Longview Lake is a 980-acre U.S. Army Corps of Engineers project created by damming the north-flowing Little Blue River. The additional land purchased for the project (4,852 acres) is managed as Longview Lake Park by Jackson County Parks and Recreation. There are seven birding hotspots recognized on the lake. On the western side are the Longview Marina and Shelters 12&13 hotspots. On the eastern side are the Eastern Bluffs, Mouse Creek Boat Ramp, Longview Campground, Scherer Lake, and Stamm Field hotspots. A portion of the property on the eastern side was originally Longview Farm (1914), owned by lumber baron R.A. Long, and considered at the time one of the grandest country estates in the MIdwest. A cupola from one of the barns torn down for lake construction may be viewed at the visitor center near the dam.

The Longview Bike Trail extends six miles south from the marina area and Shelter #14 along the west side of the lake. This provides access to views of the lake. At the upper end (south end) of the lake, the trail crosses to the east bank of the Little Blue River for one mile and connects with the Little Blue Trace Trail, which continues to Meadowmere Park in Grandview.