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Best Tent Camping near Atchison, KS

394 Reviews

Tent camping options near Atchison, Kansas include several primitive campgrounds within a 40-mile radius. Woodridge Park offers both car camping in a gravel loop area and hike-in tent sites along a trail system, while Pony Creek Lake provides basic tent camping on a mowed flat section in the southwest area of the lake. Agency Conservation Area in Missouri and Shawnee State Fishing Lake provide additional options for those willing to travel slightly farther from Atchison.

Most tent sites in the Atchison area feature minimal amenities and primitive conditions. Woodridge Park provides potable water and vault toilets, but many other locations require campers to be completely self-contained. Sites at Pony Creek Lake are primitive with no designated camping areas except for a small section on the southwest side of the lake. Riverfront Camping Club offers more developed tent sites with electric hookups, picnic tables, and toilet facilities for those preferring more amenities. Most locations allow fires in established fire rings, though seasonal restrictions may apply.

The tent camping experience around Atchison provides opportunities for seclusion and lakeside views. Woodridge Park stands out with 15 primitive sites along its trail, offering privacy even during busy weekends. A camper noted, "There's a gravel loop with some picnic tables and a couple hike-in sites dispersed along a trail. Site 4 is right on the lake and had a beautiful view of the sunrise." Shawnee State Fishing Lake offers tent camping spots identified by fire rings scattered around the east side of the lake, providing a quiet experience after day visitors leave. Agency Conservation Area provides limited but free tent camping options in a small gravel pullout, though reviews indicate it may have restricted hours between 10 pm and 4 am.

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Best Tent Sites Near Atchison, Kansas (6)

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Recent Tent Camping Photos near Atchison, KS

6 Photos of 6 Atchison Campgrounds

Tent Camping Reviews near Atchison, KS

394 Reviews of 6 Atchison Campgrounds

  • Sarah H.
    Sep. 19, 2016

    Big Lake State Park Campground

    Clean and Friendly off I-29

    My husband and I tent camped one night at this park. We arrived around 8 pm and even though the office was getting ready to close, the woman behind the counter was very kind and helpful. She helped us with finding our spot and with getting firewood. Our basic tent site was lakeside and had a fire pit and picnic table. The site was so well maintained it was hard to find small sticks for kindling.

    The grounds have private bathrooms with toilets and showers. There are two nice playgrounds and a swimming pool. Most campers were enjoying fishing in the small lake. Kayaks were available to rent for a small fee. Kids enjoyed riding bikes around the flat roads.

    This is a great spot off I-29 to set up camp and have a rest. It's also a good spot to take young kids fishing.

  • Whitney L.
    Jun. 6, 2022

    Bluffwoods Conservation Area

    lovely, quiet camping near St. Joe’s MO

    Love this little area for camping! It’s well maintained, quiet, easy to access, has lots of grass for the dogs to play and we always see wildlife. People often leave trash so be sure to leave no trace so it stays nice for all to enjoy <3

  • Leni K.
    Apr. 7, 2024

    Prairie Clover Campground — Clinton State Park

    Relaxing Car/Tent Camping Spot

    Pros Off-season was quiet Open bathrooms were nice and well kept. Easy access to trails Lots of wildlife, vultures, deer, etc. Well marked and plenty of them spots Marina was a quick bike ride away and had a lot to offer during the season. Primate loops had some good spacing and tree cover, along with views of the lake. Inner loops not so much Potable water available year round. Was drinkable.

    Cons Signs marked closed bathrooms but not the closest open bathrooms. One per campsite was still open with heat and electric. Weirdly all vaults were closed Office and hosts were unavailable so we had to leave for Casey's for firewood. While before the season, someone told us it's typically impossible to get firewood because the office is usually closed. Signs to the entrance to park and n avigation were pretty small, impossible to read at night, not lit. Electric parking pass only issued one day pass at a time. Would do the paper pass across the parking lot next time. Spacing is definitely a bit crowded for tent camping privacy this time of year. Will be curious to see how it feels in the summer/fall.

  • Leni K.
    May. 24, 2021

    Weston Bend State Park Campground

    Okay Campground for Tenting

    Campground is great overall, with a walkable trail just past the showers, clean restrooms and easy to access sites. There are only 3 basic tent sites, making it hard to nab. #4 had a decent amount of privacy, however most other electric sites do not. As an electric site, there was not a lot of ground space for tents, we settled on gravel with reflectix to buffer the ground. Check in was easy, and in walking distance. Site was pretty noisy, even after hours, a few kids running around with speakers on blast definitely were less than optimal.

  • Lady Phyre ☆.The Dyrt PRO User
    Jul. 4, 2025

    Pony Express Lake Conservation Area

    Pony Express is amazing!

    You can camp in one of several little inlets and nooks. It's a Fish & Game preserve with camping and fishing spots all around the lake. Many with picnic tables and most with vault toilets. It's on my top 10 list of best primitive/dispersed camping locations. Only con is the vault toilet at the inlet I camped in. It was unusable with fetus nearly to the top. I think some unscrupulous person put trash in it then other used it probably without knowing. Very bad etiquette! Be sure to bring your own camping toilet and/or check the vault toilet before setting up. I didn't see very many RVs but several vans, trucks, and cars were there. The wildlife is predominantly water fowl.

  • Shannon G.The Dyrt PRO User
    Oct. 30, 2018

    Sabetha Lake

    Nice fishing lake-beautiful view

    Sebetha lake is located a few minutes from the town of Sebetha and is a nice area for camping. The camp sites are Electric and Water on gravel. For Rvers There is a group of campsites when you first come in which are not shaded very well, but there are some scattered sites around the lake that are nicely shaded. We were in site 14 with our door facing the lake. What a beautiful view! We had a fire ring, a raised grill, picnic table, and trash barrel. The grounds are well maintained. For primitive camping there are sites scattered around lake which woul make good single or group sites. There is a cement bathroom by the permit station which has vault toilets and was not something I would feel comfortable using. It looks as if they would be the Emergency shelter. It would take a really big emergency for me to go in them. Outside the bathrooms were 2 nice picnic tables under a shelter.

    The lake offers boating, canoeing, jet skiing, nice nature trails, bird-wildlife viewing, scenic drive,and beautiful lake views. There was hardly any traffic going by our area so it was mostly quiet with an exceptional train in the distance. All and all a nice experience.

  • Lee D.The Dyrt PRO User
    Apr. 1, 2021

    Lake Shawnee County Campground

    So much to do and very close to Topeka

    General: In addition to a campground, this county park has so much to offer including a seven-mile paved path around Lake Shawnee, disc golf, a heated fishing dock, softball complex, golf course, boat ramps, tennis courts, playground, picnic shelters, arboretum, and the Ted Ensley Gardens. The office was open until 7 pm so check-in was a breeze and the staff very friendly and welcoming. 

    Sites/Facilities: The campground itself has 119 sites, situated on a peninsula jutting into the lake. All have water and electric (some 30 amp and some 50 amp). Many have views of the lake but unfortunately, they are all back-in and stacked up very close to each other so there is no privacy between sites. Our site (96) was on the end, so we had privacy on one side but could easily hear people in neighboring sites. Each site has a picnic table and fire ring. The fee is very reasonable ($20 or$18 for seniors). 

    Activities: I saw people fishing in the lake, there is a nice playground, and there is a paved path around the lake which made for a nice walk. 

    Restrooms: There are two restroom/shower/laundry facilities that were very clean (they had been cleaned by the time I went in at 7:30 am). 

    Conclusion: You are not far from downtown Topeka so you will hear road noise and the occasional siren, but this campground and all facilities are a nice oasis near an urban area. I definitely recommend visiting the Ted Ensley gardens while there (no additional admission, by donation only).

  • T
    Jul. 9, 2023

    Prairie Clover Campground — Clinton State Park

    Easy Camping, For Our First Time

    It was busy and noisy up until quiet hours, super family friendly, the camp sites are quite large and spread apart. The showers & bathrooms were nice! Many spots to choose from, we were lucky to grab one with tree cover making it feel like we were really out in nature. Lovely park and campground.

  • J
    Jul. 15, 2020

    Crow's Creek Campground

    One of the best!

    We camped here in June 2020.  We had a nice RV site with electric.  The best part is the view of and access to the lake! So beautiful and relaxing.  We had a nice gravel site with fire ring and picnic table. We could walk right down a grassy hill to the trail along the lake.  We had lots of grassy space around us to set up and play yard games. Trails and roads within the campsite are paved, so it's great for bikes and scooters.  Grounds are well maintained and grassy areas feel fine to walk through and play in.  Nearby area beaches to play at, a playground, and a short drive to stores to get anything we forgot! We love this beautiful place and will return!

    Cons: the full hookup sites don't have a view of the lake. This is why we chose an electric only site and used a spigot in the campsite to fill our tank.

Guide to Atchison

Tent camping sites around Atchison, Kansas cluster within a 40-mile radius in northeastern Kansas and neighboring Missouri. The terrain consists primarily of rolling hills with mixed woodland and prairie landscapes surrounding small lakes and reservoirs. Summer temperatures average 75-90°F with high humidity, while spring and fall camping seasons offer milder weather between 50-75°F. Winter camping is possible but uncommon with temperatures often dropping below freezing.

What to do

Fishing opportunities: Pony Creek Lake provides access to multiple fish species including channel catfish, crappie, and largemouth bass. According to Shannon G., "Pony Creek Lake is mainly a fishing area but does offer primitive camping on the South West area of the lake."

Trail hiking: Woodridge Park features an extensive trail system with varying difficulty levels. Ashley F. notes, "The trail is probably easy to moderate and there are an endless number of areas to explore. There are several campsites in the parking lot area and then there are 15 more primitive sites along the trail."

Lake activities: Shawnee State Fishing Lake offers both fishing and shoreline relaxation. Sue V. observed, "Far from the maddening crowd..although there were quite a few folks here Sunday evening…fishing and just relaxing..almost everyone left after sundown."

What campers like

Privacy between sites: Woodridge Park receives praise for its site spacing. Zach C. mentioned, "Camping spots along trail are really spread out and even if every spot is full you still feel secluded."

Wooded camping areas: The tree cover at many sites provides natural shade and hammock options. Mark R. simply stated Woodridge Park is "not the typical slice of pie camping great for hammocks."

Free camping options: Several locations offer no-cost camping. James H. commented about Woodridge Park: "Awesome spot for weekend camping. Lots of fire rings available. Well maintained in the main camping area, as well as on the trail."

What you should know

Limited amenities: Most camping areas require self-sufficiency. Heidi H. cautions about Pony Creek Lake: "I've only ever found one small area that's actually 'officially' marked for camping, and it's nowhere near any facilities. Doesn't even use the same driveway... you better be prepared to be completely self contained."

Site availability: First-come, first-served is standard at most locations. Josh M. confirms, "Woodridge is one if my favorite campgrounds. First come / first serve, plenty of space, potable water, nice toilets, tons of trails..."

Restricted hours: Some areas have time limitations. Zachary S. discovered at Agency Conservation Area: "I guess the area is closed 10pm to 4 pm. Super small gravel parking lot. Moving to different site."

Tips for camping with families

Bug protection: Prepare for seasonal insect activity. Harmony H. recalls, "We went mid-June, and there had apparently been some type of butterfly hatching. They were small but quite aggressive, constantly swarming us. At one point there were seven perched on my husband's back, and one landed in a pancake cooking on the grill."

Off-trail exploration: Consider side adventures when camping with children. Ashley F. suggests, "It's highly suggested that you explore off the trail though so that you can 1) see all the creative campsites that campers have built and established and 2) you can create your own living space."

Frequently Asked Questions

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According to TheDyrt.com, the most popular tent campground near Atchison, KS is Atchison County Lake with a 0-star rating from 0 reviews.

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