Featuring dense oak and hickory woodlands in a beautiful setting of rolling meadows of big bluestem prairie and Indian grass, Elk City State Park is a wonderful place to enjoy nature’s beauty. The 857-acre state park, located on the eastern shore of Elk City reservoir, about five miles northwest of Independence town, Kansas, features fascinating wildlife and birds, as well as beautiful vegetation, and a precipitous rock bluff of limestone known as Table Mound. With autumn comes an abundance of colors to the native trees along the bluff. This state park is a perfect get-away with its serene setting, and has to be your destination on your next RV camping trip.
Elk City State Park allows easy, quick access for RV campers to features and amenities including boat ramps, a swim beach, camping, pay stations, boat docks, fishing pier, playgrounds, and hiking trails. The Elk lake area offers scenic views ranging from open prairie to wooded hills and limestone bluffs. Campgrounds at the park feature an array of well shaded campsites appealing to RV and primitive campers. The well-placed restrooms and shower-houses, swimming beach group shelters, fishing piers, exercise trail, disc golf, 18-hole par three golf course, kids fishing pond, playgrounds, hunting and archery areas, horseshoe pits, basketball goals and a three-lane boat ramp in the park offer campers variety of recreational opportunities while at the park.
Events to enjoy at the park include Annual First Day Hike/Fun Run, Glow in the Park Run, O.K. Kids Day and End of Summer Bash, and Annual Halloween Campouts.
Elk City State Park is located just 1 mile north of US Highway 160, about five miles northwest of Independence town, Kansas. As a result, accessibility to the park is easy, either with RVs, trailers, or other motorized vehicles. Paved roads lead to the park, and the roads within the park are paved and graveled, making it easy for you to access the different areas in the park in your RV, trailer or car. There are no driving restrictions within the Elk City State Park.
There are two designated parking areas for RVs and trailers in Elk City State Park. You’ll find one of the parking lots around the day use area in the southern part of the park while the other parking space is at the Kids Fishing Pond located in the eastern end of the park. Parking is restricted to designated areas.
There are no public transportation facilities available at Elk City State Park.
Comfort Cove Area in Elk City State Park features 34 standard pet-friendly campsites available for RVs and tents. ADA camping is available. Full hookup options (electric, water, and sewer hookups) are available in 11 of the campsites while the remaining 23 campsites are equipped with electric and water hookups only. RV length limit at Comfort Cove is 122 feet. Amenities and facilities available at Comfort Cove include restrooms and showers, potable water, group shelter, playground, and a trailer dump station. Comfort Cove also has waterfront and fishing dock access. All campers and camping units are limited to a stay of not more than 14 consecutive days. Fires are allowed in fireplaces, fire rings, and cooking grills only. Fires must be completely extinguished prior to leaving the area. Quiet hours are 11 p.m. to 6 a.m. Actions which alarm, anger, or disturb others are prohibited. Generators cannot be used during quiet hours.
Prairie Meadow Campground in Elk City State Park consists of 30 standard pet-friendly campsites available for RVs and tents. All the campsites in Prairie Meadow are equipped with electric and water hookups for RVs. RV length limit at the campground is 175 feet. Amenities and facilities at Prairie Meadow campground include potable water, restrooms and showers, basketball court, fish cleaning station, ranger office, and a trailer dump station, as well as access to the Kids Fishing Pond. All campers and camping units are limited to a stay of not more than 14 consecutive days. Fires are allowed in fireplaces, fire rings, and cooking grills only. Fires must be completely extinguished prior to leaving the area. Quiet hours are 11 p.m. to 6 a.m. Actions which alarm, anger, or disturb others are prohibited. Generators cannot be used during quiet hours.
Sunset Point Area in Elk City State Park features 22 standard pet-friendly campsites available for RVs and tents. Electric and water hookups are available for RVs in the campsites. RV length limit at the campground is 114 feet. Amenities and facilities available at Sunset Point Area include basketball court, potable water, restrooms, as well as access to the waterfront and jetties. This campground is the perfect spot to watch sunset at Elk City State Park. All campers and camping units are limited to a stay of not more than 14 consecutive days. Fires are allowed in fireplaces, fire rings, and cooking grills only. Fires must be completely extinguished prior to leaving the area. Quiet hours are 11 p.m. to 6 a.m. Actions which alarm, anger, or disturb others are prohibited. Generators cannot be used during quiet hours.
Elk City is popular among RV campers for its diverse trail systems that stretch up to 10.5 miles, including the Eagle Rock Mountain Bike Trail, the Post-Oak and Green Thumb Nature Trails, the Table Mound Hiking Trail, and the Squaw Creek Hiking Trail. The Green Thumb Nature Trail is a one-mile loop trail that is moderately strenuous and take hikers to the top of the hill where they will see a beautiful panorama of the Elk City Lake framed by ash and oak trees. The other trails also offer amazing views of the bluffs in the park as well as beautiful vegetation flourishing against the backdrop of natural landscapes. All trails are open during daylight hours only. No camping, fires, or motorized vehicles are allowed on the trails.
Elk City State is a wonderful park to enjoy fishing on RV vacations. The 4,450 Elk City Reservoir with a maximum depth of 24 feet is the perfect place for angling, even more considering the fact that the world-record 123-pound flathead catfish was taken from the reservoir. Fish species you will find at the park include crappie (up to 12 inches), blue and channel catfish (up to 26 inches), white bass (up to 14 inches), and outlet (up to 20 inches).
For campers aged 15 years and younger, the Youth/Mentor pond in the park is open for fishing. A mentor may take more than one youth fishing, but only one mentor may fish per youth they accompany. Two channel catfish can be harvested daily, but largemouth bass are catch-and-release only.
An ADA accessible fishing dock is available in the park, as well as a fish cleaning station. Fishing is prohibited on boat ramps, courtesy docks, swimming beaches, and in swimming areas marked with buoys.
Bird watchers, wildlife enthusiasts, as well as photographers enjoy the different species of non-game birds and animals in Elk City State Park. The huge pileated woodpecker is a common bird among the mature trees in the park along the Elk River. A variety of wildlife are found in the park since it has different habitat types. Examples include waterfowl, upland and small game, deer and turkey. Furthermore, a solar-powered wildlife feeder attracts many species of birds and animals in the park.
Timber Road Area in Elk City State Park features 12 primitive pet-friendly campsites available for RVs and tents. There are no hookup options for RVs in Timber Road area. RV length limit at the park is 150 feet. Amenities and facilities in the area include restrooms, group shelter, basketball court, and access to the Green Thumb Nature Trail and waterfront. All campers and camping units are limited to a stay of not more than 14 consecutive days. Fires are allowed in fireplaces, fire rings, and cooking grills only. Fires must be completely extinguished prior to leaving the area. Quiet hours are 11 p.m. to 6 a.m. Actions which alarm, anger, or disturb others are prohibited. Generators cannot be used during quiet hours.
At Elk City State Park, hunting is a favorite activity for RV campers. The large number of ducks that are present in the Elk Reservoir offer wonderful goose hunting opportunities for campers. Deer hunting is also available at the park, especially on the numerous tributaries and wooded borders of the crop fields. Other game species in Elk City State Park include bobwhite quail, cottontail rabbits, fox and gray squirrel, and a few prairie chickens. Excellent squirrel hunting can be found in the numerous oak-hickory and pecan groves in the park. A portion of the park is designated for shot gun pellets and archery hunting only. Firearms may only be discharged in areas specifically designated for hunting or target practice.
RV campers enjoy boating activities on the Elk Reservoir at Elk City State Park. The dedicated boat ramp is the perfect place for vacationers to begin their adventure. Also, six jetties are available at the park, to add to the fun and excitement. Boats may not be operated within 200 feet of any area posted specifically for swimming and delineated by markers. No-wake speeds are required within 200 feet of a boat ramp, boat dock. Vessels left unattended at courtesy docks are subject to removal.
There is a designated swimming area in Elk City State Park where you can enjoy the beauty of the beach sands and the warmth of the Elk reservoir. So, visit the park with your swimming trunks and gear in your RV for an immersive swimming experience. Swimming is allowed in designated areas. Liquor and beer are prohibited on swimming beaches or in waters designated by buoys or other markers as swimming areas. For other beverages, only shatterproof containers are allowed.
