Clinton Lake is part of Clinton State Park, which is one of the state’s newest state parks constructed in the mid 1970’s. Its close proximity to Kansas City, Lawrence, and Topeka make it a very popular destination, with nearly 600,000 annual visitors from across the country. Many improved campsites, hiking and mountain biking trails, playgrounds, swimming, and other outdoor activities are available. The privately owned and operated marina is one of the newest and largest of any of Kansas’ lakes. In addition to the lake’s accessibility and amenities, it’s beautiful shoreline and vistas are a great attraction. Miles of rugged wooded shoreline, high bluffs, wildflowers, and prairie grasses are some of the natural beauties. Wildlife is also common and includes white-tailed deer, turkeys, waterfowl, songbirds, and a variety of small mammals.

Cedar Bluff Reservoir is a reservoir in Trego County that was created in 1949 by the construction of the Cedar Bluff Dam. The southern shores feature tall limestone bluffs that are breathtakingly beautiful. During fall and spring migrations, the lake is home to many kinds of ducks, geese, and shorebirds and throughout the winter, Canada geese are seen. Winter also draws bald eagles to Cedar Bluff while summer brigs hawks and turkey vultures. The western end of the reservoir borders the Cedar Bluff Wildlife Area that offers great scenery and a variety of wildlife is commonly seen.

Tuttle Creek Lake is the state’s second largest impoundment with 12,500 acres of water. It is surrounded by many miles of rugged wooded shorelines and four units of Tuttle Creek State Park. These units are the River Pond, Cedar Ridge, Fancy Creek, and Randolph units that make up the 1,200-acre park. Several recreational opportunities exist including camping, numerous nature trails, disc golf, wildlife viewing, and more. Fishing is good for Channel Catfish, Flathead, Bass, and Trout. Common wildlife includes shorebirds, waterfowl, white-tailed deer, turkey, quail, pheasants, squirrels, doves, and many more. This route leaves from Spillway State Park and explores the southern end of the lake where there are many coves, sandy beaches, and great views.

Located 2 ½ miles north of Burlington in US-75 you will find the beautiful John Redmond Reservoir, a great fishing lake with a maximum depth of only 12 feet. The lake has very natural surroundings and is bordered by several Wildlife Areas and Recreation Areas including the Flint Hills National Wildlife Refuge, John Redmond Wildlife Area, Otter Creek, Redmond Cove, and Hickory Creek Recreation Areas. It is an important resting stop for many species of migrating waterfowl, and habitats are preserved for many shorebirds, grassland animals, bald eagles, white-tailed deer, rough-legged hawks, and several species of small mammals. This is a very beautiful paddling destination with wild scenery and many wildlife viewing opportunities.

Hillsdale Lake is a 4,580-acre reservoir with a maximum depth of 57 feet located about 30 miles east of Kansas City. Hillsdale State Park is on the west shore and more than 12,000 acres of park and wildlife area fill the rest of the shores and surrounding area. Recreation opportunities include boating, fishing, hunting and camping. Common wildlife seen from the lake are white-tailed deer, bobwhite quail, rabbit, squirrel, beaver, muskrat, and a variety of waterfowl, shorebirds, bald eagles, hawks, and more.

Tuttle Creek Lake is the state’s second largest impoundment with 12,500 acres of water. It is surrounded by many miles of rugged wooded shorelines and four units of Tuttle Creek State Park. These units are the River Pond, Cedar Ridge, Fancy Creek, and Randolph units that make up the 1,200-acre park. Several recreational opportunities exist including camping, numerous nature trails, disc golf, wildlife viewing, and more. Fishing is good for Channel Catfish, Flathead, Bass, and Trout. Common wildlife includes shorebirds, waterfowl, white-tailed deer, turkey, quail, pheasants, squirrels, doves, and many more. This route leaves from Fancy Creek State Park and explores the northern end of the lake where the Tuttle Creek Wildlife Area is found and there are great views.

Perry Lake is an 11,150-acre reservoir operated by the US army Corps of engineers and serves as flood control and water reserve as well as providing a wide variety of wonderful recreational opportunities. Due to its relatively close proximity to Kansas City, Lawrence, and Topeka, Perry Lake is a very popular destination. Many parks and public lands surround the lake, making it easy to find access and several different places. The landscape and scenery is beautiful and contains rolling wooded hills, grasslands, and clear blue water. Other activities include camping, boating, hunting, hiking, and fishing, among many others.

The Elk City Lake is a 4,500-acre reservoir that is surrounded by a 12,000 acre wildlife area. Elk City State Park borders the east shoreline and offers a great trail system for hiking, mountain biking, and equestrians. The scenery is absolutely gorgeous and contains dense oak and hickory woodlands, rolling meadows filled with big bluestem and Indian grass, and some limestone bluffs. Wildlife is common and easily seen from both the lake and the trails. The large pileated woodpecker is common among the mature trees along the Elk River. Many other recreational opportunities are available such as boating, swimming, camping, and playground areas.

Located south of Independence, Montgomery County State Lake is a 105-acre lake surrounded by 303 acres of wildlife habitat. The scenery includes marshlands, riparian woodlands, grasslands, and the massive Noxie sandstone formation. This is a gorgeous, large exposed ledge over six feet high jutting straight out of the water and is found along the south shore. The woodlands are home to a wide variety of birds, wild turkey, white-tailed deer, fox squirrels and many other observable species. Fishing is great and there are several fishing piers around the perimeter of the lake.

Melvern Lake is a 7,000-acre reservoir with a maximum depth of 60 feet and is bordered to the north by Eisenhower State Park. There are many recreational opportunities including fishing, hiking, camping, hunting, swimming, and boating. The scenery is gorgeous and contains mostly tallgrass prairie and woodlands. It is common to spot wildlife such as white-tailed deer, wild turkey, bobwhite quail, squirrels, small mammals, and waterfowl.