Join the fun near Iola. With tons of outdoor activities and scenic camping, this is an excellent vacation spot for all kinds of travelers. Aside from great camping spots, you'll find hiking and many more outdoor experiences. Thinking of traveling with kids? You're in luck—Iola is surrounded by family-friendly activities. You're sure to find the perfect spot for your Kansas camping adventure.
This recreation area is part of Toronto 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.
Whitehall Bay Campground is located on the shores of Fall River Lake in Greenwood County, Kansas. Opportunities for outdoor family fun and recreation include swimming, boating, water skiing, camping, picnicking and sightseeing.
For birdwatchers and nature lovers, there is an 8,000 acre Fall River wildlife area, where prairie chickens, waterfowl, rabbits, wild turkeys, white tail deer, doves and quail are commonly seen. Over 400 species of birds are protected in this area. Hiking and biking opportunities near Fredonia Bay include the 1.5-mile Casner Creek Trail, which meanders through the forest, opening onto a breathtaking display of wildflowers during spring and summer months, or the 1-mile Turkey Run Trail, which leads visitors through a wooded ravine, over a stream and into a tall grass prairie with an impressive view of the lake.
For birdwatchers and nature lovers, there is an 8,000 acre Fall River wildlife area, where prairie chickens, waterfowl, rabbits, wild turkeys, white tail deer, doves and quail are commonly seen. Over 400 species of birds are protected in this area. Hiking and biking opportunities near Fredonia Bay include the 1.5-mile Casner Creek Trail, which meanders through the forest, opening onto a breathtaking display of wildflowers during spring and summer months, or the 1-mile Turkey Run Trail, which leads visitors through a wooded ravine, over a stream and into a tall grass prairie with an impressive view of the lake.
Rolling prairies and tree-dotted valleys sheltered by limestone-capped ridges surround Fall Lake, which stretches up the picturesque Fall River for 15 miles. This scenic area has a wealth of native wildlife and vegetation.
Fall River State Park is nearby, offering great hiking, fishing and birding along the river. Canoeing is also a popular activity in the park.
$50 / night
Crossroads RVs and Cabins is a family and pet friendly RV campground located in historic Fort Scott, Kansas. We are on the northwest side of Fort Scott and only approximately 1.2 miles from the Chamber of Commerce, Old Fort National Historic Site, and downtown Fort Scott; with plenty of local dining and shopping. We provide campers with newly renovated, spacious lots, with 30/50 amp service, water, and sewer hook-ups. We have both pull through and back in spaces available. Our campground is heavily wooded, which means lots of shade to keep cool in the summer months.
$25 - $45 / night
$30 - $40 / night
We have family in this area. This lake is packed during holidays. Any other time it is first come first serve lots. $27 a night for full hookups.
This place was easy, pretty and well appointed. Great site next to river, across from bath, laundry and showers. Quiet and easy access. Highly recommend.
It's absolutely beautiful. I camp here often because of the serenity. The best part of Whitehall Bay is the sewer is directly at your campsite, so no dumping afterwards. A big plus for me!!! Camp Hosts are awesome. You won't be disappointed
I stayed in one of the airbnb cabins this past summer and it was super comfortable. Everything I needed for a great stay. Awesome managers and such a peaceful surrounding. I know there are new pedestals and hookups for RVs and they have been working on the swimming pool for 2023. The A-frame cabin is being renovated for a new laundry facility and new showers/bathrooms too.
Beautiful campgrounds with so many activities available! The general store is super helpful, as they sell firewood and ice, and have kayak and canoe rentals. There are a few swim beaches, and plenty of sand to sit in and relax. Our actual campsite was great and came equipped with a firepit and picnic table, and we could walk to the lakeshore. We will be back!
I stayed at site #19 for 2 nights. My site had 30/50+water+sewer. The sites are gravel and fairly level. There is a boat ramp and a roped-off swimming area. There were two small playgrounds and two bath+shower houses. There is one old-fashioned unisex pit toilet.
The people behind me sounded like they were running a sawmill and mechanic shop all weekend. All the other campers were quiet.
The women's restroom I visited had 1 of 2 flushing toilets working. It also had two shower stalls. The spiders went running went I turned on the water, which was warm. One spider ran up my leg, lol.
The main issue with this campground, I found, was the drive to get here. Google will take you across the dam where you will hit a gravel road for 0.5 miles before getting back on the pavement. The last 4-5 miles are very narrow, with the vegetation growing right up to the pavement. I was lucky enough to only cross paths with oncoming traffic once, and right at a low-water bridge that was wider than the road. The last 2-3 miles are riddled with potholes. Was gear was scattered inside by the time I got to my site.
We had high hopes for Whitehall Bay. But our trip was about as bumpy as the road was coming into the campground.
Our site was a group of three that were tightly grouped together in a full hook up area. This was our first time with full hook ups so that could have been the issue but we felt like we were right on top of our neighbors.
There is not a lot to do for kids which is unfortunate, the beach looked extremely steep, however we did not use it.
The area itself is very beautiful and the lake had a great rocky shoreline worth exploring. But that is about as much of the good things I can speak of when it comes to Whitehall Bay.
We reserved only about an hour ahead on recreation.gov, upgrading our overnight plan considerably. With Dad's senior national park pass, site #3 (60' gravel for up to a 40' rig) (electric only) was only $8.50. As we were parking, the gentleman (Greg, we think?) caring for the park greeted us and on finding we had pre -registered, offered us an upgrade to a full hook up site (we could see only 2 other campers in the campground). Site 15 was a wonderful upgrade! Lots of wonderful birdlife here.
Note, bring your own soap to restrooms in many of the Core of Engineer campgrounds. For the amazing savings, its an easy enough change to make!
This place is a small park that has lots of hiking trails it is five dollars for tents $10 for RVs with electric the bathrooms are Porta potty but for five dollars you can fish and you can have a campfire permit pretty much anything you wanna do you can purchase by the day here for about five dollars each item is really a nice place for the family to come they had a super decorated for Christmas
Spent the weekend here and glad we had reservations prior as it was full even though it was the end of October and the weather wasn't the best. Close to Melvern and the railroad tracks so if the sound of trains all night isn't your thing, then pick somewhere else. Excellent clean restrooms and showers. Great views of the lake from many spots. Also good cell service. Only 8 miles from Lyndon where there are restaurants, gas and a dollar store although no grocery store.
Simple place, naturistic
Passing through and skeptical of the 9 miles off the main highway the campground was located but so very pleasantly surprised!! The campsites were spacious with trees and the view of the water was incredible, sunset was magnificent. Nice loop to walk the dog and quiet. We actually stayed awhile in the morning to cook breakfast and enjoy the view a little longer before hitting the road! Only negative was electric only, no water but we always travel with a full tank.
Beach, camping, boat ramp, fishing
1st time out with our travel trailer!
Overall nice campground with full hookups. Fairly level asphalt pads. Large pads available for easy backing. Not at the water but close by.
We stayed in late June in the Rocky Cove Campground on the lake. The lake itself is dotted with campgrounds. Rocky Cove has concrete pad sites, nice and level, both on and away from the lake. The lake sites have power only, and the Prime sites (opposite the lakeside sites) have water and power both. We don't have water in our teardrop, so we got water from an unoccupied site.
The sites are small, and for the summer, don't stay in site #118 (a lakeside site), as it has no protection from the sun. The sun sets across the lake and although the view is great, the sun bakes the campsite from morning until 9 pm. The site next door, #120 is nice and shady. In winter, the desirability of the sites might be reversed.
The odd thing about the campground is that there is no bathroom or showers. At all. You have to go to the next campground over, Oak Point. Not convenient. Overall, Oak Point appears to be the better choice, with more trees, larger sites and a convenient bathroom (with ice machine at the entrance). I should note the restroom was "clean enough". Not terrible, not great. The shower I used had merely a trickle, but my wife's had great pressure. The hand dryer in the men's room looked corroded and was out of order (in Oak Point)
All the campgrounds appeared quiet, and the people there were friendly. We would go back, but stay in Oak Point.
If you are traveling through and need a place to stop for the night, this is a nice little spot. Owners are friendly and helpful. Full hook ups, 50 and 30 amp, pull through and back in. Small campground with no public showers or bathrooms, no WiFi but good ATT cell service.
Me and my wife and grand kids love camping here every weekend.
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.
We camp here quite often. I like that we can take our fur babies. It’s quiet even if there are a lot of campers. People are polite and respectful. The area is always so clean. The camp hosts are great!
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. In fairness, most sites are on the water or have a water view. Spectacular sunsets.
There was only 1 small bath house open while we were there, but it was clean and the shower was hot. It was one of those push button kind that only stayed on for a min. Not a problem to just keep pushing.
We road bikes, but the cold spring winds made kayaking impossible. In the summer, I can see why this place would be a fun destination. Swimming, boating, fishing, horses, archery, wide open spaces.
The roads within the park are not the best. Also, online reservations must be made 48 hrs in advance, otherwise, its day by day.
My husband and I, and our 2 dogs stayed here this evening. We picked a spot right on the point of the cove where we could see all of the lake and its beauty! Sat by our campfire and watched the gorgeous sunset. An evening/night of peace and quiet.
We had a nice weekend stay at this lake. We booked site #210, and were happy with the amenities. Fire ring with built in grill worked well. Luckily the lake wasn’t crowded, so we had lots of space to ourselves. Lake staff were pleasant Nice views of the lake, but not very good shore access from where we were at. However at the end of the campsite was a nice fishing dock. The took a short hike and the trail was well maintained. All in all, we found it to be a nice stay and fairly close to home.
Awesome campground,
This is a nicely maintained state park. All the amenities you'd expect. No complaints. Truck stop a few miles away that had a really good breakfast and giant cinnamon rolls!
Our first trip there was great! You are not able to make reservations BUT we set up a day early and had some great campsites! We were parked right on the water. They have concrete slabs with a great picnic table for each site. There is no sewer and 50 amp service is only on one side. We will definitely be spending more time here in the future!!!
We stayed in the “Basic Camping” area #50 Beautiful views of the lake and plenty of trees to setup a hammock or two. We had some noisy neighbors, and for some reason the hogs (noisy motorcycles) were popular late into the night whilst trying to fall asleep.
Camping near Iola, Kansas, offers a variety of outdoor experiences for everyone. Whether you're looking for a peaceful retreat or an action-packed adventure, there are several campgrounds to choose from.
Camping near Iola, Kansas, has something for everyone, from families to seasoned RVers. With beautiful landscapes and a variety of activities, it’s a great place to enjoy the great outdoors.
Frequently Asked Questions
Which is the most popular glamping campsite near Iola, KS?
According to TheDyrt.com, the most popular glamping campground near Iola, KS is Toronto Point — Cross Timbers State Park with a 4-star rating from 6 reviews.
What is the best site to find glamping camping near Iola, KS?
TheDyrt.com has all 9 glamping camping locations near Iola, KS, with real photos and reviews from campers.
