Located on the North Shore of Clinton Lake, you'll find Clinton State Park. This is the perfect park if you're looking for a close-to-nature atmosphere while sticking close to a well-rounded city. Lawrence, the city in which the park is located, is a well-known college town, and is the sixth largest city in the State of Kansas.
Clinton State Park is one of Kansas' newest state parks and is considered one of the State's premier parks. There are many amenities located within the park, as well as many activities in which you can take part. Whether you're looking to spend the day in nature, tough a primitive campsite, or enjoy relaxing next to your RV, Clinton State Park is an excellent place to be.
One very unique feature of Clinton State Park is that it has its very own privately-owned marina located within the park on the shore of Clinton Lake. Clinton Lake Marina is one of the largest marina operations in the state of Kansas, as well as one of the newest!
Clinton State Park is a breeze to access, as well as to maneuver around throughout the park. While there are several gravel roads in the park, the majority of them, including the roads to the campground are paved and plenty wide enough for two RVs to pass each other. Whether you're pulling a pop-up camper or driving your luxury motorhome, there's plenty of room for you in the park.
While the roads are may be wide and paved, parking is somewhat limited in the marina and boat dock area. Your RV or camper trailer will fit in the spaces in which boat trailers are parked, but it may fill up pretty quickly in peak boating season.
While Clinton State Park is large, it is very easily accessible on a bike. Many of the roads are paved, so a mountain bike or a road bike will work just fine! If you have kids, this is an excellent way to both navigate throughout the park, as well as the kids burning off a little bit of their energy before going back to the campsite for the night!
This campground is the smaller of two campgrounds in the park, and only has 23 sites that are available for reservation. All other sites are first come first serve only. Thirty of the campsites offer 50-amp electric service, but there is an extra charge. There are also two shower houses at campground #1, but they are only open from April through October, in which the camp host is present.
This campground is the largest of the two in the state park (there is no Campground 2) and has 49 sites that are available for reservation, as the rest are first come first serve. There are 176 RV sites in this campground with water and electric hookup only. There is a dump station located just outside of the campground for your convenience. There are also heater shower houses, water spigots, and laundry facilities within the campground!
Fun for you, your friends, or your family can start at Clinton State Park with one of their many in-season activities. Clinton State Park is home to Archery Park, which is a 10-hole disc golf course, and Mowery Meadows, which is an 18-hole disc golf course! So make sure you pack your frisbees, disc golf is a fun in-season sport that everyone can enjoy!
One great activity in Clinton State Park is cycling. No matter what type of bike you ride, mountain bike or road bike, there's a trail ready for you to ride. Throughout the entire park, there are multi-use trails excellent for mountain biking, as well as a specialized biking skills course! Many of the roads through the state park are paved, so if you're looking to ride your road bike, you're in luck! This is also a great alternative to driving your RV around the park all the time.
If you enjoy the beach, but you’re not looking to drive that far, you may be in luck at Clinton State Park. One advantage to the park being located on the lakeshore is that there are opportunities for fishing, boating, and you guessed it: swimming. While swimming is only allowed in the beach area, it does have a sandy beach and volleyball area to give it an authentic beach feel!
Clinton Lake is the perfect place for the still water angler. No matter what your experience level, there’s a fish out there ready to be caught. Clinton Lake is well known for its clear water and excellent fishing. Channel Catfish, Walleye, and Crappie are some of the most common species of fish that you’ll find in the lake. In addition to Clinton Lake, there is a one-acre children’s fishing pond, as well as a three-acre trout pond within the state park!
Clinton State Park is full of multi-use trails. Whether you’re mountain biking, hiking, or even trail running, there’s a trail here for you! There’s even a cross-country ski trail within the park! While the ski trail is only available in the winter, the North Shore Trail (25-miles) and the Prairieview Nature Trail (0.75-miles) are open all year for hiking!
There are many different species in Clinton State Park, and many different ways to encounter them. The Prairieview Nature Trail is an excellent way to view both animals and vegetation in the park. Deer, elk, turkey, dove, quail, squirrel, and rabbit are amongst the most common that you’ll see in the park, and some of these species are allowed to be hunted during specific seasons. During hunting season, always make sure to wear orange when walking through wooded areas!
