Milford Lake

About Milford Lake

Milford Lake is the largest reservoir in Kansas, covering 3.2 million square kilometers.

The US Army Corps of Engineers owns and operates Milford Lake, and is the property and operator of the U.S. Geological Survey and the Kansas Department of Natural Resources. The lake offers a variety of leisure activities such as fishing, boating, canoeing and sailing, as well as water sports. Picturesque Milfords Lake (known as Lake of Blue Water) is located in the western part of Kansas State, north of Wichita, Kansas. This lake, with 21,000 acres, is one of our best natural habitats in Kansas and a favorite destination for kayaking and fishing.

The construction of the Republican River Dam, approved by the Flood Control Act in 1954, took five years, from 1962 to 1967. In addition to the Republican River, Milford Lake also includes two other dams, the Milfords River Dam and the Mill Creek Dam.

The multi-purpose project was built within the Kansas State Parks and Recreation Department (KSPD). With the filling of a multipurpose pool in 1967, Milford Reservoir became a recreational mecca in Kansas. The centre is open daily from 10 am to 5 pm and visitors can picnic, swim, fish and do other activities in the park.

Visitors can learn about the functioning of the dam, the history of the area and the European settlers who inhabited the area. You can even look at fossils estimated to be 280 million years old. Milford State Park covers 1,084 acres and offers a variety of activities including hiking, camping, fishing, kayaking, canoeing, hiking and camping. Accommodation at Mil Ford Lake includes a hotel with a pool, pool and picnic area, as well as a restaurant, bar and hairdresser.

For visitors who prefer comfort over animals, there are three cabins with heating and air conditioning. Milford State Park also offers a variety of activities such as hiking, camping, fishing, kayaking, canoeing, hiking and camping. The park has a boat ramp where visitors can start their boat at any time of the day or night, as well as a picnic area with a pool and picnic areas.

For sailing enthusiasts, Sailboat Cove is a great way to meet other sailors, and Milford State Park even has a private yacht club. The sandy beach at the South Boat Ramp provides shelter for family and group picnics, as well as a picnic area with pool and picnic areas.

The many hiking trails around Milford Lake invite you to take a leisurely stroll through the countryside. The Pipeline Trail is the main access road, but a segmented system of paths serves as a shortcut to some areas. In the park there are many other hiking trails as well as several hiking trails on the lake itself, and it offers a variety of opportunities for those who are interested in hiking, biking, camping or other outdoor activities.

In summer, you can see six lizards and along the paths you can see a variety of birds, reptiles and amphibians as well as birds of prey.

This area can be used by vehicles that are 50 inches wide or smaller and are one of the most popular roads in the area.
Crappie and Largemouth Bas are found in Milford Lake, with the traditional hot spots for crappies in Rolling Hills and Curtis Creek.

Crapie, largs and bases are also found at the bottom of the lake, while fishermen are on the lookout for spotted and small mouth perches. Small mouth-feet can also occur in this area, as well as spawn-whale-types like the blue whale, which were found since beginning of April. Milton Lake is also the spawning ground for a number of salmon, trout, bluetongue, whale-eye and other species.

White perches and catfish are common in the lake, and some of America's most prestigious fishing tournaments are held in Milford Lake.

The Milford Wildlife Area includes the Milford Lake National Wildlife Refuge, the largest of its kind in the United States. Wildlife includes birds, mammals, reptiles, amphibians, birds of prey and other animal species.

The Steve Lloyd Refuge, which offers visitors a wildlife sanctuary, covers about 1,100 hectares. Some of the 1.5 million hectares of land in the reserve has been reserved for the Milford Wetlands Restoration Project, and about 2,000 hectares in the area are dedicated to conservation.

The Milford Wildlife Area and Wetlands Project is managed by the Kansas Department of Wildlife and Parks. The refuge is a great place to watch waterfowl and their birds of prey and songbirds during the season. A beautiful wildlife spot is behind the dam at the north end of Milfords Lake. One of the best places to park and bird-hunt in the area is Clay County Park in Wakefield on the west side of the lake.

During the winter season bald eagles are common in the area and pelicans come to the park in spring and autumn. Also frequent gripping-birds like jays, plovers and blackbirds are frequent during the migration. You must be near the dam, which is located at the north end of Milfords Lake in Clay County Park in Wakefield.

The Hochgrau nature trail starts at the Nature Centre, but guided tours are only possible by appointment and take about one and a half hours.

Visitors to the Kansas Landscape Arboretum will enjoy a variety of native and exotic plants adapted to the Kansas environment.

The breeding grounds of the Nature Centre are open from April to October, and the demonstration areas and backyard habitats feature seasonal songbirds and butterflies. The Ar-Boretum is also open daily from March to October and from May to September.

The Wild Dawn Trail leads around a meadow The meadow pasture path follows the shore, and a bird sanctuary path surrounds a small pond. The long, mile-long trail is the Woodland Trail, an easily accessible path that winds through prairies and woodlands.
With water on and off, Milford Lake offers many recreational opportunities for visitors. The Schroder garden has a picnic area with picnic tables, picnic benches and picnic chairs, and a large picnic table.