Overlook (ks)

Overlook Park is located on the crystal clear Big Hill Lake in southeast Kansas. The lake boasts three campgrounds, three equestrian trails and four day-use areas, with camping, picnicking, horseback riding, hiking, swimming and fishing in abundance. Three picnic shelters are set along the water, each able to accommodate up to 100 people at a time. The facility also provides drinking water and flush toilets. The shelters are forested and offer sweeping views of the lake. Overlook is used as a group picnic and fishing area. There is an interpretive trail within the park, and nearby visitors can venture onto several hiking and equestrian trails, including Big Hill Lake Horse Trail, a 17-mile trail with a variety of terrain for all ages. Big Hill Lake is known for being a trophy lake for fishing; principal sport fish include largemouth bass, crappie, channel and flathead catfish, bluegill, walleye and smallmouth bass, and the lake is popular for fishing tournaments. Almost all of the land around the lake is open to public hunting, except for parks and areas around the dam and control structures, with whitetail deer, turkey and squirrel the principal species hunted. The park is nestled in the rolling, wooded countryside referred to as the Little Ozarks. With thick oak-hickory forests surrounded by prairie and farmland, the lake shore supplies a variety of habitats for birds and mammals. This location has limited staffing. Nearby Mound Valley Park has one of the largest sand beaches in southeast Kansas and offers educational programs on Saturday evenings during the summer.