Best Tent Camping near El Dorado, KS

Located in the Heart of the Flint Hills in Kansas. Right off highway 400 about 26 miles east of Augusta, Kansas. Fly in with your own plane, drive your car/RV  or ride your bicycle.  Beaumont with their own airport, hotel, campground, and cafe with a lot of Frisco Railroad History.

I camped in a tent in September 2020.  The cafe is open Fri 8 am-8 pm; Sat 7am-9pm; Sun 7 am-2pm (closed in winter).  One of the motel rooms behind the cafe is available for showers and restrooms for campers.  I enjoyed supper and breakfast at the cafe.--friendly people and great food.  Quiet evening and fantastic stargazing.

This location is well maintained with multiple tent camping spots and a few electric. The owners take great pride in keeping it this way. The mountain bike trails as well as hiking trails are perfect for beginners to experts. It is large enough for wake but we love taking our kayaks out.

I pitched a tent here  during a bicycle camping weekend in late April 2020 and the restrooms were locked due to Covid restrictions.  I was the only camper at the time, but there were a few people using the disk golf area.  Nice park with plenty of trees and I was close to a pavilion with a fireplace and picnic tables.  Convenient gas station a block away.  I believe  tent camping was $3.50 for primitive and $10 with electricity.

We stayed in the equestrian loop. All but a couple primitive sites are back-in. The layout of the fire rings, grills and picnic tables are all weird... Not consistent and usually on the wrong side of your trailer. The parking pad was nowhere near level, so you'll want to plan for that. The trees are lovely. You're very near the water and the breeze was beautiful. The toilet at the loop are pit. The bath house was not clean and many of the showers didn't work.. Water is lukewarm but water pressure was great. No stall doors on toilets or showers. We used the city of El Dorado dump station. The park is massive. Lots of amenities in El Dorado. And a quick jump to Wichita. We will 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.

We will stay here for overnight trips since it's only about 40 minutes from home. We usually stay on the Walnut River side as there is a large playground with tent sites close enough to keep an eye on the kiddos. They also have a swim area on this side. Bathroom and shower are next to the playground which is also convenient for us. There are some cool little hiking spots to explore. We just kicked off camping season last weekend here.

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!

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. Cross Timbers and Fall River are much better!

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.

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!

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.

Restrooms with showers and dumpsters (for you campsite garbage) are widely available during camping season. The designated swim areas are great for the whole family because there is a wide and far out area that doesn't get too deep while being roped off. NO STICKERS IN THE GRASS AT THE DESIGNATED CAMP SITES!!!!! At some sites, you can fish just feet from your tent. Beware at the box turtle camp site though, a channel runs 3-4 feet out from the shore and drops about 12 feet QUICK so don't swim there! The general store and bait shop at Bluestem is wonderful. If you visit Kansas State Parks frequently, it pays to purchase an annual vehicle permit early in the year when they are discounted rather than pay per day every time you visit.

Went Labor Day Weekend. I had called ahead since there were no reservations remaining. Come to find out they reserve a good number of campsites just for walk ups. Good to know when camping at Kansas State Parks

This is one of our favorite lakes in Kansas we go to! We like setting up camp at both the state park & Corps of Engineers! Lots of shady spots & room. The people at Three Corners Restaurant, Bait Shop, & Store are very nice & sociable. The bait side of the store can give a current fishing report & carry necessary supplies along with a good selection of bait/tackle.

First time at this lake can't read any signs no park rangers around we broke down took 5 hours to get any help from the park ranger my friend from Derby had already drove all the way with his boat to get us out of trouble overcharged his $40 for a stinking tent and an electrical outlet... Then they take reservations so you will never find a place at this lake should be first come first serve... I broke my hand and cut my head open because there's no signs there's no help there's no phone number you can call and get any help it sends you to the county office very dangerous to go to this lake you're going to destroy your equipment too there's so many rocks in this lake your prop will be destroyed I promise you that!!!

This is a county operated park located in Oxford, Kansas which is a few miles east off I 35. So it’s a convenient layover, especially considering the cost! If you don’t use the electricity it’s only $3.50 and if you choose to hook up to the electric, which is located on utility poles, then it’s $10 per night on the honor system. There’s a box next to the bath house where you leave your cash payment.

The park is very well kept and has a lot to offer with disc golf course (be aware that the course runs through the middle of the camping area), a playground, group picnic shelter, a basketball court, and a newer shower/bath house. This is only open between April 15th and October 15th. Water is available to fill your tank and there is a dump station on site too! At site 50 the water was next to the site, so if no one else is camping it could be a direct hook up. When I stayed there were only 2 other rigs here. 

There are no specific designated sites, at least that are clearly designated. Just take the road into the park and then look for the poles which hold the electric boxes. You can pull into the grassy areas next to one of these. I was concerned about the ground being soft because it had just rained, but I had no problems in my 24’ class C rig. 

Oxford is a small town, but across the main street from the park there’s a gas station/quick mart store and supplies are there. This is a fantastic peaceful spot with great night skies and the price is right!  Let’s keep it our secret.

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

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.