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This small day-use park six miles outside Casper is a shady oasis on the North Platte River. Once the site of a quarry, the park is now known for its wildlife watching, fishing and picnicking.
At the west end, near park headquarters, there is a boat ramp on the river and a wheelchair-accessible fishing pier. Fishermen try for carp, white and long-nosed suckers, rainbow, cutthroat and brown trout, channel catfish, black bullheads, chub and walleyes.
The river is also popular for boating, flatwater rafting and canoeing.
Swimmers head for the center of the park, where the quarry site has been converted to a pond with a sand beach. Canoeists and rowers, and ice skaters in season, also use the pond.
Nearly three miles of wheelchair-accessible trails wind through the cottonwoods at Edness K. Wilkins. The trails may be used by hikers, in-line skaters and cyclists. Horses are allowed on unpaved paths.
The park is a haven for wildlife. Mule and white-tailed deer, foxes, beavers and many other mammals reside here.
The park's value as a birdwatching destination has been enhanced by the placement of birdhouses, ponds and viewing blinds. The local chapter of the National Audubon Society has identified more than 200 species at the park, including yellow-billed cuckoos, bald and golden eagles, sharp-shinned hawks and up to 16 kinds of ducks.
Remnants of the 19th-century Immigrant Trails are visible here, and the park has interpretive displays to mark the sesquicentennial of the great westward migrations.
Outdoor Activities |
Watching the water at Wilkins State Park.
A picnic pavilion at Edness K. Wilkins State Park.
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