So you're not mentally prepared to spend your morning on November 26 in a crowded line… What do you do? Easy, #OptOutside at a Kansas State Park!
All Kansas State Parks are waiving their entry fees, and you may even win yourself a FREE night’s stay in a state park cabin of your choice. Whether you want a leisurely stroll along an easy-to-navigate trail, you want an adventurous mountain bike experience, or you just want to see another part of the Sunflower State that you haven’t explored, there’s a Kansas State Park just for you.
While this movement originally started with the retailer REI as a way to encourage employees and customers to explore the outdoors, it’s evolved into a movement to move away from the hustle and bustle of Black Friday and to give yourself some space in nature.
#OptOutside participants are encouraged to shoot a selfie while in the park and post it with #OptOutside and #MyKSStatePark that day for the chance at the FREE cabin stay.
Meade
“Oasis” may be the best way to describe this 400-acre paradise shaded by tall cottonwoods, with an 80-acre lake of cool…
Kanopolis
Carson and Custer once explored the jagged prairies in what’s now Kanopolis State Park on horseback.
Mushroom Rock
Just south of Salina stands one of Kansas' many natural wonders - Mushroom Rocks.
Elk City
Elk City State Park sits in a gorgeous valley with natural greatness on both sides.
Crawford
Where the Ozarks spill into Kansas, in the Great Depression the government gave jobs to hundreds of destitute men with the Civilian…
Wilson
Terms like “world-class” and “one of the nation’s best” are usually unwarranted. Both are accurate for Wilson…
Cross Timbers
Southeast Kansas’ Cross Timbers region is a narrow, rugged, 50-mile finger of steeply timbered hillsides that rise to towering…
Kaw River
On the Kansas River kayaks and canoes often float in solitude as they pass towering cottonwoods, nesting bald eagles, kingfishers, otters…
Clinton
Clinton State Park is a 1,400 acre island of unspoiled nature amid the suburban sprawl of northeast Kansas.
Tuttle Creek
Tuttle Creek State Park is a story of two special places. One sits where both land and lake are expansive, with a campground on classic…
Flint Hills Trail State Park
It’s the kind of place where you can travel many miles in near silence as your hiking boots or bike tires move over a surface velvety…
Perry
Perry State Park sits well within Kansas, but with long ridges of hickory and assorted oaks it wouldn’t look out of place in the…
Eisenhower
Within Eisenhower State Park sits 1,000 acres of some of the last wild prairie in eastern Kansas.
Cedar Bluff
A few minutes south of the hustle and hassle of I-70 in western Kansas, life goes relaxingly slow at Cedar Bluff State Park.
Lehigh Portland State Park
Visit the newest State Park in Kansas - Lehigh Portland Trails, a vast network of hiking and biking trails around Elk's Lake in Iola.
Sand Hills
Rather than water, it’s the work of the wind that draws people to Sand Hills State Park.
El Dorado
El Dorado State Park’s 4,000 acres makes it Kansas’ largest. Yet you can be as secluded or social as you like amid landscapes…
Prairie Spirit Trail
A century ago Kansans took the train from town to town, watching the countryside lazily pass as they road the rails.
Fall River
Life’s easy at Fall River State Park, where crowds are few but recreational possibilities are many.
Little Jerusalem Badlands
Welcome to the "Badlands of Kansas" - Little Jerusalem State Park in Western Kansas is truly a sight to see!
Lovewell
It’s been called the “Serengeti of the Sky”, when hundreds of thousands of northward migrating snow geese arrive at…
Glen Elder
Long before civilization, native people came to be healed within the sacred waters of Waconda Springs. The springs are now deep within Glen…
Milford
Kansas’ largest, Milford Reservoir has enough shoreline to reach from Kansas City to Salina. The waters within that 161 miles of land…
Hillsdale
Hillsdale State Park is only minutes away from the 2 million-plus people of the greater Kansas City area. It’s a place where…
Prairie Dog
On the high plains of northwest Kansas, Prairie Dog State Park is a rare and welcome place to play in the water and shade.
Historic Lake Scott
Just north of Scott City lays a stunning canyon nestled among the prairie and natural springs.
Webster
Far from any sizable cities, many might consider Webster State Park “in the middle of nowhere.” Those who know the park will…
Cheney
The park’s 1,900 acres are laced with good trails and dotted with shaded cabins and campsites. In the reservoir you can sample some of…
Pomona
For decades visitors have come to Pomona State Park by automobile. Now, they’re also coming by horseback and bicycle.
