Best Tent Camping near Leavenworth, KS

Tent camping options near Leavenworth, Kansas include several established campgrounds within reasonable driving distance. Woodridge Park offers free tent camping with both drive-in sites in a gravel loop area and multiple primitive walk-in sites along a trail system. Other tent camping destinations include Shawnee State Fishing Lake, which provides basic tent sites with fire rings scattered along the eastern shoreline, and Agency Conservation Area in northwest Missouri.

Most tent sites in the Leavenworth area have minimal amenities but sufficient basics for primitive camping. Woodridge Park provides clean vault toilets and potable water access at the main camping area, while more remote sites typically lack facilities. The primitive walk-in tent sites at Woodridge follow a trail that can become quite muddy after rain. Fire rings are available at most established camping locations, though campers should check current fire restrictions before planning trips. Sites are generally first-come, first-served, with no reservation system in place at free campgrounds like Woodridge Park.

Tent campers at Woodridge Park benefit from well-spaced sites that offer privacy even during busier periods. The trail-accessible tent sites are particularly secluded, with one visitor noting, "We went mid-June and there had apparently been some type of butterfly hatching. They were small but quite aggressive, constantly swarming us." The lake-adjacent primitive sites provide scenic water views, with Site 4 specifically mentioned for its sunrise vistas. Weekday camping typically offers more solitude, though one camper remarked that "even if every spot is full you still feel secluded" due to the spacing between sites. Cell service is limited throughout most camping areas, with only 1 bar reported on major carriers at Woodridge Park.

Best Tent Sites Near Leavenworth, Kansas (9)

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Recent Tent Camping Photos near Leavenworth, KS

7 Photos of 9 Leavenworth Campgrounds


Tent Camping Reviews near Leavenworth, KS

581 Reviews of 9 Leavenworth Campgrounds


  • Sarah H.
    Sep. 18, 2016

    Wallace State Park Campground

    Popular Park Tucked Away In The Hills

    My husband and I tent camped overnight at Wallace State Park. Woodsy tent camping sites were spacious and private. Large camping pads are lined with wood chips and are comfortable enough to sleep on without an air mattress. Covered picnic tables have an extra shelf for storage convenience. Even after setting up the tent and camping chairs there was still enough room for lawn games or for little ones to run around.

    Wildlife was abundant in the evening. We saw many deer, frogs and squirrels. At dark, nature sounds were unbelievable with songs of bullfrogs, owls, and flying creatures of all sorts. Be sure to bring bug repellant.

    Campground 1 had clean vault toilets, but the bath house near Campground 2 was even better. Showers were clean and in their own stalls with locking doors, shelves and ample hooks. The water got nice and hot and the shower heads were even and held good pressure. This bath house was seriously the best one we have ever visited and we have used dozens.

    For entertainment, there was a bustling playground, winding nature trails, horseshoes, lake swimming, and fishing. There was also a well kept laundry house with a dishwashing sink attached. Campground hosts and park rangers were friendly and busy keeping the park in great shape. Overall, this is a really nice place to camp!

    Gear Review: Lighthouse 250 Lantern and USB Power Hub We decided to try out our GoalZero lantern instead of our usual larger lantern. The lantern is compact enough to fit in a small bag with other electronics and is very light in weight. This saved us a little extra room which is a bonus since we take all of our camping trips in a tiny little Prius C. The Lighthouse 250 would be a good contender for bringing along on a backpacking trip, but you would want to pad it with some kind of protection as it seems that some parts might not hold up to a lot of banging around.

    We used the lantern 2 nights in a row without charging it and the battery life indicator still had over 1/4 of its power left. On this same charge, wee tested the phone charger by hooking up an iPhone 4 to charge for 10 minutes with the light on full turbo. The 10 minute charge boosted the phone's battery 12%. The hand crank charger was a little awkward, but would be sufficient in a pinch. Had we needed more power, we could have easily plugged the attached USB cord into our car charger. We don't usually pony up for electric sites, so on extended excursions, the Nomad 7 Solar Panel is a gadget we would consider purchasing.

    The directional lighting feature of the lantern came in handy for having dimmer light closer to sleeping times and brighter light for reading/boardgames in the tent. In the end, we will definitely bring the Lighthouse 250 lantern with us on future trips, and will leave our bulky older lantern at home.

  • Whitney L.
    Jun. 6, 2022

    Bluffwoods Conservation Area

    lovely, quiet camping near St. Joe’s MO

    Love this little area for camping! It’s well maintained, quiet, easy to access, has lots of grass for the dogs to play and we always see wildlife. People often leave trash so be sure to leave no trace so it stays nice for all to enjoy <3

  • Leni K.
    Jun. 6, 2022

    Wallace State Park Campground

    Good Weekend Getaway

    Campground 1 is the ideal tent grounds. Heavily wooded some with better coverage than others. Campground 2 is the most spaces RV site. Campground 3 had five total sites in an open area. No privacy at all. Campground 4 was a tighter RV set up. All campgrounds share one very updated showerhouse, which did lead to some lines at the showers Sunday, but the trade off for quality bathroom is appreciated. All campgrounds and day use areas are also connected by a series of trails, so you're not far off from getting to a hike at any point. Campground 1 has four walkins that range from 80 to 300 yards in, starting with 28 closest and 31 farthest out. We stayed at 31, and whole remote, during the day picked up sounds clearly from other sites and at night the highway was pretty clear. Overall though the seclusion tradeoff was nice and it was an easy adjustment for us as car campers. We had a raccoon visitor who is a frequent flyer, while he got away with some hotdogs, we adjusted and ensured he didn't get additional treats. The main showerhouse was closer than the vault toilet on 1, which was still really well maintained. Overall crowds here seemed very respectful of quiet hours, space on trails and made for an improved stay. Camp hosts were always available and polite and friendly. Trails were maintained. Definitely would return again, to a similar site as a walk in.

  • Leni K.
    May. 24, 2021

    Weston Bend State Park Campground

    Okay Campground for Tenting

    Campground is great overall, with a walkable trail just past the showers, clean restrooms and easy to access sites. There are only 3 basic tent sites, making it hard to nab. #4 had a decent amount of privacy, however most other electric sites do not. As an electric site, there was not a lot of ground space for tents, we settled on gravel with reflectix to buffer the ground. Check in was easy, and in walking distance. Site was pretty noisy, even after hours, a few kids running around with speakers on blast definitely were less than optimal.

  • Leni K.
    Apr. 7, 2024

    Prairie Clover Campground — Clinton State Park

    Relaxing Car/Tent Camping Spot

    Pros Off-season was quiet Open bathrooms were nice and well kept. Easy access to trails Lots of wildlife, vultures, deer, etc. Well marked and plenty of them spots Marina was a quick bike ride away and had a lot to offer during the season. Primate loops had some good spacing and tree cover, along with views of the lake. Inner loops not so much Potable water available year round. Was drinkable.

    Cons Signs marked closed bathrooms but not the closest open bathrooms. One per campsite was still open with heat and electric. Weirdly all vaults were closed Office and hosts were unavailable so we had to leave for Casey's for firewood. While before the season, someone told us it's typically impossible to get firewood because the office is usually closed. Signs to the entrance to park and n avigation were pretty small, impossible to read at night, not lit. Electric parking pass only issued one day pass at a time. Would do the paper pass across the parking lot next time. Spacing is definitely a bit crowded for tent camping privacy this time of year. Will be curious to see how it feels in the summer/fall.

  • Lady Phyre  ☆.The Dyrt PRO User
    Jul. 4, 2025

    Pony Express Lake Conservation Area

    Pony Express is amazing!

    You can camp in one of several little inlets and nooks. It's a Fish & Game preserve with camping and fishing spots all around the lake. Many with picnic tables and most with vault toilets. It's on my top 10 list of best primitive/dispersed camping locations. Only con is the vault toilet at the inlet I camped in. It was unusable with fetus nearly to the top. I think some unscrupulous person put trash in it then other used it probably without knowing. Very bad etiquette! Be sure to bring your own camping toilet and/or check the vault toilet before setting up. I didn't see very many RVs but several vans, trucks, and cars were there. The wildlife is predominantly water fowl.

  • Freya
    Oct. 16, 2025

    Quail Run Campground — Hillsdale State Park

    Relaxing place to camp and enjoy nature

    All in all I really enjoyed tent camping at one of the primitive sites! My dad and I used two separate tents, each of which are six person tents, and it was easy to fit both on the campsite. I didn’t love the fire ring because the wall was pretty high and the grill part didn’t have adjustable height so that limited the height of the fire we could build when we wanted to cook over it. The nearby vault toilet was just OK, it was about as clean as a vault toilet could be but there was no way to use hand sanitizer or wash your hands nearby. The shower house with flush toilets, which was a little further away, was clean but didn’t have any hand soap, it only had hand sanitizer which was a disappointment.

    Those were really the only drawbacks to this campsite though! Everything else was lovely. I liked that there was a small camp store nearby with firewood for purchase during operating hours. The scenery was very nice and even though there were a lot of RVs in their section of the campground, I didn’t hear any noise coming from their air-conditioning thanks to the distance between that section and the primitive section.

    Being almost completely surrounded by the lake was so serene and we got to hear and see a lot of wildlife. The only other thing to know about this spot on the campground is that if you’re going to the primitive sites, you will have to park nearby and then walk the rest of the way with your gear. At the site I was in that was only a couple of yards but other ones were further away.

    Also, a note about spiders: there were way more than I’ve ever seen while camping before, so if large amounts of them bother you I suggest you not camp here in October! Most of them were small, but seeing them so often was still kind of gross. Such is life when camping though!

  • R
    Aug. 3, 2016

    Wallace State Park Campground

    Wallace State Park in Cameron, MO

    There are mixed RV and tent camping sites, including primitive and walk in sites. You can get water and electric at most sites. Each campground has an iron fire ring with a grill attached.

    There are nice hiking trails. Trails are well marked. There three levels to choose from based on distance.

    There is also a small lake to fish or swim in. The lake for it's size, had some nice fish.

    The community shower and bathroom houses are not air conditioned. The floors are slab cement, but the park staff clean them daily.

    Overall, I think that campgrounds are decent.

  • Lee D.The Dyrt PRO User
    Apr. 1, 2021

    Lake Shawnee County Campground

    So much to do and very close to Topeka

    General: In addition to a campground, this county park has so much to offer including a seven-mile paved path around Lake Shawnee, disc golf, a heated fishing dock, softball complex, golf course, boat ramps, tennis courts, playground, picnic shelters, arboretum, and the Ted Ensley Gardens. The office was open until 7 pm so check-in was a breeze and the staff very friendly and welcoming. 

    Sites/Facilities: The campground itself has 119 sites, situated on a peninsula jutting into the lake. All have water and electric (some 30 amp and some 50 amp). Many have views of the lake but unfortunately, they are all back-in and stacked up very close to each other so there is no privacy between sites. Our site (96) was on the end, so we had privacy on one side but could easily hear people in neighboring sites. Each site has a picnic table and fire ring. The fee is very reasonable ($20 or$18 for seniors). 

    Activities: I saw people fishing in the lake, there is a nice playground, and there is a paved path around the lake which made for a nice walk. 

    Restrooms: There are two restroom/shower/laundry facilities that were very clean (they had been cleaned by the time I went in at 7:30 am). 

    Conclusion: You are not far from downtown Topeka so you will hear road noise and the occasional siren, but this campground and all facilities are a nice oasis near an urban area. I definitely recommend visiting the Ted Ensley gardens while there (no additional admission, by donation only).


Guide to Leavenworth

Tent campers near Leavenworth, Kansas find options within a 40-mile radius with varying levels of amenities and privacy. The area features rolling hills with elevation changes of 250-350 feet throughout most camping destinations. Summer temperatures typically reach 85-95°F with high humidity, while spring and fall camping seasons offer milder temperatures in the 60-75°F range with more comfortable conditions.

What to do

Fishing opportunities: Shawnee State Fishing Lake offers multiple spots for bank fishing along the eastern shore where camping is permitted. As one camper noted, "Far from the maddening crowd..although there were quite a few folks here Sunday evening…fishing and just relaxing..almost everyone left after sundown."

Trail exploration: The trail system at Woodridge Park provides varying terrain for day hiking. "We also love hiking the trail through the woods and by the lake even when we aren't camping—best trail I've been on in Lawrence," shares one regular visitor.

Wildlife observation: Morning hours at primitive sites offer opportunities to spot local wildlife. Many campers report seeing deer, various bird species, and occasional small mammals. One camper at Agency Conservation Area mentions the area has "some trails and some creek features" worth exploring for nature observation.

What campers like

Seclusion: The walk-in sites at Woodridge Park provide exceptional privacy. One camper explains, "Camping spots along trail are really spread out and even if every spot is full you still feel secluded."

Lake views: Primitive sites at Shawnee State Fishing Lake provide direct water access. A camper describes it as "very pretty, very quiet, very primitive camping" with camping spots "on the east side of lake identified by fire rings scattered here and there."

Free camping options: Budget-conscious campers appreciate no-fee options in the region. At Woodridge Park, one visitor called it "beautiful free camping" with a gravel loop and "a couple hike-in sites dispersed along a trail."

Multiple site options: Campers value the variety of established sites and freedom to create their own spaces. As one regular visitor to Woodridge Park mentions, "It's highly suggested that you explore off the trail though so that you can see all the creative campsites that campers have built and established and you can create your own living space."

What you should know

Seasonal insect activity: Butterflies and other insects can be problematic during certain weeks in summer. One camper at Riverfront Camping Club reported a mid-June experience: "There had apparently been some type of butterfly hatching. They were small but quite aggressive, constantly swarming us."

Trail conditions: Muddy conditions affect trail accessibility after rain events. One camper cautions, "Keep in mind though that the trail gets very muddy if it has just rained!"

Limited facilities: Most area campgrounds provide only basic amenities. At Agency Conservation Area, a camper described the site as having "a small gravel pullout off the dirt road where the iconic brown fish and wildlife area guidelines and regulation signage are posted."

Operating hours: Some conservation areas have restricted access times. A visitor to Agency Conservation Area reported, "I guess the area is closed 10pm to 4 pm. Super small gravel parking lot."

Tips for camping with families

Best family-friendly sites: Families report Woodridge Park offers a good balance of accessibility and amenities. A parent mentions, "This is my little families favorite camp ground. We very rarely run into anyone else while camping on the trail. We have myself, husband, son, and dog."

Pack for hiking: Families planning to use walk-in sites should prepare for carrying gear. One family notes, "It our first time hiking in to a site (lots of work with our regular gear for a family of four, but worth it!)."

Weekday advantages: School-week camping provides more solitude for families with pre-school children. At Tent Sites at Milo Farm, weekdays typically see fewer visitors compared to weekends when nearby attractions draw more campers.

Tips from RVers

Limited hookup options: The Leavenworth area offers few full-service RV sites. Most campsites are primitive or offer limited electrical connections only. At Woodridge Park, one regular camper recommends the "main camping area" for those needing basic facilities like "clean vault toilets and potable water access."

Small rig accessibility: Most conservation area access roads accommodate smaller RVs and trailers but present challenges for larger rigs. One visitor with a "square back pull behind" noted they had no issues accessing the Agency Conservation Area as "the roads leading to the CA were well maintained and not muddy even after a ton of rain earlier in the week."

Frequently Asked Questions

Which is the most popular tent campsite near Leavenworth, KS?

According to TheDyrt.com, the most popular tent campground near Leavenworth, KS is Woodridge Park with a 4.7-star rating from 13 reviews.

What is the best site to find tent camping near Leavenworth, KS?

TheDyrt.com has all 9 tent camping locations near Leavenworth, KS, with real photos and reviews from campers.