Echo Cliff Park

Outside of a small town in the middle of nowhere Kansas, lies a hidden gem that has long been a favorite of mine. If you go to Dover Kansas, and head west about 10 minutes, you’ll come across a lone gravel road that leads you right to said place. A small park that, from where I grew up, was a solid 45 minute drive. But every time I visited I found myself falling in love with more and more. The park that I am talking about in this blog, is that of Echo Cliff Park. Echo Cliff Park is rather old, having been cleared out and discovered around 1920, with the Echo Cliff Park Trust having owned for quite some time. The park features a massive cliff-face overlooking the beautiful expanse of plains and sprawling farmland. I first visited Echo Cliff Park back in 2017, when me and my buddies were tired of only seeing what Topeka had to offer. Having just gotten my license, we decided to hop in my SUV and take a drive. My buddy Cody, having lived in Dover for several years, was ecstatic to tell us about this hidden gem. He would go on to tell us stories of when he was much younger, trudging around the short creek, looking for any fish or frogs he could get his hands on. He would also tell us of a secret, hidden path off to the left of the cliff-face, that if you weren’t too scared, and were confident enough in the difficult vertical hike, would open up to the perfect clearing on top of the cliff-side.

As you can see at the top left, there is a perfect little ledge to sit on after this hike, offering a nice place to relax and enjoy the view. I have been to this park countless times in my day. The forests behind the cliff-side, however, are private property. That being said, the older rancher who lives and works on this property is a cheerful and kinder man, and he is welcome to visitors on the cliff-side, as long as they don’t intrude on his property. At the base of the cliff as well, resides a small river, good for catching all and releasing all sorts of small fish and frogs. Further along this river as well resides an old abandoned bridge, that is somehow in great shape for its apparent age.

All in all, Echo Cliff Park is the perfect example of a hidden gem of a park, perfectly tucked away outside of any ones field of view. While the hike up the cliff-side might not be for everyone, I highly encourage anyone that feels up to the challenge to attempt it, especially during the summer time, as the look of the beautiful green plains is breath taking in and of itself. As I am sure could be said for most people, I could have ended up going my entire life not knowing this place existed, but that life would be lacking in one more example of the sheer beauty of the great plains, and what Kansas has to offer, and I can only hope that anyone who reads this takes the opportunity to visit the great Echo Cliff Park.