Best Cabin Camping near Cottonwood Falls, KS

I’m exhausted, the last 12hrs has been a dumpster fire. Last thing we expected was a bed bug infestation. Woke at midnight with a few annoying bites, on further inspection we were covered in bed bugs, urrrgghh. After picking them off our pj’s and getting over the initial shock we went home to quarantine our clothes, shower and sleep. Returned in the morning to checkout and trash our sleeping bags and pillows. Everyone is disappointed, and I’m out of pocket for 2 nights accommodation and 4x sleeping gear...whoever the host is should be ashamed of themselves, I’m trying to warn the next people, this cabin is booked solid but in reality uninhabitable! The porch is also infested with burrowing bumblebees, scary for kids and adults alike.

Beautiful campgrounds with so many activities available! The general store is super helpful, as they sell firewood and ice, and have kayak and canoe rentals. There are a few swim beaches, and plenty of sand to sit in and relax. Our actual campsite was great and came equipped with a firepit and picnic table, and we could walk to the lakeshore. We will be back!

This campground is Small, but a well laid out campground. They have daily, weekly and monthly rates. There are Full hook ups, pull thru and back in sites, so it’s convenient no matter what you are driving. They nice level spots and definitely well maintained. A m Is quite a bit of shade, which is nice in the Kansas heat once summer rolls around.

This was one of our favorite Kansas State Parks. At the end of May, it was almost empty. We had our pick of sites. We got a prime tree shaded spot on the water. In fairness, most sites are on the water or have a water view. Spectacular sunsets.

There was only 1 small bath house open while we were there, but it was clean and the shower was hot. It was one of those push button kind that only stayed on for a min. Not a problem to just keep pushing.

We road bikes, but the cold spring winds made kayaking impossible. In the summer, I can see why this place would be a fun destination. Swimming, boating, fishing, horses, archery, wide open spaces.

The roads within the park are not the best. Also, online reservations must be made 48 hrs in advance, otherwise, its day by day.

Campground Review: I stayed at El Dorado State Park - Bluestem Point camping area. It was a lot better than I expected. The lake was large and you could tell that the banks of the lake had flooded the campsites on the shoreline. I expected a lot of bugs but it wasn't bad.

The showers and bathrooms were like a swimming pool shower built in the 70's. There was no roof but everything is enclosed. The lake is really peaceful, and even though the state park boasts over 1200 campsites, I was all by myself with no one in sight.

It is a very peaceful place.

Gear Review: As a top reviewer on TheDyrt, I have an opportunity to review outdoor gear and products. While at El Dorado I gave the Mountain House Macaroni and Cheese a try and was very satisfied.

It's easy to prepare, boil two cups of water, pour it into the pouch and let it sit for about ten minutes after you have stirred the contents of the pouch.

I would give it 4 out of 5 stars, it was really good. Honestly, it tasted a lot like Stouffer's Macaroni and Cheese. The only real problem, no matter how much you stir you cannot get every noodle to rehydrate, so about ten percent of the noodles are a little crunchy. That is why it gets 4 instead of 5 stars. The flavor is excellent and the texture is 90% there. This is a winner if you are backpacking and want a hot meal that is easy to prepare.

We normally camp here every weekend that we are able to as it’s a short drive for us. Camp hosts are very friendly and it is well taken care of. They just added new shower houses and are really improving what was already a great place to camp.

Park is nice & clean! Ross at the main entrance is a great guy with lots of information about the parks & lake. Camp host at Sunflower Meadows was nice & helpful. I would give the park 5 stars but the man at the Bluestem Bait & General Store was very rude! So rude that we made the 12 mile drive back to El Dorado to buy all our supplies & bait at Walmart & Angler's Bait & Tackle. The man at Angler's Bait & Tackle was very helpful & went out of his way to help make our camping & fishing trip enjoyable! Just goes to show that customer service can make you or break you. Will definately be going back to Bluestem Point but not to Bluestem Bait & General Store!

After told at the office that there were showers in Bluestem all of the modern showers were locked due to water line problems. So we went to the campgrounds by the dam.

We actually camped at Bemis Campground about a mile and a half south of this campground. Right off of the main road. There was about 15 or 20 spaces all with electric. I believe there was vault toilets only but no dump station. We had to come up to the blue stem area to dump. Nice little campground right on the lake but downside was that it was right next to the road so a little bit of traffic noise and not really any place to hike or walk. Spaces were fairly level and nicely spaced apart. Probably would recommend taking a back in spot rather than a pull through spot as the pull through were all pretty small and had no shade.

....the camp host offers you dog food and asks if your homeless....haha

Bluestem Point Rocks & Rolls! My SOBF (significant other boyfriend) and I have camped here over six times. We didn’t even leave when they had the semi-floods and crazy lightning storms in May & June 2019 (and we only live 30 minutes away). The picnic tables are great because they are shaped like a sail and you can turn them to block the wind or sun. You can also put a tarp on top and block out the rain. The camp hosts (Bob and Jean) are so friendly and accommodating. They also keep the place spic and span.

This was our first time camping in our new travel trailer and we were pleased with having such an easy to use campground so close to home. The sites were level and spacious. We will definitely be back.

The lake was flooded so the water was a bit off, biggest complaint was the lack of shade on our spot and the amount of young people partying all night. Brewery in the city of el dorado wasn’t bad.

Very few 50 amp site to choose from and no 50 amp sites with shade. Decent beach area with playground equipment for kids. The general store carries camping essentials, beer, and ice.

Three nice campgrounds, large playground, fishing and a swim beach. Worth the stop with the kids.

You'd think the Big Oak Campground in El Dorado State Park would be amazing. It's shaded with huge trees, nice sized sites some of which are very spread out, a quick walk to the swim beach and a quick drive to put your boat in the water. Unfortunately these pluses are far outweighed by the negatives. First the bathrooms were horrible. I realize they are older restrooms but they smelled awful, they were never obviously cleaned, the showers were not even a tiny bit private, the door to the restroom was broken and had to be propped open with a tree branch. Just over the bridge at the swim beach they were worse and some of the doors in the women’s room were missing. Yuck! Secondly basic campground rules were not enforced at all. The site across from us easily had 30 people camping and were up until 4am with loud music and a bright light on. I’m not kidding, my daughter was up around 3 to use the restroom and we walked by twice. The family in the site next to us had at least 4 cars and 2 tents set up outside the site on the walking path in addition to their two tents in their own site. The dog free swim beach had dogs on it. We camp with our dogs, one of which loves to swim and even I don’t want dogs on a public beach. Our camping weekend was negatively affected by poor camping etiquette and a sever lack of basic rule enforcement. We won’t be back to El Dorado State Park Big Oak campsite any time soon, at least not during the busy summer camping season. Cross Timbers and Fall River are much better!

Good wish could’ve been closer to the boats, but nearby the swimming area right now t-Mobile service works out here pretty well. 

Finally we found a campsite in Old Oak. Beautiful setting. Showers/toilets were were better than the archaic ones in Bluestem that have no roofs, but barely. Broken soap dispensers, cold water, no privacy in showers, etc.

Very scenic grassy fields and trees along a reservoir that has fishing, boating, & canoeing. Great birds fir birding. Great lakeside campsites.

clean campground. good facilities. open space.

Lots of space and good fishing. Secure camping and clean on site bathroom facilities. Close enough to town for convenience but far enough away you get to see a lot of stars.

This is a nicely maintained state park. All the amenities you'd expect. No complaints. Truck stop a few miles away that had a really good breakfast and giant cinnamon rolls!

Awesome campground,

The fivestar loop is decent for tent camping. The sites were fairly small and jammed next to each other, and half of them didn't have great tree cover, but they all have a nice firepit and picnic table.  It was super duper windy off of the lake for us, so be ready for wind.  Bathrooms were nice and clean and the staff were very nice.

Spent the weekend here and glad we had reservations prior as it was full even though it was the end of October and the weather wasn't the best.  Close to Melvern and the railroad tracks so if the sound of trains all night isn't your thing, then pick somewhere else.  Excellent clean restrooms and showers.  Great views of the lake from many spots. Also good cell service.  Only 8 miles from Lyndon where there are restaurants, gas and a dollar store although no grocery store.