Downstream Point

About

Downstream Point is a day-use group picnic area located on Big Hill Lake in the rolling, wooded countryside of southeast Kansas often referred to as the Little Ozarks. The facility features a reservable group picnic shelter that can accommodate up to 100 people, providing shade within walking distance of the lake. Basketball courts are adjacent to the shelter. Big Hill Lake is managed by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers and is known as a trophy fishing lake with largemouth bass, crappie, channel and flathead catfish, bluegill, walleye, and smallmouth bass. The area supports multiple recreational trails, including the 17-mile Big Hill Lake Horse Trail with varied terrain and the 1-mile Ruth Nixon Trail along the lake's western shore. Most land around the lake is open to public hunting for whitetail deer, turkey, and squirrel, except for parks and areas near the dam and control structures. Families can swim at the sand-covered beach at nearby Mound Valley Park.

Directions

Take U.S. Highway 169 to Cherryvale, Kansas, and turn east onto Main Street. Continue through town and turn right at the end of Main Street onto Olive Street. Go 1/2 block and turn left onto County Route 5000. Proceed 4.5 miles to Big Hill Lake and follow signs to the park.