Meade State Park

About this park

Meade State Park, known locally as the "Oasis on the Plains," comprises 803 acres of shortgrass prairie and recreational facilities around the 80-acre Meade State Fishing Lake in the high plains of southwest Kansas. The park was carved out of the former Turkey Track Ranch in 1927, and its lake and dam were built largely by hand, using mule skids and small tractors, decades before most other Kansas lake parks were established. The Civilian Conservation Corps and Works Progress Administration maintained a presence at the park from 1938 to 1943, adding to its infrastructure during the Depression era, and much of that early groundwork remains part of the park's character today. A newer beachside children's recreation area, Wild Wood Playground, brings a modern family-friendly addition to the historic site. Fishing for bluegill, channel catfish, flathead catfish, trout, saugeye, crappie, and largemouth bass remains a central draw, supported by RV sites, primitive camping, and day-use areas, and the park's isolated location in far southwest Kansas gives it a quieter, more remote feel than reservoir parks closer to the state's population centers.