Best Tent Camping near Council Grove, KS

While our family loved the scenery this is not a lake for tent camping. Unless you like sleeping at an angle. Very limited tent camping as well. This lake is made for those with RVS

Kansas has over 40 state fishing lakes with free camping. Lots of fishermen. I’d say over a dozen camping sites. We had a shelter, picnic table, toilet building, view of the lake. We rode our motorcycles here to tent camp. Raccoon couldn’t wait for me to zip my tent to come out and see what we left out.

Tent camping. RV camping. Great pull through spots and lots of full grown trees for big shade. Great grounds and many many lakes side spots.

Went with a buddy for tent camping 1 night this August. Clean area with plenty of firewood and a picnic table. Paid 14$ for a campsite, grass definitely could of been trimmed at our designated campsite. card only at the entrance because of COVID-19 at the moment. We camped right across from the boat ramp but was still a beautiful view

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.

I stayed here as i was driving through Kansas, so it was just a quick overnight, but it was very beautiful and peaceful.

I arrived pretty late, about 8:15pm, and there was no one at the gate when I arrived so I was a little worried, but I pulled up their email that had all of the information and between that and the park signs I was able to easily make my way to my campsite--which was BEAUTIFUL! I stayed in spot A18, and if you are tent camping I would choose that one if you can. It is the last spot in the row of sites and is bordered on two other sides by the lake so you can have an uninterrupted view

Clean, well maintained and patrolled. This campground has a beach and has great views of the lake. There's group sites, primitive sites and sites with electric, water and sewer hook ups. There's a marina store that covers basics and the town of Council Grove is 10 minutes away.

Cedar point has some very spacious primitive and tent sites. There are also some with electric and water. Some of the sites in this campground have nice water views. Most have fire rings and tables. There are restrooms, bath house, trash receptacles and a dump. There is also a swim beach and a hiking trail. It’s a very pretty area and this park has wildlife to view like the large flock of turkey vultures who live in the dead trees of cedar point.

Driving across Kansas can be long and tedious and I'm often looking for a place to primitive-car-camp on the cheap to get some sleep while crossing the country. This little lake worked perfectly for me. Not a huge detour from I-70 (maybe 20-30 minutes total) - I found the campground completely empty on a Monday night in early September and woke up with a picnic table and a fire pit next to a calm lake with jumping fish and just a few local fisherman visible in various spots. There were no annoying gates or camp managers or $ charges, and that's perfect for my purposes.. Made a cup of coffee by the lake and got back on the road. I didn't see bathroom/shower/electrical or any other "advanced" services so this is more for those of us who just need a peaceful place to tent camp.

So I was excited after seeing so many great reviews for this campground. Even more so when I arrived and saw how beautiful green and lush the area was. I did however discover the campground was locked and a sign had been placed at the entrance of the camp that it would not be opening again until April 2020.

A little confused because there were RV campers inside I explored inside and around and discovered this is partially due to recent rains flooding a portion of the campground. I completely understood that however the elevated RV spaces were still functional and not at risk.

The location itself is beautiful with lake views on 2 sides of the camp. You are only a short distance from the boat launch and day use area which have many more signs of recent rain with trees nearly completely underwater in this area.

The roads are paved, wide and well maintained. The bathrooms available on site are mainly vault toilets however in the camp there are some improvements.

Tent camping is only $14 well worth it if the campground were open in my opinion!! I will for sure be coming back!

Sunset Ridge is a small tenting campground along side sunset cabins. Sunset ridge is nicely shaded. Each site has a covered picnic shelter and grill. The sites are nice and spacious. The cabins to have large shelters with tables and grill. There are 5 cabins all with horse breed names and there is one that is ADA.

The relatively private campsites were mostly empty on a mid-September weekend. Plenty of shady primitive sites all along the north shore, ample parking, a small seasonal swimming beach, a boat ramp & dock, lots of fishing piers, and a decent size reservable group shelter for gatherings. The one vault toilet near the info kiosk is the only restroom facility. There is little to no light pollution out here, so enjoy stargazing and the moon set against an immense dark sky. Definitely walk across the dam from the road to the short trail to the waterfalls. The Tallgrass Prairie National Preserve and the little towns of Cottonwood Falls and Strong City are just a few minutes away by car. Take a drive on the Flint Hills Scenic Byway at sunrise/sunset on Highway K-177 which stretches north to Council Grove and south to Cassoday from Cottonwood Falls. You could also check out the Flint Hills Wildlife Drive that starts just off Hwy K-177 on Sharp Creeks Road in Bazaar and goes south to Cassoday (country roads, make sure your tires are in good shape).

History: the 109-acre lake and 383-acre wildlife area were created in 1954.

Overall a beautiful location and pleasant experience. I'd go back again!

When camping in Kansas you must try the Rocky Ford Campground in Tuttle State Park River Pond Area. This is a great shaded area with water views and full hookups. There are great secluded sites or sites you can camp next to friends or family. There are huge cottonwood trees that are wrapped with green vines during the summer months that guide you through the park. Make sure and put your food away at night or the raccoons will be dining at your table during the night. Site #44 is our favorite spot to hang the hammock and relax after biking or hiking the trails.

This is a charming little campground, and I do not use the word“charming” often. It is charming because it has so many quaint relics of the past, including the town itself. At the entrance to the campground, there is a building covered with old signs, hubcaps, etc. As a photographer, I couldn’t be happier to have the opportunity begin taking pictures immediately. As we drove down the road to our campsite, we came across such oddities as a bicycle halfway up a windmill, an old original train depot with an antique threshing machine next to it, and more. The campsites are flat and fairly spacious. We were lucky that the campground was not at full capacity because many of the sites are in pairs. Our pull-through site was within inches of the adjacent pull-through site. Although there was no picnic table at our site, we could have used one on the adjacent site, and we brought our own table. The site did have a fire pit, but we arrived late and didn’t have time to worry about getting wood. There are seasonal and permanent campers at the campground, and you have to reserve early during peak seasons. I talked to one person at the campground and he said that it was booked up one time when he wanted to stay. Although the site we got was gravel and pull-through, there are sites without power by the creek, in case you want to tent camp or just don’t need hookups. The bath house was clean, and the owner told me that it is sanitized every day. The shower stalls are spacious and there is hot water. There is a playground for kids and activities for older people—basketball, corn hole, etc. The only drawback is that you can hear trains passing through during the night about three or four times. It didn’t bother me since I love the sound of trains, but it does wake you up since the tracks are so close to the campground. The town is within walking distance of the campground, and it is worth walking(or driving) to it. The buildings are interesting architecturally, and the town is known for antiques. Overall, I really liked this campground. It may not have all of the amenities of the larger campgrounds, but it is quiet(except for the trains) and peaceful.

General: Canning Creek is one of six camping areas operated by the US Army Corp of Engineers on Council Grove Lake. It is spread out on the lake so that all but four sites- 24, 26, 27& 28 (and the group camping areas) are directly on the water. Even though there were only a handful of people camping when we were there on a Monday in mid-April, there was an attendant on duty until 8 pm. 

Site Quality/Facilities: Most sites have generous concrete pads, some of which could easily accommodate two vehicles, a concrete picnic table (covered by a shelter), a bbq, and a lantern hook. Some sites are reservable and others are not. The rates are very reasonable, as they are for all CoE campgrounds, especially for seniors. All sites have reasonable separation between them. On the map, sites 6-23 look to be very close together but they are reasonably distanced apart. Sites 1-5 (which are not reservable) have very long pull-through drives. All sites (except the group sites) have electric and water and some have 50 amp (these are noted on the map) 

Bathhouse: Some loops have vault toilets (which were very clean), some have flush toilets, and some have flush toilet/shower combos. None have soap dispensers. We were in site 46 with access to one of the combos. I appreciated the hot water, especially since we woke to snow the next morning! Sites 1-23 have a vault toilet but there is a flush facility within reasonable walking distance. 

Activities/Amenities: Swimming, fishing, and boating in season but we were passing through, so we did not participate. Minimal playground facilities (mostly in the loop with sites 1-23) and horseshoe pits. There was a hiking trail, but I did not explore it. 

We always have a good experience at a CoE campground – they are well run, clean, affordable and, of course, located on or near water. My only beef is that check-in time is 6 pm, although if it is not crowded, you could check in earlier.

On our road-trip to Utah, we dreaded having to camp in Kansas, until a friend recommended this spot. This stunning little lake is a free site with plenty of fire rings right next to a road. PERFECT car camping. And even has a clean little bathroom. Stunning views of rolling hills and cattle. Places to fish. A little trail that leads up a small hill. Stunning stunning stunning views of wildflowers and rolling hills. Great sunrise and sunset views! Phenomenal place to stop if you’re driving through Kansas. A bit of a detour from I-70, but totally worth it.

2 different loops with a several waterside campsites and picnic shelters alongside each. Campsites include tent pad, shelter, picnic table and either a fire pit or an elevated grill. There is also water access that you can drop your boat into thats just adjacent for main Richey Cove campground's beach. Tent only camping allows you to get some quiet time in the out doors as its one of the least frequented of the campsites around the lake and the farthest north.

Found this spot and had to share! Plenty of tent spots and places to park an RV. Vault toilets available. Boat ramps available. Best part is its FREE!

Great spot to fish swim or boat. Set up tent in the dark and woke up to an amazing view.