Elk City State Park: Table Mound Trail (Blog Hike #941)

Trails: Table Mound and Post Oak Nature Trails
Hike Location: Elk City State Park
Geographic Location: west of Independence, KS (37.25813, -95.77923)
Length: 5.6 miles
Difficulty: 7/10 (Moderate/Difficult)
Date Hiked: April 2023
Overview: An out-and-back with short loop offering views of Elk City Reservoir.
Park Information: https://ksoutdoors.com/State-Parks/Locations/Elk-City
Hike Route Map: https://www.mappedometer.com/?maproute=934872
Photo Highlight:

Hike Video: 

Directions to the trailhead: Just east of the US 75 and US 160 intersection on the west side of Independence, take CR 3325 north 1 mile to CR 4600 and turn left on CR 4600.  Drive CR 4600 west 0.2 miles, crossing the levee in the process, to CR 3300 and turn right on CR 3300.  The state park entrance is 1.4 miles ahead on the left.  Turn left to enter the park, pay the park entrance fee, then turn right twice to reach the Timber Road Campground and the Table Mound Trailhead, which is also sometimes called the Squaw Creek Trailhead.  A small parking lot and vault toilets are available at the trailhead, and more parking is available in the campground if the trailhead parking lot is full.

The hike: Ranked by AllTrails.com as the best state park in Kansas, Elk City State Park protects 857 acres on the bank of its namesake reservoir.  The reservoir was built by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (COE) in 1967 for purposes of flood control, and the land comprising the park is on lease to the State of Kansas from the COE.  The park features 3 developed campgrounds with 96 sites total, a primitive campground, 1 cabin, and swimming, boating, and fishing on the reservoir.

            Unlike many other parks, hiking actually takes center stage here: the park features 3 dayhiking trails and a backpacking trail totaling more than 20 miles.  Each of the trails has a unique and interesting experience to offer, but by most accounts the park's best trail for dayhiking is the Table Mound Trail described here.  The Table Mound Trail is an out-and-back that connects the park's main area with the dam overlook area, and it stays within view of the reservoir for most of its distance.

Table Mound Trailhead

            A fancy wooden sign marks the trailhead for the Table Mound Trail, which is marked with blue rectangular paint blazes.  Walk around the metal vehicle gate and head north on a wide, somewhat rocky dirt trail that looks like an old road.  The lake is visible through the trees downhill to the left.  The forest on this hike is a nice mixture of oak, hickory, red cedar, and black walnut trees.

Hiking through red cedar forest

            Near 0.5 miles, the old road seems to end, and the trail takes on more of a rolling single-track character.  Soon you reach the first steep area, where you will need to climb down a few tree roots to continue.  The trail passes somewhat close to a steep cliff here, and this area presents the best view across Elk City Reservoir.

View across Elk City Reservoir

            After passing a metal survey marker, you pass several large slump blocks that have tumbled down from the cliff on the right.  Next the trail dips through three ravines.  Each of these ravines is fairly steep, but they are only about 50 feet deep.  When I hiked here during a drought, all 3 of these ravines were dry.

Peering into a ravine

            At 2.2 miles, you cross paved CR 3300.  Next comes the hardest climb of the hike: you quickly gain about 150 feet of elevation on steep rocky trail.  Take your time and watch where you step.  You may notice a trail going left below the final cliff line, but I recommend climbing all the way to the top and intersecting the Post Oak Nature Trail, which is marked with orange rectangular paint blazes.  Turn left to head north on the Post Oak Nature Trail.

Climbing through the cliff line

            The trail stays close to the cliff on the left and reaches the Overlook Trailhead at 2.6 miles.  The Overlook Trailhead features a parking lot and a partially obstructed view of Elk City Reservoir's dam area.  Honestly, better reservoir views were had on the hike up here.  On the bright side, restrooms and benches are provided, and they make nice places to sit, rest, and have a trail snack near the midpoint of this hike.

Dam overlook

            A couple of options present themselves from here.  The blue-blazed Table Mound Trail exits the parking lot to the north, passes a wastewater area, and drops through a narrow crack in the cliff line before curving left and retracing your previous route but below the cliffs.  If the crack in the cliffs looks too hard for you (as it did for me), then you can use the other arm of the orange-blazed Post Oak Nature Trail, which leaves the south side of the parking area.  Either choice gets you back on the Table Mound Trail below the cliff line, from whence you need to retrace your steps to the Squaw Creek Trailhead to complete the hike.  If you are up for a little more hiking, the Green Thumb Trail also departs from the Squaw Creek Trailhead, and it takes you on a 1 mile loop higher up the ridge with more good views of the reservoir.

Indian Rock Park in Salina, KS (Blog Hike #809)

Trails: (unnamed)
Hike Location: Indian Rock Park
Geographic Location: east side of Salina, KS (38.83735, -97.58878)
Length: 0.8 miles
Difficulty: 2/10 (Easy)
Date Hiked: July 2020
Overview: A short loop featuring rock formations and a pond.
Park Information: https://www.salina-ks.gov/city-parks-playgrounds
Hike Route Map: https://www.mappedometer.com/?maproute=944015
Photo Highlight:

Hike Video: 

Directions to the trailhead: Near Salina, take I-70 to Ohio Street (exit 253).  Exit and go south on Ohio St.  Drive Ohio St. south 3.1 miles to Gypsum Avenue and turn left on Gypsum Ave.  Drive Gypsum Ave. east 0.2 miles to Indiana Avenue.  Turn right on Indiana Ave., then almost immediately turn left to enter Indian Rock Park.  Park in the first small gravel parking lot on the right.

The hike: Owned and maintained by the City of Salina, Indian Rock Park consists of roughly 60 acres on the heavily residential east side of Salina.  The park is most famous for some small waterfalls on the Smoky Hill River, which forms the park's eastern boundary, and also for its namesake rock.  The rock's name comes from the Battle of Indian Rock in 1857, where the eastern Kansa, Delaware, and Potawatomi nations successfully held the rock's high ground against the western Cheyenne and Arapahoe nations.  This battle effectively eradicated the western tribes from present-day central Kansas.  The City of Salina was founded next to Indian Rock in 1858.

            In terms of amenities, the park offers only a small lodge, 3 picnic shelters, and the small system of nature trails featured in this hike.  The trail system was in need of some maintenance when I came here, and that point leads to one warning about this park.  Due to the park's urban location and the lack of trail maintenance, I might not come here on evenings or weekends due to personal safety concerns.  I came here on a Wednesday morning, saw more rabbits than people, and had a nice hike.

Trailhead at parking area

            From the parking lot, head down the dirt/gravel entrance trail and then turn left to begin a clockwise journey around the trail system.  Prairie wildflowers of various kinds line the trail as it climbs to an overlook of the park's pond.  The small grass-ringed pond appears nearly 70 feet below you, and the relatively tall buildings of downtown Salina appear in the distance.  Be careful where you step up here: the soil and rocks that make up this bluff are very loose and easily eroded, so putting a foot in the wrong place could send you tumbling down the steep hill.

High above the pond

            The trail continues climbing along the bluff with the pond downhill to the right until it comes out at the park road at 0.2 miles.  The park's lodge sits just to the right of this point.  Walk south (downhill) along the road for a short distance, then look to the left for a two-track gravel road that leads to the river.  Step over the chain that blocks vehicle access to this road and head for the river.

Smoky Hill River

            Next you pass some partially obstructed views of the river, which was wide and muddy on my visit, before curving right near the park's south boundary.  The open prairie is replaced by dense shrubs in this wet area.  At 0.45 miles, the trail curves right to cross the park road again and arrive at what used to be this park's main trailhead.  Indian Rock itself stands here, and an historical interpretive sign tells about the 1857 Battle of Indian Rock.

Indian Rock

Final leg of trail

            The final leg of this hike may be the roughest one as the trail heads north around and over some large boulders with the pond you stood high above earlier now just feet to your right.  Some numbered posts indicate the existence of an interpretive guide, but none were available on my visit.  After passing the final pond view, you come out at the dirt/gravel entrance trail beside the parking lot that contains your car, thus signaling the end of the hike.