There aren’t many waterfalls in Kansas. But there are some. So we set off for Chase Lake Falls-an adventure I found tucked in a corner of the Official Travel Guide for Kansas 2017. This magazine was so helpful in planning some of our summer adventures in Kansas. Several of our trips were inspired by articles or pictures from TravelKS.
To be honest, the morning didn’t start off well. I wanted to leave around 10ish. We didn’t leave until noon. It seemed as though everyone was dragging their feet and I was a bit discouraged about traveling to new places. It seemed like there was a lot of complaining and no appreciation. And that got me into a bad mood of complaining and no appreciation. Go figure. But we set off, nevertheless, two hours later and ultimately, I’m glad we went. Moral of the story: Always take the trip. Even though things sometimes seem difficult and not worth it, push through those initial feelings because it usually ends being worth it. And a few minutes (or hours) of uncomfortableness can turn out to be a wonderful adventure! And that’s what Chase Lake Falls did turn out to be.
Chase Lake Falls is approximately 1 1/2 hours from Wichita. It’s located on Chase State Fishing Lake which is about two miles from Cottonwood Falls, Kansas. Cottonwood Falls is in the middle of the Flint Hills in Kansas. Everybody thinks Kansas is totally flat. That’s just not true. There are definitely flat parts, but the Flint Hills aren’t. The drive from Wichita to Chase Lake is really pretty with trees and some rolling hills. I have to say – much better than western Kansas. Sorry Western Kansas.
We made a pit stop at Cottonwood Falls (the town) and looked at their falls over the concrete dam.
When looking at Cottonwood Falls, the kids were kinda disappointed at first because they were not waterfalls they expected (think Seven Falls in Colorado or Multonomah Falls in Oregon). After I explained that the falls in Kansas would not exactly look like waterfalls in and around mountains, they settled in to the Kansas waterfall experience. Cottonwood Falls was a cute town and a nice pit spot.
We then headed to Chase Lake. We parked near the grass dam and headed across it.
It was the perfect day because it wasn’t too hot and there was a slight breeze to cool us down. The lake was actually pretty clear–for a Kansas lake. There was only one boat on it, and several people fishing on the shore.
After we crossed the dam, we thought that the falls were going to be dry because the creek bed was dry. We continued on down the path thinking that we wouldn’t see anything. But, surprise! The falls were flowing. There’s a series of three gentle waterfalls—so gentle that you can actually walk across them (although I recommend holding a wild three-year old’s hand!). The falls were beautiful and in a shaded area.
After hanging out at the waterfalls for a bit, we headed back up to the path toward the lake. The kids enjoyed playing on the sandy path and splashing around a little in the water. Then we ate a shore lunch next to the lake.
We spent about three hours at the lake, and it was an easy, inexpensive adventure. One of my favorites during the summer of 2017!