Edness K. Wilkins State Park (Blog Hike #1130)

Trails: (unnamed)
Hike Location: Edness K. Wilkins State Park
Geographic Location: east of Casper, WY (42.85375, -106.17888)
Length: 2.9 miles
Difficulty: 1/10 (Easy)
Date Hiked: September 2026
Overview: A double loop, mostly on paved trail and partly along the North Platte River.
Park Information: https://wyoparks.wyo.gov/index.php/places-to-go/edness-k-wilkins
Hike Route Map:

On The Go Map

Photo Highlight:

Hike Video: (coming August 6, 2027)

Directions to the trailhead: East/south of Casper, take I-25 to SR 256 (exit 182).  Exit and go north on SR 256.  Drive SR 256 north 0.5 miles to US 87 and turn right on US 87.  The signed park entrance is 2.3 miles ahead on the left.  Turn left to enter the park, pay the park entrance fee, and park in the first paved parking area on the right.

The hike: Weighing in at only 361 acres, Edness K. Wilkins State Park is the second smallest state park in Wyoming.  The park came to be in 1981 when the State of Wyoming purchased a former rock quarry for development as a state park.  Therefore, this park is also the third newest state park in Wyoming.  The park is named for a former long-time Wyoming state legislator who was from this area.

            Although the park has 7 reservable cabins, Edness K. Wilkins State Park is one of only 3 Wyoming state parks that does not have a campground.  Due to the limited overnight lodging, the fact that most of its trails are paved, and the park's location near Casper, this park sometimes feels more like a city park than a state park.  But a lot of local people come here, and for good reason: anyone who comes here will find a pleasant recreation site along the North Platte River.  The park offers fishing and boating on the river, a small lake with a beach, a disc golf course, picnic and playground areas, and several miles of dirt horse trails and paved hiking trails.  The double loop described here stays on the hiking trails, and although it is paved most of the way, it provides a grand tour all around the park including the park's riverside and upland areas.

Main trailhead

            From the parking area described in the Directions to the trailhead, pick up the concrete trail as it heads east with the parking area on your left and US 87 across the grassland to your right.  A bench and a sign that warns "no motorized vehicles" stands at this trailhead.  This park's trail system is organized as a double loop, and going this direction starts a counterclockwise journey around the eastern loop.  Soon you pass a rebuilt covered wagon, which sits here as a testimony to this area's Oregon Trail history.  Indeed, the Oregon Trail followed the North Platte River through this part of Wyoming including what was then Fort Caspar, and ruts that this type of wagon made in the 1800s can be seen at various places in this region today.  Unfortunately, there are no Oregon Trail ruts at this park.

Covered wagon

            Soon you pass the park's beach and pond on the left.  I saw several deer on this trail including some young ones in this area.  Next you exit the developed park area and enter an area with more trees.  Some large cottonwood trees live here, and they were just starting to show their fall colors when I hiked here in a light rain on a cool mid-September morning.

Entering a wooded area

            At 0.5 miles, you pass a bird blind near a pond on your left.  While in general this park is good for wildlife watching due to its water and its location on the Central Flyway, I did not see any activity at this pond.  Next the trail curves left to pass through the eastern part of the park.  Ignore dirt horse trails that exit right and concrete side trails that exit left.

Deer

            0.9 miles into the hike, you arrive alongside the North Platte River.  The North Platte is a deep and broad sandy-bottomed prairie river, and some benches invite you to stop, rest, and enjoy the riparian part of this hike.  Unfortunately, the riverside area also sits right beside the park road, so you are unlikely to be the only person admiring the river.

North Platte River

            After passing several parking areas, the trail curves left to leave the riverside area and start paralleling the park's west boundary, which sits close on the right.  At 1.45 miles, you reach a trail intersection.  Turning left continues the east loop and quickly takes you back to the parking area.  This hike continues straight to head for the west loop, which is reached at another trail intersection just past 1.8 miles.  Turn right to head counterclockwise around the west loop.

Traversing the west loop

            The west loop offers very different scenery than the east loop.  Gone are the ponds, rivers, and trees; they are replaced by a semiarid grassland featuring goldenrod, sagebrush, and cactuses.  You pass the park headquarters/maintenance building before paralleling the park road.  At 2.4 miles, you close the west loop.  Turn right to head back to the east loop, then turn right at the final intersection to return to the parking area and complete the hike.  To add a little variety to the segment connecting the 2 loops, you can take the dirt/gravel dog walkers' trail on the return route.  This trail runs roughly parallel to the concrete trail but further from the private property on the left, and it provides the only opportunity to get off of the concrete on this hike.