers picturesque panoramic views of the wooded hills and limestone bluffs. Favorite hiking trails in the area include the Eagle Rock Mountain Bike Trail, the Table Mound Hiking Trail, the Squaw Creek Hiking Trail, the Post-Oak and Green Thumb Nature Trails, and the 15-mile Elk River Hiking Trail.

4825 Squaw Creek Rd, Independence, KS 67301, Phone: 620-331-6295

Flint Hills National Wildlife Refuge is a wildlife sanctuary and refuge and essential resting area for migrating waterfowl. Located near the city of Hartford, in northwestern Coffey and southeastern Lyon Counties, the 18,463-acre refuge was established as part of the John Redmond Reservoir flood control project in 1966 and is currently managed by the U.S Fish and Wildlife Service. The sanctuary forms part of the floodplain of the Neosho River and features a diverse range of landscapes, including lush wetlands, prairie grasslands, hardwood forests, and croplands, which provide a safe habitat with plenty of food for resident wildlife and migratory birds. The Flint Hills National Wildlife Refuge offers activities such as boating, fishing, hiking, bird and wildlife watching, and a variety of educational programs.

530 W Maple Ave, Hartford, KS 66854, Phone: 620-392-5553

Glen Elder State Park is on the north shore of the 12,500-acre Glen Elder Reservoir, which is also known as Waconda Lake, a reservoir in the Mitchell and Osborne counties. Located just west of the city of Glen Elder, the reservoir was built for flood control and irrigation and offers a quiet rural place to relax and enjoy a range of activities, including swimming, boating, fishing, picnicking, hiking, and bird watching. The park also features the living museum of the Waconda Heritage Village, which highlights the history of the Native American tribes who lived in the region, as well as a visitor's center, a marina, an amphitheater, and camping facilities. Other activities that can be enjoyed include volleyball, softball, and cycling around the park.

2131 180 Rd, Glen Elder, KS 67446, Phone: 785-545-3345

Located between Spring Hill and Paola, Hillsdale State Park is built on the shore of Hillsdale Lake in eastern Kansas and features two hiking trails. Located in the rolling hills of Miami County south of the Kansas City Metro Area , the state park boasts more than 12,000 acres of park and wildlife area, including 4,500 acres of water and over 50 miles of shoreline, and offers a wealth of activities including fishing, pleasure boating, swimming, picnicking, hiking, mountain biking, and seasonal hunting. The park is also home to the Saddle Ridge equestrian area on the east side of the reservoir, which offers over 30 miles of marked horseback riding trails.

26001 255 St, Paola, KS 66071, Phone: 913-783-4507