Kansas River Hazards
The Kansas (Kaw) River has dams, old bridge debris, and dredging equipment that are worth locating before you launch. This guide covers the eight fixed hazards listed on the Friends of the Kaw access map, followed by notes on sand dredges. It is not an inventory of every obstacle: logs, changing channels, and other hazards can appear between these locations.
Guidance reviewed September 10, 2026. The source links in each section lead to Friends of the Kaw's detailed access information. Photos and videos show the locations, not today's water conditions.
Before You Go
Wear a properly fitted life jacket and check conditions for your planned stretch before launching. Read Friends of the Kaw's river and sandbar safety guidance alongside the access map.
Do not paddle over dams or weirs. Plan around the structures using the access and portage information below. A partial dam can leave an open channel beside it, but that does not make the structure safe to cross. Do not depend on spotting a sign or exposed rocks at the last moment.
“River left” and “river right” mean left and right while facing downstream. River miles decrease toward the Missouri River. The GPS coordinates below identify the hazards; they are not launch sites or portage landings unless explicitly labeled.
Belvue Low-Head Dam
- River mile: 120
- Dam GPS: 39.20955, -96.18809
- Passage guidance: river left, away from the rock structure
About eight river miles below Wamego, this partial rock dam diverts water toward the Jeffrey Energy Center intake. It reaches out from river right, crosses the island tip, and extends into the left channel. Friends of the Kaw directs paddlers to river left to avoid it. Submerged rocks can remain dangerous even when the dam is difficult to see. Belvue location and passage guidance.
Video of the Belvue approach, by Bill Hughes:
Topeka Water Plant Low-Head Dam
- River mile: 87.6
- Dam GPS: 39.07231, -95.71573
- Portage GPS: 39.07421, -95.71637
- Land portage: river left / north bank
The Topeka weir has concrete access ramps above and below the dam on river left. Friends of the Kaw advises approaching along the north bank and passing left of the island about one mile upstream, so you reach the access side of the dam. Do not cross the dam itself. Topeka approach and portage details.
A separate paddler chute opened on the north side in 2021. Its existence does not guarantee suitable conditions for your boat or skill level; the land portage remains an option. Review the source's chute information before deciding how to pass this section.
Friends of the Kaw's video below shows the chute in April 2021, not current conditions:
West Old Railroad Bridge
- River mile: 85.3
- Hazard GPS: 39.06434, -95.67542
- Passage guidance: river right / south bank
This is the first of two old bridge remnants between the Topeka weir and Seward Avenue/Fool's Landing. Debris sits immediately downstream of the existing railroad bridge. Steel, timbers, and other pieces can be hidden just below the surface and can trap a boat or paddler.
Friends of the Kaw recommends passing on river right, toward the south bank. Assess the channel before approaching; do not weave through exposed pieces or assume that clear-looking water is free of debris. West bridge location and guidance.
East Old Railroad Bridge
- River mile: 84.5
- Hazard GPS: 39.06177, -95.6605
- Passage guidance: river right / south bank
The second bridge hazard is another collection of old bridge debris just below an operating railroad bridge. As at the west bridge, submerged metal and timbers can be hard to spot, particularly when only small pieces break the surface.
Friends of the Kaw's passage recommendation is river right, on the south side. Treat the two bridges as separate obstacles and reassess at each one. East bridge location and guidance.
Tecumseh Low-Head Dam
- River mile: 76
- Dam GPS: 39.05499, -95.57253
- No riverbank portage or public road access at the dam
- Not suitable for novice paddlers
About one mile below Seward Avenue/Fool's Landing, the former power plant's diversion wall extends roughly two-thirds of the way across the river from the north / left bank. It can be nearly invisible beneath the water.
Friends of the Kaw identifies this as an advanced section, with no riverbank portage and no public road access at the structure. Review the site before committing to this stretch. If your group cannot assess and manage the passage, plan a trip that ends upstream instead of expecting to carry around it when you arrive. Tecumseh structure and access limitations.
Lawrence Energy Center Low-Head Dam
- River mile: 54
- Dam GPS: 39.012062, -95.268815
- Passage guidance: river right, away from the rock structure
This partial dam extends from river left toward the middle of the channel, diverting water toward the Lawrence Energy Center intake. Friends of the Kaw directs paddlers to river right to avoid it. Keep away from the rocks: the visible ones may be only part of the submerged structure. Lawrence Energy Center dam guidance.
Bowersock Dam
- River mile: 52.4
- Dam GPS: 38.97534, -95.23532
- Land portage: river left / north bank
- Consider arranging a vehicle shuttle
Do not run Bowersock Dam. Friends of the Kaw describes a north-bank portage with a steep climb, a roughly 200-yard carry, and a steep gravel descent. Its listed upstream landing is 38.97684, -95.23674; the downstream landing is 38.97639, -95.2345.
A vehicle shuttle provides another way around the dam: take out at Lawrence Riverfront Park upstream and relaunch at Lawrence Riverfront Park East / 8th Street downstream. Plan the carry or shuttle before your trip, and confirm access rather than relying on an improvised landing near the dam. Bowersock portage and shuttle information.
WaterOne Low-Head Dam
- River mile: 14.8
- Dam GPS: 39.04685, -94.78718
- Land portage: river left / north bank only
- Do not use the notch on river right
Portage on river left. Do not paddle over the dam or through the notch near the south bank. Friends of the Kaw describes a carry of more than 100 yards over large, loose rocks; a wheeled cart is not useful on this terrain.
The takeout changes with water level. Higher water can mean a slippery mud landing farther upstream instead of an exposed rock bank. Allow enough room above the dam to assess the landing, and plan for a difficult carry. The coordinates above mark the dam, not the takeout. WaterOne portage details.
Sand Dredges and Cables
Dredges remove sand from the riverbed, and their equipment can create obstacles beyond the visible machinery. Friends of the Kaw specifically warns about cables just below the water's surface. A quiet or apparently unattended dredge should not be treated as a clear passage. How dredging affects boaters.
Do not assume an operator has seen your kayak or that a cable will automatically be lowered. Stay well clear of equipment and cables, and assess the situation before drifting into the work area. Do not try to paddle over or duck under a cable.
Plan Your Route
Use the Kansas River access map to choose put-ins, takeouts, and any shuttle around the hazards on your stretch. Recheck the individual hazard pages before a trip; a photograph, coordinate, or low flow reading cannot confirm that a route is passable today.
