Believe the hype—Lake Kanopolis receives much-deserved national attention
Lake Kanopolis, just minutes away from hyper-busy Interstates 70 and 35, has been getting some national love lately. In April, tourism industry giant Condé Nast Traveler named Lake Kanopolis one of America’s top 50 state parks.
Last summer, Travel Awaits magazine named the area’s trail system the best amid the 4,000 miles of recognized trails in Kansas.
Before that, Active Times magazine ranked Kanopolis State Park at #14 of America’s 7,500-plus state parks for scenic beauty. That’s within the top one-half of one percent in the nation! To see the park is to understand why.
Famed Trails
The Horsethief Canyon trail system winds back and forth across several streams where they enter the lake. Trails trace the top of the canyons and split the tall rock formations as they follow the flowing waters. In all, there are more than 28 miles of extraordinary landscape to roam.
Most of these trails are open to horses, so equestrians can experience the country as famed explorer Kit Carson did long ago.
But the trails can be equally enjoyed on foot.
The Buffalo Tracks Canyon Nature Trail gives a condensed version of all that makes the Horsethief Canyon system so special. This trail is less than a mile each way as it passes below tall cliffs, uses stepping stones to cross Bison Creek and then ascends to probably the most photographed and famed cave in Kansas. It’s called Oven Cave because native people used it to prepare and smoke fresh meat from buffalo they’d stampeded over nearby canyon cliffs.
True to its name, there is an unmistakable place where the hooves of bison carved steps into the soft red rock through the ages.
Camping, fishing and more
Kanopolis State Park offers more than just the many miles of great trails. Camping options include tent sites where you’ll sleep listening to waves softly rolling ashore a few yards away.
There are also camper hookups with full utilities as well as six cabins, each within easy walking distance to park activities and with a lakeside view from their porch.
The park’s Rockin’ K Horse Campground is one of the nation’s top “horse hotels,” with full facilities to accommodate horses and the people who bring them.
The park also offers great views of the lake. A tall rock outcrop, accessible by foot or car, near the northern-most boat ramp of the Horsethief area may be the most romantic place in Kansas to watch a sunset.
Wildlife abounds, including an active nest of bald eagles clearly seen from a road. Dozens of deer come from the brushy creases in the landscape to browse in the open at dusk. Birdwatching brings a nice blend of prairie and woodland species.
Kanopolis Reservoir is one of Kansas’ most consistent fisheries for channel catfish, crappie, saugeye and white bass. There are wadable points to help shore-bound anglers cast to where the big ones swim. There are many arms of the lake and feeder streams where kayak anglers can paddle in smooth, peaceful waters.
Many eventually end up doing a slow paddle when casting becomes secondary to sightseeing as they pass beneath the rising, ragged bluffs and miles of unbroken prairie. Almost all are glad they did.
