The Great Outdoors

Set in the scenic Smoky Hills region of Kansas, Wilson State Park provides convenient access to one of the state’s prime water recreation areas. Located in the heart of the Smoky Hills, Wilson State Park is considered by many to be the most beautiful in the state.

Wilson Reservoir features a rugged shoreline punctuated by scenic cliffs and rocky outcrops. The park and surrounding wildlife area offer the opportunity to view and photograph deer and pheasant.

Russell County’s first white settlers arrived in the late 1860s, and communities quickly formed and developed during the 1870s. In June 1867, the Kansas Pacific Railroad reached the area that would become Dorrance, bringing German, English, Irish, and other immigrants who accounted for much of the town’s modest growth by 1870. Visit Dorrance State Bank if you’re looking to dive right into history!

Cheyenne Bottoms, the nature conservancy in Kansas, is a 41,000-acre wetland complex in central Kansas and one of the top staging areas (where migrating birds stop to feed and rest) for shorebirds and waterfowl in the United States. These wetlands host tens of thousands of shorebirds and up to a quarter-million waterfowl each year during their migrations.

Cheyenne Bottoms is one of only 34 sites in the United States designated a “Wetland of International Importance” by the Ramsar Convention on Wetlands. The Nature Conservancy owns and manages the nearly 8,000-acre Cheyenne Bottoms Preserve adjacent to the 19,857-acre Cheyenne Bottoms Wildlife Area, which is managed by the Kansas Department of Wildlife, Parks & Tourism.

Ducks Unlimited is also a key partner that is protecting waterfowl and shorebird habitats at Cheyenne Bottoms.

Welcome to KWEC! Want a unique nature experience? Then visit the Kansas Wetlands Education Center. KWEC overlooks Cheyenne Bottoms, the largest inland marsh in the United States that is also a Ramsar-designated Wetland of International Importance.