Best Tent Camping near Council Grove, KS

Tent Camping Reviews near Council Grove, KS

270 Reviews of 17 Council Grove Campgrounds

• J

  James M.

  Traveler

  Sep. 22, 2025

  Cedar Park

  Beautiful area.

  Great area, friendly guests even the kids showing up on the weekends were well behaved. One vault toilet they maintain the best they can. Area is patrolled by Park Rangers and law enforcement, not sure if local, county, or state. While there the park placed plaques marking site numbers and eventually they will add a kiosk that will have a QR code for payment, they were not sure what the fee would be (free for now). The sites are huge and not right on top of each other, they offer a picnic table, fire ring, and a gravel parking spot for your camper or grassy areas for tents. Very dusty roads getting here but worth it. Watch out for wildlife, deer, turkeys, and vultures are always on the roads including the pup that chases you're truck, just down the road from here, lol. Hope this helps, Happy camping you all!

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• T

  Tara I.

  Traveler

  Jun. 21, 2022

  Pottawatomie County State Lake #2

  Peace and quiet

  Nice spot to pull in for the night. Lots of spots on Sunday night in June. A few fisherman and kayakers out. Lots of shade and level spots for rvs. Can’t swim but dog had fun in lake. Water smelled fishy. Lots of trash laying around. Leave no trace people!

• 

  Joey B.

  Guide

  Aug. 31, 2020

  Farnum Creek

  Great spot for on the lake views and weekend camping.

  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

• 

  Vanessa M.

  Legend

  Jul. 25, 2020

  Chase State Fishing Lake

  Primitive and quiet

  There are several areas to set up camp, each area has different advantages: proximity to vault toilets, picnic tables, privacy... The area is easy to navigate and sites are lakeside.

• 

  Sarah H.

  Traveler

  Sep. 21, 2016

  Chase State Fishing Lake

  Lovely lakeside sites in the scenic Flint Hills of Kansas

  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!

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• T

  TARA S.

  Guide

  Jul. 31, 2018

  North Richey Cove

  Custer Campground north of Richey Cove

  Primitive sites. Vault toilets, bbq, covered picnic tables and fire rings. 3 tents allowed per site. You can shower at the north Richey campground. All are close to the lake and there is a boat ramp at the entrance. Small campground with maybe 12 sites.

• 

  Christina H.

  Scout

  Apr. 23, 2021

  Eisenhower State Park Campground

  Primitive camping was small and exposed, but fun

  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.

• 

  Lee D.

  Legend

  Apr. 28, 2021

  Canning Creek

  Not a bad site in the entire campground!

  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.

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• B

  Brenda Y.

  Guide

  Apr. 4, 2025

  Osage State Fishing Lake

  Beautiful place - big rig friendly

  So glad we chose this dispersed camping location as an overnight stay. It's fantastic! Beautiful area, campfire rings in several locations, and our 43' Rv navigated smoothly (well, husband navigated smoothly!) Easy to drive through, well-maintained roads....leave no trace, and enjoy!