When we first visited the dramatic waterfall at Cowley County State Fishing Lake in 2008, it was virtually unknown and visited by only a few people each day. There weren't even signs at the park pointing out that Cowley Lake Waterfall exists. Returning to Cowley Lake Waterfall in 2015, we discovered that while there were still no signs on US Highway 166, there are now a couple of signs within the park, directing visitors toward the parking above the falls. There were many people visiting the waterfall on the May Saturday we were there, perhaps as many at one time, as there were all day in 2008. Some of the rock face that the waterfall flows over has broken off during the interviening years and the water now travels about half the height of the falls, then hits rock and sprays out. The 25' falls is quite beautiful, but still fairly hard to access, and (because of short sight lines) hard to photograph. Cowley Lake Waterfall is just off the small parking lot at the west end of the 84 acre Cowley County State Fishing Lake. The climb down to the bottom of the waterfalls isn't very safe and you may wish to drive down the dirt road just west of the park. It runs just one or two hundred feet west of the river leading away from the falls. The additional visitors during the past few years have made the climb somewhat easier, and for good or bad, there are fewer trees below the falls. Unfortunately there is a lot of broken glass along the path.
Many
more Kansas Waterfalls
copyright 2008-2015 by Keith Stokes |
