Kaw River State Park
300 SW Wanamaker Road. (The park entrance is on SW 6th Street.)
Topeka, KS
Shawnee County
River Mile: 90
GPS: 39.06907, -95.75342
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Access Ramp: River Right
Directions: From I-70 take Fairlawn Exit 357. Turn south on Fairlawn and turn right on SW 6th Avenue. Watch for the entrance to Kaw River State Park on the right. Once you enter Kaw River State Park, follow the road to the access ramp.
Access Information: There is a wide concrete ramp and a paved parking lot marked for 20 or more vehicles. A sandbar often forms at the base of the ramp following high water. Be prepared to carry your boat and gear across the sandbar if water levels are low. The park is adjacent to Cedar Crest, the Kansas governor’s mansion, and is part of the Kansas state park system. It contains numerous hiking and biking trails and is heavily used during good weather.
Amenities: Trash can and informational kiosk on site. Limited lighting after hours. No restrooms. The walk to the nearest convenience store is about 1 mile. Parking is allowed 24 hours, however, the park gates are locked at night.
Paddle Information: The next access ramp is two miles downriver at the Topeka Water Plant Low-Head Dam and Access Ramp on river left. This section should not be attempted by novice boaters and YOU SHOULD NOT GO OVER THE DAM IN ANY VESSEL. PORTAGE THE DAM OR UTILIZE THE PADDLER CHUTE ON THE NORTH BANK/RIVER LEFT. Once you go under the Highway 75 Bridge, move to river left. There is often a sandbar here with a narrow channel between it and the north (left) bank; if the sandbar is present, you must be in this channel. Stay on river left as close to the bank as it is safe to be; the rock and rebar remains of an old weir is still in the river upstream of the current ramp, so travel carefully through this area. The access ramp is on river left above the dam. Portage around the dam and put back in via another ramp below the dam. Access to the ramps might be closed during high water events. In 2021, a paddler’s chute and fish ladder were installed on the north bank (river left) between the two access ramps, allowing paddlers to continue through this section of the river without portaging.
Game Warden Covering Shawnee County: 785-230-4434
