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. Find the best campgrounds near Emporia, KS. Read helpful reviews and tips to find the perfect camping option for you and your crew.
"Downfall is right next to interstate. Internet is not the best, but it is secure."
"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."
"My sister and I have to drive through Kansas on our road trip to Utah. My friends have told me that it’s the worst state to drive through because it’s so flat and boring."
$10 - $100 / night
"The COE has done an admirable job developing this lakeside area for plentiful campsites and decent shade. The showers and facilities were clean and maintained well."
"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."
$16 - $200 / night
"Gravel hiking trail, too. This was our very first trip in our brand new r v. It is only about an hour away from our house, but we will be back!"
"Turkey Point is on the North side of Melvern lake. We have been going to this campground for about 10 years. The camp hosts have always been very accomodating."
$25 - $78 / night
"Clean facilities, quiet camping, great fishing lake, and nice bike paths."
"Beautiful well-kept park with gorgeous trails, beach, lots of shade, and quiet camping. We’ve been here three times now and just love it. Outlet park is below the dam."
$17 - $225 / night
"We took the kayak down with us and drive around the lake to the beach area and had a great time. Everyone camping near by was nice. The host were awesome.
Lots of places to walk to and relax."
"General: Canning Creek is one of six camping areas operated by the US Army Corp of Engineers on Council Grove Lake."
"Another great place in Kansas. We managed to book this place on the start of Labor Day Weekend because of a last minute cancellation and we were extremely lucky to get this place last minute."
"easy access to the lake. facilities can be dirty"
"Northwest of Burlington, Kansas, you'll find a quiet campsite along the east side of the Neosho River, just below the John Redmond Reservoir Dam."
"Trails are nice and plenty of critters."
RangerOn 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.
LegendAnother KOA that just loves gravel! The road in is paved, but there is gravel (and dust) everywhere else. There is also very little shade - so is was hot in July! There is a nice, but small, salt water swimming pool that was refreshing after driving 8 hours. And a small dog park. There is a small store/ gift shop with basics. The shower/bathroom was clean.
RangerOur site was $56.78 We were in Site# 59 The check in was at 12pm but the office was closed until 3:30pm so we grabbed our sheet left out front and got ourselves to our site.
We had Full hook- up with a gravel pull-through.
We travel towing a 14 foot trailer and were able to fit both in our pull through site along with my jeep (although the Jeep had to be parked straight across the front of our site to fit in). Also we were right on the highway.
The site was easy to level.
Our site was not shaded and without any trees. The most FRUSTRATING part is that this was a buddy site (that is NO WHERE on their website). We have rescue dogs and don’t want to share our space with neighbors we don’t know. Literally no one wants to Kumbaya by the fireside with complete strangers. Therefore our trip went from one week originally to two nights. We would have left the next day but the husband wanted to see the Evel Knievel museum.
The lot does not have a concrete patio but has a picnic table and fire grate.
They have a community fire pit with multiple swings around it. They sell wood for $6 a bundle.
They do not provide garbage service at your site so you must walk to garbage dumpster at the entrance.
You are allowed to ride personal golf carts. They do not provide golf cart rentals. There is really not a need to have a Golf cart because it is a smaller campground.
They do have a saltwater Swimming pool. They have a catch and release fishing pond.
There is a Playground. They also offer a weight room and an adorable activities room with air hockey, a library, & a pool table. There is also a scenic walking trail. The trail is almost a mile and they’ve kept it mowed and easy to identify.
They have a basic general store. There is not a snack bar/restaurant on site.
The streets are gravel so not great for riding bikes.
They have cabins for rent and a tent area (electric & primitive options).
They have 2 shower houses. The shower house in the main barn has individual shower/toilet/sink areas. The shower house in the park has the typical stalls. These are kept very clean.
There is a laundry facility in both shower houses. It is a cash only facility.
They have a fenced in dog park which is unfortunately located in the front of the park away from RV sites.
Some fun things to do outside of the campground are the Evel Knievel museum and Brown vs. Board of Education historical park.
Staff are very kind. I would definitely stay here in the future but will know to secure a site that isn’t shared with others
TravelerVery cute place. Quiet. Just hear the birds. They have fire pits. Pets are allowed. They have nice paved spots with water and electrical hookup. ( 30/50) Comes with picnic table and shelter. Has a charcoal swiveling grill, good size with a lid! Fishing. Boating. Shower/ bathroom on sight. Garbage cans close by. We will definitely be back with family and friends! Have long term campsites and short term. Go to recreation.gov for fast and easy sign in and go!
LegendSept 26- Oct 1, 2019 Site A01 had electric and water. Rate was $10 with Sr. Lifetime Pass. Park had laundry room, dump station, very clean showers, flush toilets and vault toilets. Verizon 4G 2 bars. Pets allowed. Elevation 1,002 ft. Prior to arrival they had a flood that came up to site 4.
TravelerThe owners were very nice. We were lucky to get the spot we got. We needed a spot to park for the 4 days we were in Emporia for Unbound. The bathroom was extremely clean and convenient. The place was packed because the owners were trying to take in as many people as possible. We were all grateful. We stayed here instead of the fair grounds because we had electricity here. We were practically sitting on the throughway. After getting used to the highway noise it was fine. We were plugged into the owners garage, thankful we only needed house current for our little camper. That way the van next to us could use 30 amp. We met lots of other riders so it was a pleasant chill experience.
GuideYou'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!
GuideStopping for a quick overnight at the Topeka KOA, the staff was very nice. There is a small store with plenty of affordable firewood which was great for our chilly night. The bathrooms were large and very clean. Being a dog friendly campground, it had a cute little fenced area, but lots of poop not picked up which takes away the fun. (not the campgrounds fault, but nevertheless, no fun to be around. The reason for 4 instead of 5 stars is the proximity to the highway. We had a “deluxe rv site” that backed up to the highway. So tons of highway noise all night. Additionally, the sites were pretty close together and our neighbors had an outdoor tv that was blasting for hours. Takes away from peaceful camping. In the way n, less than a mile from the campground is Happy Basset Brewing Co. - highly recommend, as well as the food truck that was on site On the Hook!! 🐟🍟
RangerMy sister and I have to drive through Kansas on our road trip to Utah. My friends have told me that it’s the worst state to drive through because it’s so flat and boring. BUT another friend recommended this campsite. OMG it’s free and it’s so cute and pretty well kept. It’s in the Flint Hills region of the state. There are rolling green hills surrounding a lovely little lake. Cottonwood trees shelter the many spaces out camp spots. Milkweed and butterfly bushes support a healthy monarch butterfly population! There’s boat / fishing access and a pretty decent bathroom. It wasn’t too buggy - and there was a lovely sunset in the wide open sky. I didn’t give Kansas a chance. And, I was wrong
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According to TheDyrt.com, the most popular dog-friendly campground near Emporia, KS is Emporia RV Park with a 3.3-star rating from 3 reviews.
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