Kanopolis Lake State Park

Beautiful park! We started our hike at Buffalo Track Canton Nature Trailhead, which is located a short drive into Kanopolis Lake State Park. This trailhead has two entrance points, and one is usually more manicured than the other. We didn't know there was a difference at the time and took the path less traveled and less tended to. Which was unfortunate for us because we were walking through tall grasses and brush, which was uncomfortable because some of the people I was hiking with were wearing shorts. So, if you want a more pleasant hike, make sure you're taking the hiking trail that has been mowed.Other than slapping away plants and hoping we weren't transporting ticks, the hike was great and the scenery here is beautiful. Our trail was a little less than a mile one way, and led us to a really cool cave with rocks that looked like the profile of a person! We checked out the cave for a while, then headed back. Once you're at the cave, you do have an option to travel down another trail to go farther into the park, but we chose to just head back. There's a lake here and other things, but we only visited the park to hike. We had a great time hiking, though! This part of Kansas is beautiful, and walking through Kanopolis is a great way to experience some of it.

My daughter and I took a relaxing camping trip with our dog. We drove from Iowa to Kanopolis State Park in Marquette, Kansas on our way to Colorado. We ended up getting a campsite on our own private beach and it was Awesome! Dog friendly too! It was $18 for the night and we loved it!

Nice and quiet with a really cool fire pit with every cabin. Would be nice to add a naturist (nude) section, If I were a betting man, I would bet it would stay totally booked solid.

We truly stumbled across this state park while driving on the Prairie Grass Scenic Byway - one of Kansas' scenic byways. We exited 1-70 and the total length of this byway is 80 miles one-way. We had decided to drive just a section of the byway when we stumbled across Kanopolis Lake State Park. Kanopolis Lake is beautiful and the state park offers camping, picnic facilities, boating, hiking, etc. It is a very scenic area and has a lot more hills than I expected in Kansas. I'm sure that a lot of people, me included, picture Kansas as being flat as a pancake but the topography around this state park was totally hilly and scenic. In fact, if someone dropped you here blindfolded - you probably never guess you were in Kansas.Places like Kanopolis Lake State Park (and Mushroom Rock State PArk - just up the road) are compelling reasons to "get off the interstate" and see the country. What you see from the interstate is not really representative of the areas you're passing thru.

Found myself driving across Kansas one July. Dropped into this place. The Horsethief Canyon area was pretty spectacular. Felt like something way farther out West. There's all kinds of interesting sandstone cliffs and canyons here, and pretty decent hiking trails. Most of the canyon walls are totally covered in 100+ years of graffiti carvings. Usually not a fan of graffiti but there was something about this that was pretty cool.Wild place, kind of weird. Suffocating heat in July even at daybreak. I don't think I'd ever been that hot before and I was living down South at the time.Definitely a must-see if you're driving through the Smoky Hills area. I had no idea what to expect, but thought that whole area was incredibly beautiful. Didn't camp, but the lake looked like a great spot to spend the night.

This part of Kansas seems to flatten out from the Eastern section, so I didn't expect to find much exciting here. A less dramatic version of the dam found in Manhattan exists here, and offers a waterside view. However, the real reason to visit here is the canyons. Small, sand covered footpaths meander through small canyons, and weave across stream banks. Occasional fording may be required, depending upon the water level, although in April, we balanced across several logs at various crossings. Small caves dart the hills above, and previous visitors have carved their names, initials, and various icons into the sandstone. The sandstone itself is often worn into grooves, often resembling small slides. Follow offshoots up to the various caves, although during the season, be on the lookout for mud wasps, snakes and ticks, should you venture off path. While we were there, ticks were a problem, although the larger pests were not.All in all, this was a welcome picturesque, intimate landscape, worth the side trip. Good for photographers and hikers.

We stayed at Kanopolis State Park Campground at Cottonwood Loop site#C001 for 2 nights. With many attractions around the area like Mushroom Rock, Rock City, Coronado Heights, etc. it tempting to stay longer especially for only $19/night for electric hookup ($21 for electric/water) and short walking distance to bathroom. Other loop bathrooms don't have showers, except for Cottonwood loop. The Cottonwood bathroom facility have separate toilets for men/women, 4 stalls showers in the back are unisex. Showers are dated; one has wasp nest on the ceiling, one smell terrible, one has misaligned door. Toilets are barely functional with one toilet clogged up and closed for repair. Fortunately our site is graveled and leveled. Power pedestal is functional despite the handwriting marker said otherwise (we have Progressive Industry unit to help us diagnose electrical issue). No WiFi anywhere in the campground, 2-3 bars LTE strong enough to get on internet. This campground is very popular with fishermen. Boat launch/marina is at the end of Marina Drive. Closest grocery & gas are 13 miles away at the town of Marquette. Our stay was peaceful and close enough to nature that we can hear crickets at night.

Great camping spot and lake. Shower facilities could use some cleaning and updated paint but overall a really nice spot.

Great state park! Awesome hikes that lead to caves. Would definitely recommend to anyone.

A wonderful state park. The camping is great and the hiking trails are fantastic. A great place to spend a weekend.