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Tuttle Creek State Park, Manhattan, KS

Photo: John P Salvatore, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons. Cropped and resized.

Sport & OutdoorOutdoor AdventureFamily Favorite

Tuttle Creek State Park

5800A River Pond Rd · Manhattan, KS

Why you should go…

Tuttle Creek State Park covers about 1,200 acres in five units along Tuttle Creek Lake, an Army Corps of Engineers reservoir on the Big Blue River north of Manhattan. You can camp at hundreds of sites or rent a log-sided cabin, fish and boat on the lake, and play an 18-hole disc golf course. The Fancy Creek Mountain Bike Trail runs 6 miles through cedar forest and native grassland, and the Randolph Equestrian Trail runs 13 miles. A daily vehicle permit is required.

  • #state park
  • #lake
  • #camping
  • #disc golf
  • #mountain biking

Good to know

General sport & outdoor guidance

Habits that pay off across this whole category, not rules for this one venue. Always check the official site for the specifics.

  • Weather calls the shots

    Check the forecast the morning of and keep an indoor backup in your pocket for the day it turns.

  • Shoes, water, sun cover

    The three things that decide whether you last the whole outing or cut it short after an hour.

  • Parking and launches fill early

    On a nice weekend, lots and trailheads are often full by mid-morning.

  • Daylight shrinks in shoulder season

    Spring and fall visits need an earlier start than the same trip in July.

What's around here?

The closest stops to Tuttle Creek State Park, ordered by straight-line distance. A few more like it, plus some different kinds of fun so you can build a full day.

  • Sport & Outdoor
    Free

    K-State Gardens

    Free

    Free horticultural display gardens on the K-State campus with roses, irises, daylilies and native and adaptive plantings.

    4.3 mi awayMore like this

  • Sightseeing
    History Buff

    Kansas State University

    Free

    The main campus of Kansas's first public university, with guided tours from the Berney Family Welcome Center.

    4.6 mi awaySwitch it up: Sightseeing

  • Museums
    History Buff

    Riley County Historical Museum

    Free

    Free county history museum with galleries from prehistoric times to today, plus historic buildings on its grounds.

    4.6 mi awaySwitch it up: Museums

  • Sport & Outdoor
    Outdoor Adventure

    Colbert Hills Golf Course

    $50+

    A public 18-hole links-style course laid across the treeless Flint Hills, co-designed by K-State graduate Jim Colbert.

    4.7 mi awayMore like this

  • Stay
    Family Favorite

    Comfort Suites Manhattan

    $50+

    An all-suite hotel near the Flint Hills Discovery Center with an indoor pool, fitness center and free breakfast.

    4.8 mi awaySwitch it up: Stay

  • Sport & Outdoor
    Outdoor Adventure

    Wildwood Adventure Park

    $50+

    Ride seven zip lines through the trees of the Flint Hills, then finish the course with a 40-foot free fall.

    6.5 mi awayMore like this