Clay County ParksRecreation & Historic Sites 816-407-3400

Lake · Smithville

Smithville Lake

A 7,200-acre lake for boating, camping, trails, and summer swim beaches

Kayaks on the ramp at Smithville Lake, with the lake and far shore behind.

Smithville Lake is a United States Army Corps of Engineers lake in northwestern Clay County. Clay County leases 4,000 acres for outdoor recreation every season, from the marinas and beaches to championship golf, disc golf, and more than 80 miles of trail.

What you’ll find here

  • Park Office and Nature Center
  • 38-hole championship golf complex
  • Three 18-hole disc golf courses
  • RV and primitive campgrounds (Camp Branch & Crows Creek)
  • Three marinas with two bait shops
  • 452 covered boat slips, 28 uncovered slips, 62 uncovered sailboat slips
  • 100 dry storage sites and 25 mooring balls
  • 37 miles of primitive & paved hiking trails
  • 32 miles of equestrian trails
  • 11.5 miles of mountain bike trails
  • Five boat ramps
  • Two public swimming beaches
  • Covered picnic shelters with restrooms
  • Four playgrounds
  • Hunting and fishing
  • Restaurant and trap range
  • Dog park
  • Equestrian camping area with horse stalls
  • ADA fishing dock
  • Pontoon and fishing boat rentals
  • Remote-controlled aircraft landing field

Reserve a campsite or shelter

Campsites book online anytime, six months to one day before you arrive, and picnic shelters book through the same system. For help, call the Park Office at 816-407-3400.

Go to reservations

Field notes

Families on the sand at a Smithville Lake swim beach.
Smithville Lake has two public swim beaches, Camp Branch on the east shore and Little Platte on the west.
A rental pontoon boat with passengers on Smithville Lake.
Pontoon and fishing boats rent from Camp Branch Marina, May 1 to October 1, weather permitting.
A disc golf basket above the lake at sunset.
Paradise Pointe has three disc golf courses: Beaver Creek, Black Thorn, and Woodhenge.
Riders on horseback crossing a prairie trail.
Riders have 32 miles of equestrian trails and a camping area with horse stalls.
Sailboats on a misty cove at sunrise.
Sailboat Cove has docks, mooring buoys, dry storage, and a day-sailboat launch.
The Nature Center building behind a bed of native wildflowers.
The Nature Center keeps more than 15 live animal species, and admission is free.

Keep exploring

More Clay County places

All parks & places →
A family pointing out details of the Jesse James Birthplace farmhouse. Historic site · Kearney Jesse James Birthplace The farm where the legend began, with the world's largest collection of James family artifacts The two-story brick Jesse James Bank Museum on the Liberty square. Historic site · Liberty Jesse James Bank Museum Site of the nation's first successful daylight peacetime bank robbery, restored to 1866 The white frame Mt. Gilead one-room schoolhouse with a flag by the door. Historic site · Kearney Mt. Gilead School & Church An 1870s church and one-room school for field trips, weddings, and gatherings

Open every season

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