Outdoors:
Other than a few weeks of steamy sunshine in the summer and a few of frigid cold in the winter, Manhattan weather is usually mild, which lends itself to a wide array of outdoor activities. And boy, do we have activities outside for you. Just take a look...!
A golfer's paradise is right here in The Little Apple®! From a par 3 to a licensed PGA course, Manhattan offers the following courses;
Colbert Hills Golf Course
5200 Colbert Hills Dr.
(785) 776-6475
Colber is a PGA licensed collegiate facility featuring 18 holes of Flint Hills landscaping highlighted by native Kansas limestone and vistas up to 12 miles.
Stagg Hill Golf Club
4441 Fort Riley Blvd.
(785) 539-1021
Wildcat Creek Golf and Fitness Center
800 Anneburg Circle
(785) 539-7529
Manhattan Country Club
1531 North 10th St.
785) 539-7501
Hiking and Biking
Tuttle Creek Lake currently has two separate horse/hiking trails on the east side of the lake. Horse lovers can enjoy a ride on the equestrian trails in Randolph State Park or Carnahan Park.
The trails at Randolph State Park cover 200 acres, including camping areas. The trail loops at Carnahan Park are five and eight miles in length and offer dramatic scenery of the lake. For more information, download the Tuttle Creek State Park map.
The Manhattan Linear Park Trail will take hikers and bikers along a picturesque path from Anneberg, back to Manhattan’s east side and the Northeast Community Park along Knox Lane. For more information, download a map of the Linear Park Trail.
Fancy Creek State Park at Tuttle Creek Lake offers 4.5 miles of challenging terrain and is one of Kansas’ best mountain bike trails.
To find more information about area trails, check out the Kansas Recreation Finder, a great resource managed by Kansas State University in cooperation with Kansas Department of Wildlife and Parks.
To use, visit the Kansas Recreation Finder Web site, click on the "Trails" tab in the left-hand column, select "Manhattan" from the drop-down list of cities, type in "20" or "40" in the box that asks for number of miles from Manhattan to include in the search, and then click on the "Search" button at the bottom of the column. You will see a list of great trails in and around Manhattan. Have fun exploring!
Hunting and Fishing
There is nothing like the call of the wild. Over 108,000 acres of public hunting land in Manhattan are free and open to licensed hunters during regular game seasons. Most Kansas land is privately owned, and owner permission is required before hunters may enter. For complete information on hunting in the Flint Hills, contact the Manhattan Convention and Visitors Bureau at (800) 759-0134 for a free Hunting Guide.
With approximately 350,000 acres of standing and flowing water, Kansas is one of the best kept fishing secrets in the country. Area lakes are filled with catfish, walleye, saugeye, crappie, bass, bluegill, wipers and rainbow trout, just to name a few.
More than 16,000 acres of land surrounding the Tuttle Creek have been enhanced to benefit wildlife and provide excellent hunting opportunities for turkey, white-tail deer, quail, pheasant, and waterfowl. Their hunting lands are open to the public.
Tuttle Creek Lake is also the perfect place to spend some time fishing for crappie, bass, panfish, and saugeye. Boat ramps in serveral of the parks around the lake give opportunity for those pursuing fish from their boat. Further downstream from the dam, one of Kansas' best public-access fishing spots on a river can be found at the Rocky Ford Fishing Area.
Tuttle Creek State Park
5800A River Pond Rd.
Manhattan, KS 66502
Ph: (785) 539-7941
US Army Corps of Engineers, Tuttle Creek Dam
5020 Tuttle Creek Blvd.
Manhattan, KS 66502
Ph: (785) 539-8511
Located about four miles northeast of Manhattan, Pottawatomie State Fishing Lake No. 2 is a scenic lake of about 75 acres that holds crappie, largemouth bass, bluegill, channel catfish and walleyes. Services at the lake include a boat ramp and primitive campsites. Download a lake brochure and map.
Other Sites: A 200-acre marsh located about seven miles north of Olsburg and a 40-acre marsh located approximately two miles north of Randolph on the east side of U.S. 77 are excellent duck hunting locations. Most of the area’s ponds and streams are privately owned. The Kansas River is public domain and may be fished without permission.
Other Outdoor Activities
Disc Golf at Tuttle Creek State Park
The park offers an 18-hole Flying Disc Golf course in the River Pond area of the park. Vehicle permits are required for entry. For more information, call (785) 539-7941 or email.
Fancy Creek Shooting Range
The range features both an outdoor pistol range (10 - 20 meters) and an outdoor rifle range (50 and 100 meters) for the shooting enthusiasts. Open to the public, hunters are able to sight in a scope or target shoot at this location, just north of Randolph. Open 10:00 am - 5:00 pm on the first and third weekends and the fourth Thursday of every month. For more information, call (785) 539-7941, or download a brochure from the Friends of Fancy Creek Range
Milford Lake
A 30-minute drive west of Manhattan, Milford is Kansas’ largest lake with 163 miles of shoreline and over 16,000 surface acres. Milford Lake and the surrounding 21,000 acres make up one of Kansas’ prime outdoor habitats.
For more information about Milford Lake, contact the U.S. Corps of Engineers Information Center just south of the dam, (785) 238-5714 or Milford State Park, north of the dam, (785) 238-3014.
Off-Roading
Tuttle Creek offers two “Off-Roading” areas.
The popular Spillway Cycle Area is a 45 acre park which boasts several challenging trails. This area is intended only for ATVs and motorcycles.
The Tuttle Creek Off-Road Vehicle Area is a 310-acre park featuring miles of steep and rugged trails open to all vehicles.
Tuttle Creek Shooting Park
Open to the public, the park is located at 6364 Tuttle Creek Blvd. and includes a clubhouse, instructions, tournaments and traps. The park offers ATA Trap, Wobble Trap and 5-Stand Sporting Clays, as well as a pro-sports shop and gun rental.
For more information, call (785) 539-4409.
Water Sports
Tuttle Creek Lake is located five miles north of Manhattan with the dam and reservoir situated on the northern edge of the Flint Hills. The lake area offers 12,000 acres of water with 100 miles of irregular, wooded shoreline.
Eleven parks offer a wide range of facilities such as overnight camping pads, beaches, comfort stations, boat launching ramps, utility hookups and picnic tables. Also available for lake visitors are a full service marina, nature and equestrian trails, a disc golf course, cabin rental and areas for the off-road vehicle enthusiast. User fees may apply. Picnic shelters are also available for group events.
