Cowley Lake Falls

Worth a detour

Is it plungeworthy?

20feet tall

A dam.

Scale32/60

Documentation10/20

Character14/20

The details

Type: Dam
Coordinates: 37.09921, -96.80631

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About Cowley Lake Falls

Cowley Lake Falls is a 20-foot dam in Kansas.

It's fullest after rain, and flow can drop off during dry spells — plan around recent weather.

Plungeworthy rates Cowley Lake Falls 5.6/10 — worth a detour. The score weighs its scale, how confidently it's mapped, and its character.

What you'll find

A 25-foot spillway falls over natural caprock at Cowley State Fishing Lake — Yahoo Travel once named it one of the twelve most beautiful waterfalls in the country. (Our database said 20 feet; three independent sources say 25.)

Honest counterweight: rockfall and erosion keep changing the face, and in places the effective visible drop today reads closer to half the historic height. On the right spring day it's still among the prettiest water in Kansas.

The direct climb to the base is explicitly called unsafe — locals use a dirt road 100 to 200 feet from the falls as the safer viewing approach.

Getting there

Trailhead: Cowley State Fishing Lake, 20467 US Highway 166, west of Dexter — 13 miles east of Arkansas City
Parking: West-side lot
Road: US-166; highway signage to the site is limited

When to go

After heavy rain for full flow — it's a spillway falls.

Free primitive camping makes it an easy overnight after a storm rolls through.

Rules & fees

Fee / pass: Free — KDWP state fishing lake
Camping: Free primitive camping on-site — picnic tables, fire pits, pit toilet; 14-day max
Warnings: Unsafe descent path to the base, broken glass along the trail, and ongoing rock-face deterioration. Swimming is officially prohibited at Kansas state fishing lakes (KAR 115) unless posted otherwise.

Researched from KansasTravel.org — Cowley Lake Waterfall · Islands — Cowley County Waterfall · Cowley County — County Waterfall. Conditions change — verify before you drive. Been to Cowley Lake Falls recently? Post a conditions report below.

Where it is

Planning a visit? We want your photo.

Cowley Lake Falls doesn't have a photo yet. If you make the trip, send one to hello@plungeworthy.com and we'll publish it here with credit to you.

Before you go

The pin marks the feature, not a trailhead or a legal route in. Some sit on private land or need a real hike, and conditions change with season and rain. Check local access, don't trespass, and never enter water — hot or cold — where it isn't safe.