Elk City State Park
- 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)
We link to the official booking system rather than showing live availability, which changes minute to minute.
Camping
| Campground or site type | Sites | Hookups / features | Price |
|---|---|---|---|
| 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
| Trail | Length | Difficulty | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Exercise Trail | 0.5 mi | Easy | WalkingGravel surface |
| Post-Oak Self-Guiding Nature Trail | 1 mi | Easy | WalkingNatural surface |
| Green Thumb Nature Trail | 1 mi | Moderate | WalkingNatural surface |
| Table Mound Hiking Trail: | 2.75 mi | Moderate | WalkingCanoe/KayakingNA surface |
| Osage Lowland Bike Trail | 2.5 mi | Easy | WalkingBikingPaved surfaceAccessible |
| Osage Lowland Hiking Trail | 3.3 mi | Easy | WalkingMountain BikingPaved surface |
| Eagle Rock Mountain Bike Trail | 4 mi | Easy to Moderate | Mountain 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
- kdwp.elkcitysp@ks.gov
Nearby state parks
Sources and freshness
- Kansas State Parks — park page — last checked Oct 29, 2026
- TravelKS.com (State of Kansas official tourism site, Dept. of Commerce) 'Kansas State Parks' page — 29 park page links; contacts/coordinates from KDWP's public ArcGIS 'KDWP Spatial Directory' Offices layer
- Wikidata
- USGS PAD-US 4.1 (boundary and acreage)
“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