Lehigh Portland State Park hopes to welcome its first official visitors next spring.
Kansas State Parks Director Connor O’Flannagan said work at Kansas’s newest state park was advancing at a steady clip. “Overall, we’re shooting for the end of January to be completely done with construction,” he said. “We should have the park open no later than April 1, 2026 for peak camping season.”
“The sewage lagoons are complete and passed a work test with KDHE last week,” O’Flannagan told the Register. The lagoons are located east of 1650 St. and will process wastewater for the RV park and visitor’s center.
“Concrete pads for campsites are being poured this week, and safety fencing is being installed between campsites and the rock bluff,” added O’Flannagan.
Perhaps most visible is progress on the park’s visitor’s center, which is quickly taking shape. David Ball, director of trails for the park, said the center is expected to be finished in early 2026. “It’s going to be a very nice building,” said Ball.
“The visitor’s center is about 80% complete,” added O’Flannagan. “There’s still a lot of interior work to do.”
Several items are still on the punch list, noted O’Flannagan: dirt work to level ground for campsites, seeding, planting trees and finishing roads.
Plans are still in place to install a boat ramp on the west side of the park, complete improvements to the park’s swimming area and fishing access, and install a shelter on the south side of the park near trailhead access.
As far as staffing, “We’re getting ready to announce those positions,” said O’Flannagan. “Usually for a park this size, staffing is around three people. Once we know better timelines for the visitor’s center completion, we’ll work to get those positions announced.”
O’Flannagan said the Kansas Department of Wildlife & Parks plans to hold a grand opening and ribbon cutting for the visitor’s center, but the date is still uncertain. “We’ll be sure to work with the public to keep everyone informed” about future events,” he said.
