Iola’s Lehigh Portland State Park is one of 28 such parks in Kansas.
But in terms of its setting, Lehigh Portland is one of a kind, says Mark Nepote, the park’s manager.
“I can’t think of any other state park that has this unique of a setting,” Nepote said this week, as he prepares for the park’s grand opening Wednesday.
The public is invited to a 2 p.m. ribbon cutting at the Lehigh Portland Visitor Center, followed by an open house.
The park opens to campers on Thursday.
And while there have been several visitors to Lehigh Portland through the summer for fishing, swimming, kayaking and other outdoor activities, the “official” opening means motorists will require a parking pass to use the park.
Nepote and Adelaide Manica, a park ranger with the Kansas Department of Wildlife and Parks, spoke about the building excitement surrounding the park’s opening.
“Any time we’re out here, people drive by asking, ‘Hey, when does it open? When can we make reservations?” Manica said.
Now, they have their answer.
Nepote said ideally, the Kansas Department of Wildlife’s website — ksoutdoors.gov — would already be accepting camping reservations.
“Unfortunately, the park is not active yet in the reservation system,” he said. It will definitely be up and going by Thursday.”
LEHIGH Portland differs from the other state parks in that it surrounds a 130-acre manmade quarry, used for generations to mine limestone for the old Lehigh Portland Cement Co. that shut down its local operations in 1970.
Over time, the quarry filled with water and nature reclaimed the area, creating one of the most distinctive landscapes in the state.
“Most of our state parks are Army Corps (of Engineers) lakes, and are much bigger than Lehigh Portland,” Nepote said.
The Lehigh Portland lake is ideal for canoeing, kayaking and some motorboats, once a boat ramp is finished. (That’s next on the to-do list.)
“There’s not going to be a motor or boat size limit, but people have to know it’s a no-wake waterway,” Nepote said. “So if you come out here with a ski boat, you’re wasting your time, unless you’re gonna use your trolling motor.”
