Parks around Stafford

Quivira National Wildlife Refuge (NWR) was established in 1955 to provide wintering and migration stopover habitat for migratory birds along the Central Flyway of North America. The name "Quivira" comes from a Native American tribe that lived in the area when the explorer, Coronado, visited in 1541. It is believed to mean "raccoon eyes" in reference to tattoos that resembled a raccoon's mask aroun...

Discover a complete and authentic army post from the 1860s -1870s! This well-preserved fort on the Santa Fe Trail shares a tumultuous history of the Indian Wars era. The sandstone constructed buildings sheltered troops who were known as the Guardians of the Santa Fe Trail.

Cheney Dam and Reservoir, features of the Wichita Project, are on the North Fork of the Ninnescah River about 6 miles north of Cheney and 24 miles west of Wichita, Kansas. The site is at the common intersection of the boundaries of Kingman, Reno, and Sedgwick counties with portions of the dam lying in all three. Nearest main highway, U.S. 54. Nearest major city, Wichita. The lake has approximate...

The nearby Fort Harker Museum at Kanopolis and the Rogers Art Gallery and Museum at Ellsworth portray the settlement of the American West. Kanopolis is also the home of Kansas' first State park. Early Indian rock carvings on Inscription Rock in Horse Thief Canyon offer an interesting glimpse into the past.

One of the prettiest lakes in the State, Wilson features clear blue water and excellent striper fishing.

Gateway to the tallgrass prairie, the Flint Hills Scenic Byway offers travelers an unchanged view of the grasslands of the Great Plains. Explore historic sites, quaint towns, and scenic vistas as you discover where the West truly begins.

Wetlands and Wildlife Scenic Byway moves through radiant wetlands full of wildlife, prairie vistas with immense skies, and rural communities shaped by nature and the entrepreneurial spirit. Clouds of Sandhill and Whooping Cranes descend; and pelicans, Bald and Golden Eagles, shorebirds, ducks, and geese gracefully rest here, capturing the spirit of this byway.

The Salt Plains NWR was established in 1930 as a refuge and breeding ground for birds and has been designated an Important Bird Area and a member of the Western Hemisphere Shorebird Reserve Network. It provides habitat for approximately 300 species of birds and 30 species of mammals. The 32,030 acre refuge is divided into almost equal parts of nonvegetated salt flat, open water, and vegetate...

Visit Great Salt Plains National Wildlife Refuge, one of the chain of refuge areas for ducks and geese on the Continental Central Flyway. Crystal digging is allowed Saturdays, Sundays, and holidays from April 1 to Oct. 15.

If you enjoy camping, boating, fishing, hunting, or wildlife watching - we have the place for you. Completed in 1968, Marion Reservoir encompasses 6,200 acres of water surrounded by another 6,000 acres of public lands. The lake is located just north of U.S. Highway 56 between the communities of Marion and Hillsboro, Kansas. Camping and picnicking opportunities are numerous with 171 campsites loca...

Cedar Bluff Dam and reservoir is a features of the Cedar Bluff Unit, Pick-Sloan Missouri Basin Program, and is located on the Smoky Hill River in west central Kansas. Reservoir open 24 hours. Good access roads. Available species include walleye, crappie, white bass, channel catfish, and wipers. The reservoir has approximately 3280 water surface acres, 8256 land acres and 50 miles of shoreline. Fis...

An overlook provides unobstructed view of this 8,000-acre lake impounding the Walnut River in Butler County.

A precipitous rock bluff marks the north margin of the river for several miles above the dam site. The State of Kansas uses 11,680 acres of project lands for wildlife management and public hunting.

Fort Supply Lake is located in northwest Oklahoma in Woodward County on Wolf Creek, approximately 1 mile south of Fort Supply, and 12 miles northwest of Woodward. This man-made lake offers extensive opportunities for the outdoor recreation enthusiast. Opportunities include camping, picnicking, boating, fishing, and hunting. A major attraction for campers is the numerous campsites located on the wa...

Glen Elder Dam and Waconda Reservoir, features of the Glen Elder Unit, Pick-Sloan Missouri Basin Program, are on the Solomon River directly upstream from Glen Elder, Kansas. Reservoir open 24 hours. Good access roads. Available species include walleye, crappie, white bass, striped bass, and channel and flathead catfish. Irrigation supply reservoir experiencing minor fluctuations. Reservoir peaks a...

Woodston Diversion Dam is a feature of the PSMBP - Solomon Division - Webster Unit. This area is managed by the Kansas Department of Wildlife & Parks as a wildlife management area. Site consists of 254 land acres and 10 acres covered by water and wildlife including pheasant, waterfowl, deer, and dove.

The Webster Unit is located between Woodston and Osborne, KS on the north side of the South fork of the Solomon River. Webster Dam, 8 miles west of the city of Stockton, is the principal feature of the unit. Webster Reservoir has 3,739 water surface acres, 3,164 land acres and 50 miles of shoreline. Reservoir is open 24 hours. Good access road. Available fish species include walleye, white ba...

Where's the tall grass? Tallgrass prairie once covered 170 million acres of North America. Within a generation the vast majority was developed and plowed under. Today less than 4% remains, mostly here in the Kansas Flint Hills. The preserve protects a nationally significant remnant of the once vast tallgrass prairie and its cultural resources. Here the tallgrass prairie takes its last stand.

Formerly enslaved African Americans left Kentucky in organized colonies at the end of the of post-Civil War Reconstruction period to experience freedom in the "promised land" of Kansas. Nicodemus represents the involvement of African Americans in the westward expansion and settlement of the Great Plains. It is the oldest and only remaining Black settlement west of the Mississippi River.

The Milford Education Center and Fish Hatchery are located below the dam. From Topeka, 65 mi W on I-70, 5 mi N on US77, 2 mi W on K-57 hwy.

Kaw Lake is located in north central Oklahoma, approximately 8 miles east of Ponca City, Oklahoma, on the Arkansas River. Project land extends northward into Kansas, ending near Arkansas City. The lake covers 17,000 surface acres and has 168 miles of shoreline at the normal elevation of 1010.00 feet above sea level. Ground breaking ceremonies were held in May 1966 and impoundment of the reservoir ...

Kirwin National Wildlife Refuge (NWR), the first national wildlife refuge in Kansas, was established in 1954 as an overlay project on a Bureau of Reclamation irrigation and flood control reservoir. Kirwin Dam and Reservoir are features of the Kirwin Unit, P-SMBP. Reclamation owns the land and controls reservoir water levels while the Refuge staff from the Fish and Wildlife Service manages all ot...

The lake was named for the nearby town of Council Grove, the birthplace of the Santa Fe Trail and a National Historic District. The lake is in the heart of the Flint Hills, one of the last vestiges of Tallgrass Prairie, and is located 20 miles north of the Tallgrass Prairie National Preserve and 30 miles south of the Konza Prairie Preserve.

Kirwin National Wildlife Refuge (NWR) was established in 1954 for the conservation, maintenance, and management of wildlife resources, particularly migratory birds. The Refuge is located in the rolling hills and narrow valley of the north fork of the Solomon River in north-central Kansas. In this region, the tallgrass prairie of the east meets the shortgrass plains of the west. As a result, ...

Canton Lake is located in west Oklahoma on the North Canadian River, 2 miles north of the town of Canton. This man-made lake offers extensive opportunity for outdoor recreational activities. Canton Lake plays host to a large number of campers, picnickers, boaters, fishermen, and hunters every year. It is one of the few places that offers these types of recreational opportunities in western Oklahom...