Best Midwest State Parks
We hiked. We swam. We even peeked in the bathrooms. All to bring you a state-by-state guide to 36 of the Midwest's greatest natural treasures.
Kansas: Cheney State Park and Crawford State Park
Cheney State Park: Cheney Reservoir (35 miles west of Wichita) serves up three summertime essentials--water, sand and sunshine. Hidden swimming coves punctuate the shoreline, and strong winds make for one of Kansas' most striking (and surprising) sights: sailboats zipping across bright blue water ... under the bright blue dome of the prairie sky (pictured at left). (316) 542-3664
Crawford State Park: Shade trees soften the edges of Crawford Lake (110 miles south of Kansas City, Missouri), so it looks more natural than some man-made lakes. The leafy landscape--unusual in Kansas--might explain the fierce local pride for the park. (Volunteers plant flowers and tidy the grounds.) Most visitors come to camp or fish, but it's worth walking to a moving memorial to the Civilian Conservation Corps, whose workers built the stone-and-log buildings that are hallmarks of state parks. (620) 362-3671
(A version of this story appeared in Midwest Living® May/June 2010.)
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