the Smoky River near Kanopolis flows calmly downstream in this June 11 photo. The river offers canoeing, kayaking and a peek at history and wildlife.

Hutchinson ? Take a slow float down the Smoky.

It’s here that the view might be the same as it was 40 or 50 years ago, or even 140 years ago when ol’ Buffalo Bill Cody graced the water’s edge.

The river still runs as calmly as it did back then, when the likes of Cody, western outdoorsmen and American Indians camped alongside it, or used it as a way of travel. Catfish still find refuge beneath the surface and deer a haven along the brushy embankment.

And this 20-mile section of river that feeds into Kanopolis Lake still welcomes visitors, whether by canoe, kayak or something else.

For instance, a trip through Kanopolis State Park takes a river rider by caves, a wildlife area and Indian petroglyphs.

“You can really feel lost, and that’s the whole idea,” said Nolan Fisher, the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers park manager at Kanopolis Reservoir.

There are three rivers in Kansas considered navigable — the Arkansas River, Missouri River and the Kaw. A handful of other streams and rivers, while they flow largely across private land, still have areas of canoeing access.

That includes upstream of Fall River Reservoir, where, for the past 30 years, Lloyd Funk has taken canoers along a three-to five-mile stretch of river for a three-hour tour.

His trip starts at Highway 99 near Eureka and ends at the edge of the tiny town of Climax.

These folks want to see scenery, he said. Spotting an occasional deer isn’t uncommon, as well as a variety of birds and other wildlife.

“They enjoy it,” he said. “I think they want to get out, get closer to Mother Nature.

“It’s a fun activity people can do as a group, as a family,” he said.

In this economy, more people might be looking for affordable family outings close to home, said Ottawa resident Dave Murphy, who wrote the book “Paddling Kansas.”

“Many people can’t afford to travel far,” Murphy said during the spring paddling season. “One of the beauties of Kansas rivers is that they are right here, easy to access, very gentle to take your family.”

Kanopolis State Park is one of those areas — a park rich with Native American and westward settlers’ remnants, said park manager Fisher.

He said paddlers can start at Old Fort Ellsworth for a 20-mile trip.

A good scenic day trip, however, could start on the west side of the river by White Bluffs — a tall bluff overlooking the river where Native Americans would run buffalo. The eight-mile trip ends at Horsethief Boat Ramp.

Or, paddling up the canal by the old eagle hack tower, take a short jaunt up the creek to an area known as Red Rock Canyon.

Besides canoeing, the lake has plenty of other historic stops, Fisher said. Horsethief Canyon offers miles of hiking, biking and horse trails. The 80-mile Legacy Trail that circles the lake takes folks on a driving tour past a family cemetery, a ghost town and Mushroom Rock State Park.

Another hidden jewel is in a spot where only rangers know the location. Carved in a rock reads “Ft Harker WF Cody 1871.”

Just one little piece of proof that Cody, a military scout around this timeframe, probably camped on the banks of the Smoky.

A lazy trip down this Kansas River might just be a window into history.

“You are off the beaten path,” Fisher said. “You see all sorts of different wildlife.”