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Country living with a few extra touches. Close to Wilson Lake. Cafe and gas station across the street. Beautiful views of the stars nightly. Lots of parking and full RV hookups with 30 amp and 50 amp service. Owned by a local single mom who focuses on you!
$50 - $75 / night
$35 / night
Sylvan Park Campground is located below the dam at Wilson Lake in the wide open spaces of central Kansas. A few campsites overlook the Saline River exiting the dam, while a handful of other sites overlook the Old Saline River channel.
Boating is the most popular pastime on the lake, with plenty of room for water skiing, wake boarding, jet skiing, sailing and more. The high salinity content of the Saline River makes drinking and irrigation difficult without special treatment, but it aids the stocking of ocean-native Striped Bass, which have been known to reach enormous sizes in Wilson Lake. This and many other game fish species have been enhanced by a stocking program conducted by the Kansas Department of Wildlife, Parks and Tourism. Walleye, Large and Smallmouth bass can be found in abundance in the lake, as well as White bass, channel and flathead catfish. Several trails are available to visitors, including the Bur Oak Nature Trail located in Sylvan Park. This 3/4 mile nature walk is a self guided interpretive trail, that has many interpretive stations along the path. Wilson Lake also offers hunting opportunities for a variety of game animals, including pheasant, quail, prairie chicken, whitetail deer, turkey, waterfowl and rabbit.
Wilson lake, known as the "clearest lake in Kansas," is located in the Smoky Hills of North Central Kansas--a rolling landscape of hills, buttes and hazy valleys. Also known as Post Rock Country, the area contains thousands of miles of stone fenceposts and buildings that have been constructed out of the area's local limestone. This and other unique geologic formations and mixed grass prairie lands provide an excellent scenic backdrop for recreation around the lake.
Wilson State Park, also located on the south side of the lake, offers additional recreation opportunities, as well as Lucas and Minooka Parks. Visitors can check out the nearby town of Lucas, known for its unique artistic spirit and attractions, or experience the rich historical heritage of Wilson, Kansas and other surrounding communities.
$20 / night
This recreation area is part of Wilson Lake
Scout
Clean and new facilities. Lots of spots, many pull through.
Guide
Stayed on a Thursday night 9/12 and there were hardly any people there. It was a beautiful spot but quite exposed so expect some wind.. I would definitely stay there again.
Guide
It was beautiful at sunset, very nice campground with good hot showers.
GuideLast minute reservation easily accommodated. Beautiful and super clean. Amazing bathhouse and coffee house. Cabins also available for rent. One of the nicest rv parks we’ve stayed in.
Scout
If you are traveling I 70, this is a great spot for a night to break up the drive. Only a few miles off of the highway, clean, quiet, with water and electricity. We stop here almost every trip. Sites are spaced out nicely.
Guide
Nice native buffalograss for tent camping and you may be the only tent camper in the park haha. If using the “non-specific primitive” sites, you’ll need to drive to access the dumpster, bathrooms/shower, and water. The Lakeview primitive sites had morning sun and were shaded in the afternoon/evening.
Guide
We stayed at this COE campground on a very stormy night in June 2024. It is a well kept Corp campground and we will stay there again as we travel through Kansas.
Ranger
Mostly big rigs, camped there in a van. Hookups were good. Sites spacious but not very private, we were lucky to get one on the edge. Lake is nothing special and no hiking trails or anything, seemed to be mostly boating or fishing.
Very quiet mid-week in May, which was lovely. The bathrooms suck and I saw a copperhead right by the bathhouse so be careful.
Guide
Ok it's more of a pond but still nice. Normal KOA esk camping. $20 in off season for pull through spots. $25 during on season.
Scout
Tom and Heddy are very nice folks. Warm and welcoming. Their property is quiet and beautiful. We hope to visit again soon.
TravelerConvenient and safe. Spent one night on our way west and was glad to find this nice relaxing, shaded place. It had water and electric for $25.
ScoutLove this place. Discovered it by accident trying to avoid the loud motels off I70. Love that tent sites are free during the week. It was quiet but I wasn't alone. Sunset was amazing on the reservoir. But the wind comes up quite strong as it cools down so stake that tent down!
RangerThis place is GREAT!
First off - Monday - Thursday this place is free if you are in a non electric standard site.
Second, the sites are really beautiful and big with great views. We were right on thr lake and it was stunning for sunrise.
Third, the facilities are fantastic. Clean vault toilets and clean shower facilities with perfect water temp and pressure.
Fourth, the host was really nice and helpful!
You can’t really go wrong here. Would love to come back and spend a few days just relaxing. Plenty of bugs (not as bad as I was expecting though) so plan to bring spray.
Ranger
Perfect camping! Wide open spaces with lots of room. Beautiful views of the lake and lots of animal activity - cows, bunnies, birds and bugs. Lots of bugs! Not teeming with mosquitos but just many bugs. Some of them are HUGE.
I didn’t think the bugs were that bad just more interesting. Been to many other places with a bug problem and that didn’t seem like this to me. But it as prob enough that I wouldn’t want to hang outside and play cards.
Views in every direction and it’s absolutely stunning! Very peaceful and quiet and literally just perfect.
Plus if you are on a standard non electric tent space it’s free Monday -Thursday!
Great showers and bathrooms too! This is a hidden gem for sure!! Perfect sunrise from our site!
RangerThis is prob a little gem for rv rigs. Almost all sites are set up for this. There are some tent sites. Right on a creek - super buggy and just in a slightly strange area of town. Not bad or anything like that - you have the creek on one side and old broke down commercial buildings on the other.
I just can’t see what the point of staying here is at all. This is only a place you’d stay for a night and a car/tent camper is rather save my money and sleep at a truck stop.
I feel bad giving it such a harsh review and to be fair - we did not stay here. Took a few loops around and decided it was just kind of depressing. Again I think in an rv passing through it would be fine. But for a tent/car it just didn’t sit right with me (however there was a tent set up at the very end). And to note it’s kind of busy. There was at least 15 rvs there on a Tuesday night. It’s not scary or anything it’s just why?
Did see some cool birds though.
TravelerBEAUTIFUL views!!! Very windy but worth it for water front. We stayed in a loop alone that could have had 3 other sites, next to beach access. Bathrooms were a bit of a walk but again, worth it!!
Thought I had seen a mirage once we pulled into the park after miles of Kansas greens and browns.
Self reg station (electronic) at the park as well as reserve early online.
ScoutA nice layout, clean site and bathrooms. The trees are young but the over all camp is great.
GuideWhat a beautiful camp site. The ground has plenty of sites, almost all that have a beautiful lake front view. We stayed during the week and it was pretty quite - cows moooin’ were the loudest noise all night! There are walking trails, beaches, a boat launch, and bathrooms. We stayed at a non-electric but there are plenty of hookups to go around too. Happy camping!
GuidePleasantly surprised at pulling into this great spot after many hours driving cross country. Pick your site then pay online, super easy. Verizon service was great. Very well kept grass and stone site pads. Got a spot right on the lake. We were tempted to spend a second night it was so nice.
TravelerQuiet, and very clean just what we needed for an overnight stay. Worth 25 dollars for a nice shower!
TravelerBest site I’ve had on my 2 week road trip! Would for sure come back here if I’m ever needing a campsite in Kansas.
TravelerWe've camped at Wilson State Park three times now on eastbound road trips and I can't recommend it enough! There are sheltered sites on green lawns where tent campers can spend a quiet night. Trees provide shelter from wind and thunder storms. Depending on where you camp you can walk to swim in the reservoir. And the Switchgrass MTB is surprisingly fun! Just be careful to let it dry out before you ride since that wet sand can wreak havok on your drive train. I've only camped at Wilson on weekdays and it's never crowded.
Guide
Our young family of six stayed for 2 nights during our cross country drive and wow what a welcome respite it was from driving! My kiddos LOVED the pool. We spent the entire day lounging and enjoying the basketball court, corn hole, park, ice cream social, and of course, the swimming pool! We stayed in site 4 which was super accessible, complete with picnic table and full hookups. I was really happy with the cleanliness of the park in general including the laundry facility, bathrooms, grounds, and shop. The laundry facility was very well priced and very efficient. The owners were incredibly kind and welcoming and obviously take pride in this campground. We would be happy to stay again if we are ever in the area again! Highly recommend!
ScoutQuick in - quick set up. Pretty setting right near a large creek - large trees for shade. Bathroom and shower but very old and a little sketchy. A lot of locals driving through - hoping that will stop after dark. Fairly level sites - a few spots for tents and pull throughs with gravel pads for RV’s with power and water. Dump station. Picnic tables and grill and/or fire ring
TravelerWe arriving across country and found the perfect little campground! It's super quiet and so relaxing! The river behind the site was perfect
Scout
This place is an incredible continuously working Ranch since 1884. It is also the site of the first recorded Buffalo Soldier conflict out of Fort Hays (25 miles away). So history? Check! The views both day and night? Stunning! Our hosts? The best part of our stay. They were extremely accommodating and welcoming. We will be back. Soon! And I live in Detroit…
GuideNothing fancy, but it was a great place to stop for the night. Both times I've stayed I arrived after dark and was only passing through, so I opted not to set up the tent and instead slept in my crossover, which is set up to sleep in. The area was well lit at night, and I felt very safe.
The campground: It's small, mostly quiet, flat, and had a decent amount of shade. The area I stayed in had pull through spots that faced the water (a reservoir, I believe). There's a small dock on the water. My site included a picnic table, grill, and water spigot. I'm not sure about electric hookups and dump stations, since I have no need for those things. The bathrooms were clean, and had both toilets and showers.
Booking: The campground does not take reservations, which I think is great, as it allows me to be a little more spontaneous. There's a self-pay station in front of the bathrooms near the entrance to the campground. I stayed here on a Monday night in late October, and had no problem getting a site. The cost depends on if you're there in the off-season or not, but I believe the most expensive fee is $25 for RVs.
The area: Ellis is a small town. If you're arriving later in the evening I would recommend stopping to eat somewhere prior to arriving in Ellis. In the morning, I made a quick detour down the main street and saw a café, a pizza place, and a Mexican restaurant. There's also a railroad museum. The campground is pretty close to the highway; right off the highway are a couple gas stations with fast food places inside.
Cell Service: I have Verizon, and my service was good enough to stream a live hockey game. The campground said it had WIFI, but I didn't try it out.
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