Overlook Park

This day-use picnic area, located just north of Clinton Lake in the hills of Kansas, is the perfect spot for a party or family gathering. Two picnic shelters are available for up to 100 guests, with flush toilets and drinking water. A horseshoe pit, tetherball pole, sand volleyball court, softball field and playground are all provided. Clinton Lake is the main attraction to the area, offering boating, fishing, canoeing, jet skiing, swimming and other water sports. The lake's fish and wildlife resources provide sightseers, fishermen and hunters ample opportunities for their sports, and the lake is well-stocked with crappie, walleye, channel catfish and white bass. Wildlife viewing is popular as well, with bald eagles, white-tailed deer, Canada geese and wild turkey in abundance. Four trail systems are located around the lake, including the North Shore, South Shore, Smokehouse and George Latham Trails, all offering hiking, biking and equestrian opportunities within a 20 minute drive. The North Shore trailhead is in Overlook Park. Congress authorized Clinton Lake in 1962, and the finished reservoir was filled in 1980. Though the dam was originally built for flood control, the area has become a recreational oasis against a green Kansas backdrop. Clinton's setting of steep bluffs, wooded shoreline and clear water is unequaled among Kansas lakes, and shoreline development has been limited to preserve as much of the natural setting as possible. The lake spans 8 miles up the Wakarusa Valley and covers 7,000 surface acres; at the top of its flood pool it would cover an additional 5,800 acres, extending 13 miles along the valley floor. The Visitor Center on the northwest side of the dam, just down the road, has displays covering the history of the area, the reasons for the dam and the wildlife nearby. The Clinton Lake Museum in Bloomington East Park has information on the history of the region and the Underground Railroad. The city of Lawrence is just a few miles away.