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Lake Wichita

Wichita Falls · Lakeside City, Texas — Archer County.

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1,224Surface acres · TPWD
10 ftMax depth
1901Impounded
2Public access sites
2.8 miShoreline trails

Surface area: TPWD (official surface acres); the USGS National Hydrography Dataset outline (NHD Permanent ID 129087360) measures 2,052 acres; max depth from TPWD.

Location & fast facts

Where Lake Wichita is in Texas

The red circle marks Lake Wichita.

Fast facts

About Lake Wichita

  • Counties: Archer, Wichita
  • Cities & towns on the shore: Wichita Falls, Lakeside City
  • Location (TPWD): On the south side of the city of Wichita Falls, off Texas Highway 79
  • Impounded: 1901 (TPWD)
  • Controlling authority: City of Wichita Falls · (940) 761-7477
  • Mapped as: Lake or pond (USGS National Hydrography Dataset)
  • Distance: about 8 mi from Wichita Falls and 104 mi from Fort Worth, straight-line (not driving distance)

Towns and counties: U.S. Census Bureau boundaries overlaid on the USGS lake outline (Texas: incorporated places touching the lake, otherwise the nearest one).

Fishing in Texas

Official TPWD pages. Rules and fees change; check before you go.

Lake map

Lake Wichita shoreline, boat launches & beaches

Boat ramp (Boat launch)1Boat ramp (Boat launch)21 mileN

Numbers on the map match the list at rightbelow.

Boat launchShoreline trail
  1. 1Boat ramp
    Boat launch
  2. 2Boat ramp
    Boat launch · Wichita Falls

Shoreline: USGS National Hydrography Dataset (NHD Waterbody, Permanent ID 129087360), public domain. State outline: U.S. Census Bureau TIGERweb. Points: OpenStreetMap boat ramps (TPWD publishes ramp names per lake, not coordinates). Dashed trails: © OpenStreetMap contributors (ODbL). Interactive map: Leaflet with © OpenStreetMap contributors. Not for navigation.

Shoreline trails

2.8 miTrail within 100 m of shore
About 15%Of the shoreline
NoLoops the whole lake
North and east shoresWhere

OpenStreetMap shows about 2.8 mi of public hiking and walking trail within about 100 m (330 ft) of the Lake Wichita shoreline, mostly along the north and east shores.

Trails along the shore

Getting to the trails

No trailhead is mapped for these trails. The closest public access site is Boat ramp, 0.2 mi from a shoreline trail (OpenStreetMap boat ramp data).

The dashed brown line on the lake map shows these trails. We include paths, footways and marked trails that OpenStreetMap doesn't mark as private, and leave out roads, sidewalks and snowmobile corridors. Mapped trails can still cross private land or close for the season, and not every trail is mapped, so follow posted signs.

Trails: © OpenStreetMap contributors, available under the Open Database License (ODbL). Map data as of Oct 8, 2026. Trail lengths count only the parts within about 100 m of the USGS NHD lake outline.

Campgrounds near Lake Wichita

We found 5 campgrounds and RV parks within 15 miles of Lake Wichita, 1 of them within 5 miles. Distances are straight-line from the nearest point on the shoreline, so driving distance is longer.

All campgrounds & RV parks in Texas

Green tent icons on the lake map mark campgrounds near the shore, and the interactive map shows the closest 12. Amenities are listed only where a source records them; call or check the campground's website before you go, since seasons and rates change every year.

Campground data: OpenStreetMap contributors (ODbL). Pulled Oct 12, 2026.

Conditions right now

Air temperature & conditions (nearest NWS station)Loading…
Fetching the latest National Weather Service observation…

Live from the National Weather Service API for the lake's coordinates (33.8334, -98.5940). The nearest station may be several miles away. NWS forecast for Lake Wichita. No live water-temperature sensor is shown because we haven't found a public one for this lake.

Sun, moon & best fishing times

Sun & moon at Lake Wichita

Best fishing times

Major periodMinor periodDaylight

    Based on solunar theory, an estimate. Major periods (about 2 hours) center on when the moon is directly overhead or underfoot; minor periods (about 1 hour) center on moonrise and moonset. The 0–100 activity score rises during those periods and gets a boost near sunrise and sunset and around the new and full moon. Weather, water temperature and pressure often matter more. Sun and moon times are calculated in your browser from the lake's coordinates with standard astronomy formulas, shown in CT (America/Chicago), and accurate to within a few minutes.

    Fish you can catch

    White & hybrid striped bassChannel catfish ★White crappieBlue catfish ★

    ★ = stocked recently (see Stocking). Predominant species from the TPWD Lake Finder.

    TPWD Lake Finder: Wichita Reservoir

    Fishing outlook & regulations

    SpeciesTPWD rating
    Largemouth BassPoor
    CatfishPoor
    CrappieGood
    White/Hybrid BassPoor
    SunfishPoor

    Regulations (TPWD): All species are currently managed under statewide regulations.

    Aquatic vegetation (TPWD): Bulrushes, lotus and cattails

    Conservation pool: 976 ft. msl

    Water-level fluctuation: 1 foot

    TPWD Lake Finder page · Lake records · Latest survey report

    Ratings are TPWD's own Poor / Fair / Good / Excellent scale. Statewide rules: TPWD Outdoor Annual, fishing. As of Oct 10, 2026.

    Stocking history

    TPWD has 44 stocking records for Lake Wichita from 1966 to 2025. The table shows 2021–2025.

    YearSpeciesFishSize
    2025Catfish, Channel60,826Fingerling
    2022Catfish, Blue15,381Fingerling
    2021Catfish, Flathead25Adult

    TPWD stocking history for Wichita Reservoir

    Boat launches & access sites

    2 public access sites listed, 2 with a boat ramp or trailer launch.

    SiteTownOwnerTypeParkingFeeUsesMap
    Boat ramp——Boat ramp (OpenStreetMap) · Yes ramp——Boating33.8386, -98.5636
    Boat rampWichita Falls—Boat ramp (OpenStreetMap) · Yes ramp——Boating33.8409, -98.5314

    OpenStreetMap boat ramps (TPWD publishes ramp names per lake, not coordinates)

    Fees, hours and rules change; confirm with the site owner before you go.

    Contact & official info

    Lakes & ponds nearby

    Straight-line distance between lake centers. All Texas lakes & ponds · All waters in Wichita Falls