Atchison State Fishing Lake (built in 1957 as Hetherington Lake) is nestled among rounded hills blanketed by oak-hickory woodlands and broad valleys planted in corn. The 2.5 miles of gravel road from K-7 to the Independence Creek valley, where the lake is located, are like a roller coaster and can be slick when wet. Elm, willow, silver maple, and locust compose the riparian woodland, where wildflowers are abundant from spring through fall.

Butterflies are commonly seen in the woodlands and along the lake edge during the summer. Both fox and gray squirrels scamper through the trees. Tracks of white-tailed deer and raccoons cover the banks of the creek and lake. Red-eyed and yellow-throated vireos, blue-gray gnatcatchers, and summer tanagers nest here. Summer evenings bring the clear, mellow song of the whip-poor-will and the loud whistling call of the chuck-will's-widow. During fall and spring migrations, the lake will host puddle ducks (such as mallards and pintails) and diving ducks, including goldeneyes and redheads. There is a resident population of Canada geese, and groups of goslings accompanied by their parents may be seen in springtime.  Shorebirds are also present during migrations.