Emporia is the perfect place for adventurous campers and RVers. There's so much to see and do, from exhilarating hikes or bike rides to exploring the local dining and shopping. You're sure to find the perfect spot for your Kansas camping adventure.
The lake has a steep to shallow rocky shoreline and shallow mudflats on the upper end. Water clarity is usually very good. Eight fishing piers and many rock and brush fish attractors enhance angling opportunities at the lake. Fair to excellent populations of channel catfish, black bass, saugeye, crappie, white bass, and bluegill are found in the lake. Adjacent uplands primarily consist of native grass prairie. A diversity of wildflowers exists on the property and can provide outstanding viewing opportunities. Several small woody draws also exist on the property, primarily below the dam. Hunting is allowed but game populations are limited. The area does provide opportunities to hunt species such as quail, rabbit, white-tailed deer, turkey, squirrels, waterfowl, and prairie chicken. Camping is allowed (first come, first served) in designated areas along the north shore of the lake.
Eisenhower State Park has 1,785 acres. It features 1,000 acres of tallgrass prairie, 440 acres of woodland and a complete range of recreational facilities in addition to the 6,930 acres of Melvern Lake. Eisenhower State Park provides 163 utility campsites: 126 with water/electric, 25 with water/electric/sewer hookps and five shower houses. Non-utility sites are available for primitive camping in Five-Star, Sailboat Beach, and Omaha Swim Beach. Fifteen Equestrian Campsites with electric/water and individual corrals are available in the upper loop of Westpoint Campground. Cowboy campground is a primitive area for equestrian camping. The park offers 4 modern cabins and 2 primitive yurts for rent. Campers may stay at any one of the campgrounds for up to 14 consecutive days. FREE WIFI is available at the park office/parking lot. A Boat Dock with 16 slips located at the East Boat Ramp can be rented through the Ike Store. Ike's Shelterhouse is excellent for hosting family reunions within the Jones Family Activity Area. There is a playground, basketball court and horseshoe pits close by. Other recreational facilities include a swimming beach, sand volleyball court, picnic shelters, an 18-hole disc golf course, a 19 target walk through archery trail, kids fishing pond and a fly fishing pond. Visit Ike's General Store located at Doud Campground to pay your campground fees, purchase souvenirs, rent kayaks/canoes and check out games. Eisenhower State Parks' Friends Group offers items you might have forgot at to bring from home. Ice and firewood for sale at Doud campground. Laundry facilities are available at the Doud shower building Eisenhower is also home to a burgeoning trails system for horseback riding, biking, hiking and archery. Crooked Knee Horse Trail offers equestrians a 20-mile excursion through the undeveloped west side of the park. Biking and hiking is available on the horse trail. The bike trail and 19 target walk through archery trail head is located in the Five-Star campground. Wildlife include white-tailed deer, eastern wild turkey, bobwhite quail, squirrels, furbearers, and waterfowl. Anglers seek walleye, crappie, sauger, white bass, and channel catfish. Two nine-lane boat ramps offer excellent access to Melvern Lake.
Outlet Campground is situated below the Melvern Lake Dam on the eastern edge of the Flint Hills of Kansas. Visitors enjoy the area's wide range of recreational activities, including boating, fishing, hiking and hunting. Find a virtual tour of Melvern Lake at http://www.photographyoptions.net/images/melvern/tour.html
Melvern Lake impounds nearly 7,000 acres of water on the upper reaches of the Marais des Cygnes River Valley. Boating and swimming are popular activities on the lake. Anglers will find walleye, crappie, channel and flathead catfish, as well as black, striped, white and smallmouth bass. The 18,000 acres of land surrounding Melvern Lake provide plentiful hiking and hunting opportunities. Several trails wind around the lake, including the 4-mile Tallgrass Heritage Trail, which begins in the campground. Hunters may find deer, quail, turkeys, ducks, rabbits and squirrels throughout the area.
This large campground offers 140 family sites, many of which have full hookups for electric, water and sewer. Two group day-use picnic shelters with electrical hookups are available as well. Several family picnic sites can be used on a first come, first served basis. Amenities include flush and vault toilets, showers, drinking water and a dump station. A boat ramp, accessible dock and fish cleaning station are located on-site. Younger campers love the park's swimming beach, playground and stocked fishing pond, which is open year-round. Click Here for a Virtual Tour (http://www.photographyoptions.net/images/melvern/tour.html)
The Flint Hills represent America's last expanse of intact tallgrass prairie, made up of big bluestem, switchgrass and Indian grass. The rolling hills on the south side of the lake are wooded, and the campground has scattered trees and limited shade.
For local information, please call (877) 444-6777 or call (785) 549-3318 for general information.
$66 / night
Turkey Point Campground is situated on Melvern Lake on the eastern edge of the Flint Hills of Kansas. Visitors enjoy the area's wide range of recreational activities, including boating, fishing, hiking and hunting. Find a virtual tour of Melvern Lake at http://www.photographyoptions.net/images/melvern/tour.html
Melvern Lake impounds nearly 7,000 acres of water on the upper reaches of the Marais des Cygnes River Valley. Boating and swimming are popular activities on the lake. Anglers will find walleye, crappie, channel and flathead catfish, as well as black, striped, white and smallmouth bass. The 18,000 acres of land surrounding Melvern Lake provide plentiful hiking and hunting opportunities. Several trails wind around the lake, including a 1 mile trail located in the campground connecting to the day-use area. Hunters may find deer, quail, turkeys, ducks, rabbits and squirrels throughout the area.
The campground offers two group camps. One offers a group campsite with basic amenities, a pit privy, and a shelter with a grill, water, and electricity. The second offers 12 camp pads with 50 amp electric and water utilities, a restroom, a shelter with grill, and a playground. There are 43 family campsites, many with water and electric hook-ups, throughout the park. Several family picnic sites are available on a first-come-first-served basis. Amenities include flush and vault toilets, showers, drinking water and a dump station. A boat ramp, dock, fish cleaning station and three playgrounds all provide additional recreation opportunities. Click Here for a Virtual Tour (http://www.photographyoptions.net/images/melvern/tour.html)
The Flint Hills represent America's last expanse of intact tallgrass prairie, made up of big bluestem, switchgrass and Indian grass. The rolling hills on the south side of the lake are wooded, and the campground has scattered trees and some shade.
For local information, please call (877) 444-6777 or call (785) 549-3318 for general information.
$200 / night
Canning Creek Cove Park is located on the 3,310-acre Council Grove Lake in the green expanses of eastern Kansas.
Boating is a popular pastime at the lake, and two boat ramps are located in the campground for visitors' convenience. The lake is known for its fishing opportunities, with crappie and catfish being the most abundant. Council Grove was also the first lake in Kansas to receive stocking of Saugeye. Hunters will find populations of quail, prairie chicken, wild turkey and deer on the nearly 2,700 acres of public hunting land surrounding the lake. Hiking trails wind along the lakeshore and into the forest. Pioneer Nature Trail is known as the most scenic trail, with plenty of wildlife, greenery and wildflowers creating a beautiful background. Council Grove is also a starting point for the Flint Hills National Scenic Byway. This byway travels through the best of the remaining remnants of the Tallgrass Prairie Ecosystem in North America. Along the byway and 25 miles south is the National Tallgrass Prairie Preserve, where visitors can spot colorful wildflowers in the spring and array of autumn colors in the fall.
Canning Creek Campground offers 43 reservable campsites, including three group sites that can accommodate 40, 75 and 100 guests. Electric hookups, flush toilets and other modern amenities are provided. The campground has plenty of shade, along with open grassy areas for games and recreation.
Council Grove Lake sits in the rolling, grassy prairie of east Kansas, known as the Flint Hills. The lake was created by a dam built in 1964, and now offers recreational opportunities to hundreds of thousands of visitors every year. Historically this area is where the Osage Indians signed a treaty to establish the Old Santa Fe Trail. A marker in the town of Council Grove indicates the place where the treaty was signed.
The town of Council Grove, located about 2 miles southeast of the lake, is a National Historic District, with seven Santa Fe National Historic Trail sites in the community.
$20 - $80 / night
Located on the Flint Hills Nature Trail in Allen Kansas, Basecamp Flint Hills offers camping at the gateway to the beautiful Flint Hills of Kansas. BFH is 20 miles north of the world capital of gravel cycling, Emporia KS, and 20 miles east of historical Council Grove.
Perfectly situated for those passing through on the Flint Hills Nature Trail or exploring world class gravel cycling, BFH can accommodate bike packers, cross country cyclists, gravel cyclists, hikers, and hunters.
Ideally suited for group tent camping, BFH has shaded acreage and a large communal fire ring. Two back-in camper sites with power and water are also available for those who prefer a bit more luxury.
Seasonal facilities include an open air cold water shower and porta-potty available April through October.
This recreation area is part of Pomona Lake
The lake has a steep to shallow rocky shoreline and shallow mudflats on the upper end. Water clarity is usually very good. Eight fishing piers and many rock and brush fish attractors enhance angling opportunities at the lake. Fair to excellent populations of channel catfish, black bass, saugeye, crappie, white bass, and bluegill are found in the lake. Adjacent uplands primarily consist of native grass prairie. A diversity of wildflowers exists on the property and can provide outstanding viewing opportunities. Several small woody draws also exist on the property, primarily below the dam. Hunting is allowed but game populations are limited. The area does provide opportunities to hunt species such as quail, rabbit, white-tailed deer, turkey, squirrels, waterfowl, and prairie chicken. Camping is allowed (first come, first served) in designated areas along the north shore of the lake.
Eisenhower State Park has 1,785 acres. It features 1,000 acres of tallgrass prairie, 440 acres of woodland and a complete range of recreational facilities in addition to the 6,930 acres of Melvern Lake. Eisenhower State Park provides 163 utility campsites: 126 with water/electric, 25 with water/electric/sewer hookps and five shower houses. Non-utility sites are available for primitive camping in Five-Star, Sailboat Beach, and Omaha Swim Beach. Fifteen Equestrian Campsites with electric/water and individual corrals are available in the upper loop of Westpoint Campground. Cowboy campground is a primitive area for equestrian camping. The park offers 4 modern cabins and 2 primitive yurts for rent. Campers may stay at any one of the campgrounds for up to 14 consecutive days. FREE WIFI is available at the park office/parking lot. A Boat Dock with 16 slips located at the East Boat Ramp can be rented through the Ike Store. Ike's Shelterhouse is excellent for hosting family reunions within the Jones Family Activity Area. There is a playground, basketball court and horseshoe pits close by. Other recreational facilities include a swimming beach, sand volleyball court, picnic shelters, an 18-hole disc golf course, a 19 target walk through archery trail, kids fishing pond and a fly fishing pond. Visit Ike's General Store located at Doud Campground to pay your campground fees, purchase souvenirs, rent kayaks/canoes and check out games. Eisenhower State Parks' Friends Group offers items you might have forgot at to bring from home. Ice and firewood for sale at Doud campground. Laundry facilities are available at the Doud shower building Eisenhower is also home to a burgeoning trails system for horseback riding, biking, hiking and archery. Crooked Knee Horse Trail offers equestrians a 20-mile excursion through the undeveloped west side of the park. Biking and hiking is available on the horse trail. The bike trail and 19 target walk through archery trail head is located in the Five-Star campground. Wildlife include white-tailed deer, eastern wild turkey, bobwhite quail, squirrels, furbearers, and waterfowl. Anglers seek walleye, crappie, sauger, white bass, and channel catfish. Two nine-lane boat ramps offer excellent access to Melvern Lake.
Outlet Campground is situated below the Melvern Lake Dam on the eastern edge of the Flint Hills of Kansas. Visitors enjoy the area's wide range of recreational activities, including boating, fishing, hiking and hunting. Find a virtual tour of Melvern Lake at http://www.photographyoptions.net/images/melvern/tour.html
Melvern Lake impounds nearly 7,000 acres of water on the upper reaches of the Marais des Cygnes River Valley. Boating and swimming are popular activities on the lake. Anglers will find walleye, crappie, channel and flathead catfish, as well as black, striped, white and smallmouth bass. The 18,000 acres of land surrounding Melvern Lake provide plentiful hiking and hunting opportunities. Several trails wind around the lake, including the 4-mile Tallgrass Heritage Trail, which begins in the campground. Hunters may find deer, quail, turkeys, ducks, rabbits and squirrels throughout the area.
This large campground offers 140 family sites, many of which have full hookups for electric, water and sewer. Two group day-use picnic shelters with electrical hookups are available as well. Several family picnic sites can be used on a first come, first served basis. Amenities include flush and vault toilets, showers, drinking water and a dump station. A boat ramp, accessible dock and fish cleaning station are located on-site. Younger campers love the park's swimming beach, playground and stocked fishing pond, which is open year-round. Click Here for a Virtual Tour (http://www.photographyoptions.net/images/melvern/tour.html)
The Flint Hills represent America's last expanse of intact tallgrass prairie, made up of big bluestem, switchgrass and Indian grass. The rolling hills on the south side of the lake are wooded, and the campground has scattered trees and limited shade.
For local information, please call (877) 444-6777 or call (785) 549-3318 for general information.
$66 / night
Turkey Point Campground is situated on Melvern Lake on the eastern edge of the Flint Hills of Kansas. Visitors enjoy the area's wide range of recreational activities, including boating, fishing, hiking and hunting. Find a virtual tour of Melvern Lake at http://www.photographyoptions.net/images/melvern/tour.html
Melvern Lake impounds nearly 7,000 acres of water on the upper reaches of the Marais des Cygnes River Valley. Boating and swimming are popular activities on the lake. Anglers will find walleye, crappie, channel and flathead catfish, as well as black, striped, white and smallmouth bass. The 18,000 acres of land surrounding Melvern Lake provide plentiful hiking and hunting opportunities. Several trails wind around the lake, including a 1 mile trail located in the campground connecting to the day-use area. Hunters may find deer, quail, turkeys, ducks, rabbits and squirrels throughout the area.
The campground offers two group camps. One offers a group campsite with basic amenities, a pit privy, and a shelter with a grill, water, and electricity. The second offers 12 camp pads with 50 amp electric and water utilities, a restroom, a shelter with grill, and a playground. There are 43 family campsites, many with water and electric hook-ups, throughout the park. Several family picnic sites are available on a first-come-first-served basis. Amenities include flush and vault toilets, showers, drinking water and a dump station. A boat ramp, dock, fish cleaning station and three playgrounds all provide additional recreation opportunities. Click Here for a Virtual Tour (http://www.photographyoptions.net/images/melvern/tour.html)
The Flint Hills represent America's last expanse of intact tallgrass prairie, made up of big bluestem, switchgrass and Indian grass. The rolling hills on the south side of the lake are wooded, and the campground has scattered trees and some shade.
For local information, please call (877) 444-6777 or call (785) 549-3318 for general information.
$200 / night
Canning Creek Cove Park is located on the 3,310-acre Council Grove Lake in the green expanses of eastern Kansas.
Boating is a popular pastime at the lake, and two boat ramps are located in the campground for visitors' convenience. The lake is known for its fishing opportunities, with crappie and catfish being the most abundant. Council Grove was also the first lake in Kansas to receive stocking of Saugeye. Hunters will find populations of quail, prairie chicken, wild turkey and deer on the nearly 2,700 acres of public hunting land surrounding the lake. Hiking trails wind along the lakeshore and into the forest. Pioneer Nature Trail is known as the most scenic trail, with plenty of wildlife, greenery and wildflowers creating a beautiful background. Council Grove is also a starting point for the Flint Hills National Scenic Byway. This byway travels through the best of the remaining remnants of the Tallgrass Prairie Ecosystem in North America. Along the byway and 25 miles south is the National Tallgrass Prairie Preserve, where visitors can spot colorful wildflowers in the spring and array of autumn colors in the fall.
Canning Creek Campground offers 43 reservable campsites, including three group sites that can accommodate 40, 75 and 100 guests. Electric hookups, flush toilets and other modern amenities are provided. The campground has plenty of shade, along with open grassy areas for games and recreation.
Council Grove Lake sits in the rolling, grassy prairie of east Kansas, known as the Flint Hills. The lake was created by a dam built in 1964, and now offers recreational opportunities to hundreds of thousands of visitors every year. Historically this area is where the Osage Indians signed a treaty to establish the Old Santa Fe Trail. A marker in the town of Council Grove indicates the place where the treaty was signed.
The town of Council Grove, located about 2 miles southeast of the lake, is a National Historic District, with seven Santa Fe National Historic Trail sites in the community.
$20 - $80 / night
