Clinton State Park offers year-round camping, boating and lake access

Clinton State Park gives Douglas County residents a close-in lake escape with a real range of options: it sits four miles from Lawrence, covers 1,425 acres, and anchors a larger recreation landscape beside a 9,200-acre wildlife area. The Kansas Department of Wildlife and Parks keeps the park office open year-round, while the Clinton Marina adds boat storage, kayak and boat rentals, and sales for an afternoon on the water or a full weekend outdoors.

A park built for repeat visits

The park is part of a much larger public-lands system, not just a single shoreline. The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers manages Clinton Lake as a 7,000-acre reservoir with another 15,000 acres of land around it for flood damage reduction, recreation, fish and wildlife management, water supply and water-quality improvement.

A $2.5 million visitor center opened on Feb. 27, 2026, and the new space is 6,400 square feet, about four times larger than the old park office. Park staff said the building is meant to support school field trips and community events.

Half-day: get in, get outside, get back to town

If you only have a few hours, Clinton works best when you keep the plan simple. You can launch a kayak from the marina, walk or ride part of the 25-mile hike-and-bike trail, or post up at the swim beach for an easy, low-effort visit that still feels like a break from town. The park also has an archery range and disc golf, so you do not need a complicated schedule to make the trip worthwhile.

Clinton lists six reservable shelters for gatherings, plus playgrounds and special event venue areas, so a quick family outing or a small group picnic can be more organized than a spontaneous pull-off at the lake.

Full day: trail time, fishing and water access

A full day lets you mix activities instead of choosing just one. The park’s special-use amenities include a 5-mile cross-country ski trail for winter use, a mountain bike skills course, an 18-hole disc golf course, a separate 9-hole disc golf course, a 3-acre trout pond, a 1-acre children’s fishing pond and a fish-cleaning station, so you can build a day around whatever kind of outdoor time you actually want.

Here is the easiest way to think about a full day at the park:

• Start on the 25-mile hike-and-bike trail or the mountain bike skills course.
• Shift to the marina for boat access, kayak rental or a longer boat outing.
• Break for fishing at the trout pond or the children’s fishing pond.
• Finish with disc golf or a swim beach stop before heading home.

Weekend: campsites, cabins and the details that matter

KDWP lists 368 campsites, including 102 with water and electricity on 30-amp service, 68 with water and electricity on 50/30-amp service, 34 full-hookup sites and 164 primitive sites. It also lists six cabins that sleep six people, one cabin that sleeps eight, and Elk Creek Cabin as the only pet-friendly cabin.

KDWP lists 381 reservable sites total across campsites, shelters and cabins, and camping or cabin reservations can be made up to 364 days in advance. You must be 18 or older to rent a campsite or cabin, and overnight stays require both a camping permit and a state park vehicle permit.

What it costs

A Kansas State Park vehicle permit is required, and KDWP currently lists daily permits at $5 and annual permits at $25. For overnight stays, a camping permit is required in addition to the vehicle permit, camping fees are charged per unit, and a $2.75 processing fee applies to each camping stay.

The Friends of Clinton State Park sells firewood for $10 cash only during business hours. KDWP also has a free park entry day scheduled for Sept. 19, 2026, though camping fees still apply on free-entry days.

Getting there and working around road changes

The park’s address is 798 N 1415 Rd. in Lawrence, and its location remains easy for Douglas County residents even as roadwork changes some approaches. The eastbound K-10 exit ramp to Clinton Parkway closed on May 26, 2026, and will stay closed until the South Lawrence Trafficway project is complete, now expected in 2028. During that closure, drivers should use the detour through 6th Street and Wakarusa Drive or reach Clinton State Park via Bob Billings Parkway, N. 1500 Road and the new E. 875 Road and E. 900 Road.

A getaway with history attached

If you want the outing to go beyond recreation, the Wakarusa Valley Heritage Museum adds the older landscape beneath the reservoir. The museum includes information about the Clinton Lake towns before flooding and the area’s ties to the Underground Railroad.