State Park

Elk City State Park

Montgomery County, KansasAbout 599 acresEstablished 1967
Status
Status not posted
Entrance fee
Statewide rule — see below
Day-use reservations
None mentioned
Dogs
Statewide rule — see below
Camping
YesAlso cabins
Official site
travelks.com(620) 331-6295

Official page last checked Oct 29, 2026. How we keep this current

Overview

Covering about 599 acres, Elk City State Park lies in Montgomery County, in Independence.

Things to do include golf, disc golf, fishing, wildlife watching, and biking. Overnight options include campsites, with RV sites with full hookups, tent sites, and primitive or hike-in sites. If you'd rather not camp, the park offers cabins.

Pets

Pets must always be restrained by a camper, cage, hand-held leash, or tethered chain no longer than 10 feet; not allowed on swimming beaches/buoyed swim areas or in public buildings.

Statewide rule from Kansas's park system (source). This park’s page doesn’t state its own pet rules, so check for local restrictions.

Fees and passes

Per vehicle: $5 daily vehicle permit or annual Kansas State Parks Passport ($15.50 resident via vehicle registration, $25 at KDWP office); camping permit required in addition for overnight stays, prime-site fee Apr 1–Sep 30, $3 per-stay transaction fee.

Statewide fee rule from Kansas's park system; this park’s page doesn’t list its own fees.

Kansas park passes

  • Daily vehicle permit — $5. Daily vehicle entry; not required at Mushroom Rock, Prairie Spirit Trail and Flint Hills Trail state parks Details
  • Kansas State Parks Passport (annual vehicle permit) — $15.50 with Kansas vehicle registration renewal; $25 at a KDWP office. Entry to any Kansas state park without the $5 daily vehicle fee Details

From the Kansas state guide. Confirm which passes this park accepts.

Reservations

Day use
No day-use reservation requirement mentioned
Booking system
CampItKS (KDWP camping reservations)

Check availability and book

We link to the official booking system rather than showing live availability, which changes minute to minute.

Camping

Campground or site typeSitesHookups / featuresPrice
Campsites—Electric and Water Hookups: 85; Standard Full Hookups: 14—
Camping details from the park

Modern Cabins

1

Primitive Cabins

0

Primitive Campsites

53

85

Standard Full Hookups

14

From the official park page, checked Oct 29, 2026. Site counts and prices can change; confirm when booking.

Cabins and lodging

  • Modern Cabins: 1 unit

Modern Cabins

Primitive Cabins

Things to do

FishingWildlife viewing and birdingHikingCampingBikingGolfDisc golf

Trails

TrailLengthDifficultyNotes
Exercise Trail0.5 miEasyWalkingGravel surface
Post-Oak Self-Guiding Nature Trail1 miEasyWalkingNatural surface
Green Thumb Nature Trail1 miModerateWalkingNatural surface
Table Mound Hiking Trail:2.75 miModerateWalkingCanoe/KayakingNA surface
Osage Lowland Bike Trail2.5 miEasyWalkingBikingPaved surfaceAccessible
Osage Lowland Hiking Trail3.3 miEasyWalkingMountain BikingPaved surface
Eagle Rock Mountain Bike Trail4 miEasy to ModerateMountain BikingCanoe/KayakingNatural surface
Trail descriptions from the park
  • Exercise Trail
  • Length- .5 miles
  • Terrain - Gravel
  • Difficulty level – Easy
  • Usage – Walking
  • This is an exercise trail in the Day Use Area. It is 1/2 mile in length and has various exercise apparatus along the trail.
  • Post-Oak Self-Guiding Nature Trail
  • Length- 1 mile
  • Terrain - Natural
  • Difficulty level – Easy
  • Usage – Walking
  • This 2/3-mile trail located on the top of the table mound is a relatively easy hike. The trailhead is located at the scenic overlook near the dam. The old-growth forest setting that this trail winds through is indicative of the Cross Timbers region. A wide variety of tree species can be found here with many specimens being well over 200 years in age. A self-guiding brochure has been developed to coincide with this trail to be used as an interpretive aid for the user. This trail has been designated as a National Recreation Trail under the U.S Department of the Interior’s National Trail System.
  • Green Thumb Nature Trail
  • Length- 1 mile
  • Terrain - Natural
  • Difficulty level – Moderate
  • Usage – Walking
  • This interpretive nature trail is a loop design with its trailhead located in the Timber Road Campground. Features of the trail include two wooden pedestrian footpaths, which are about 33-40 feet in length, and interpretive signing informing hikers of the plants and animals native to this area. The trail is described as a moderately strenuous hike that is somewhat uphill. At the top of the hill, the surrounding trees frame a spectacular view of Elk City Lake.

Table Mound Hiking Trail

  • 4825 Squaw Creek Rd
  • (620) 331-6295

Due to this trails length, it is able to give witness to the hiker many different and picturesque scenes. If chosen to begin the trail at the Scenic Overlook, the trail runs north .2 mile atop edge of Table Mound along the edge of a 20-foot bluff. After dropping through a crack…

Table Mound Hiking Trail:

  • Length- 2.75 miles
  • Terrain - NA
  • Difficulty level – Moderate
  • Usage – Walking, Canoe/Kayaking

This linear trail has a trailhead at the Scenic Overlook near the dam and at Timber Road Campground, northwest of the State Park office. Due to the length of this trail, it is able to give witness to the hiker many different and picturesque scenes. If chosen to begin the trail at the Scenic Overlook, the trail runs north .2 mile atop the edge of Table Mound along the edge of a 20-foot bluff. After dropping through a crack in a rock and going down to the foot of the bluff, it turns sharply south.

For about the next .5 mile, the trail passes along vertical rock walls, boulder fields, and cave-like formations. The trail then drops down through a ravine and crosses the county road. For the next 1.9 miles, the trail winds through forested hills and crosses three small creeks. The final segment is .15 miles and is along an old roadway. This particular trail is blazed with blue paint markings and is considered a moderately strenuous hike. This trail has been designated as a National Recreation trail under the U.S Department of the Interior’s National Trail System.

  • Osage Lowland Bike Trail
  • Length- 2.5 miles
  • Terrain - Paved
  • Difficulty level – Easy
  • Usage – Walking, Biking
  • ADA Accessible
  • This is a paved trail through the Osage Lowland day-use area of the State Park. It has views of the wildlife area, and the south side of the lake and is available for walking or bike riding.
  • Osage Lowland Hiking Trail
  • Length- 3.3 miles
  • Terrain - Paved
  • Difficulty level – Easy
  • Eagle Rock Mountain Bike Trail
  • Length- 4 miles
  • Terrain - Natural
  • Difficulty level – Easy to Moderate
  • Usage – Mountain Biking, Canoe/Kayaking
  • This trail was designed with the beginner mountain biker in mind but also for the experienced mountain biker to excel. On its path, which passes by large sycamore and oak trees, the trail has roller coaster dips, straight and winding climbs, downhills, and log jumps with ride-around provided in most places for the less skilled riders. The trail begins along the Elk River just north of the reservoir outlet. The wooded portion of the trail soon gives way to a trek through ice age boulders that cover the hillside. Another segment of the trail winds through tall native grasses. Like all the trails at Elk City Lake, the scenery seen along the Eagle Rock trail is phenomenal.

Fishing

  • Channel catfish
  • White bass
  • Crappie
  • Flathead catfish

The world-record 123-pound flathead catfish was caught in Elk City Reservoir.

Kansas Fishing License

A state fishing license is usually required.

Amenities

Camping

  • Tent camping
  • RV camping
  • Electric hookups
  • Water hookups
  • Sewer hookups
  • Primitive or backcountry camping

Lodging

  • Cabins

Recreation

  • Golf course
  • Disc golf

✓ listed by the park · ✕ the park says it is not available. Anything not shown here isn’t mentioned by the official source — that means unknown, not unavailable.

Accessibility

Facilities

  • Fishing dock

Conditions change. Contact the park to confirm specific accessible features before your visit.

Getting there

Address
4825 State Park Rd.
Independence, KS 67301
Nearest town
Independence
Coordinates
37.2456, -95.7097
Phone
(620) 331-6295
Email
kdwp.elkcitysp@ks.gov

Google Maps directionsApple MapsOfficial park map (PDF)

Nearby state parks

Sources and freshness

“Last checked” is when our system last read the official source. No change has been detected since this page was first published. Hours, fees and rules can change without notice — confirm with the park before you go. Methodology

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