Best Cabin Camping near Manhattan, KS

When camping in Kansas you must try the Rocky Ford Campground in Tuttle State Park River Pond Area. This is a great shaded area with water views and full hookups. There are great secluded sites or sites you can camp next to friends or family. There are huge cottonwood trees that are wrapped with green vines during the summer months that guide you through the park. Make sure and put your food away at night or the raccoons will be dining at your table during the night. Site #44 is our favorite spot to hang the hammock and relax after biking or hiking the trails.

This is a charming little campground, and I do not use the word“charming” often. It is charming because it has so many quaint relics of the past, including the town itself. At the entrance to the campground, there is a building covered with old signs, hubcaps, etc. As a photographer, I couldn’t be happier to have the opportunity begin taking pictures immediately. As we drove down the road to our campsite, we came across such oddities as a bicycle halfway up a windmill, an old original train depot with an antique threshing machine next to it, and more. The campsites are flat and fairly spacious. We were lucky that the campground was not at full capacity because many of the sites are in pairs. Our pull-through site was within inches of the adjacent pull-through site. Although there was no picnic table at our site, we could have used one on the adjacent site, and we brought our own table. The site did have a fire pit, but we arrived late and didn’t have time to worry about getting wood. There are seasonal and permanent campers at the campground, and you have to reserve early during peak seasons. I talked to one person at the campground and he said that it was booked up one time when he wanted to stay. Although the site we got was gravel and pull-through, there are sites without power by the creek, in case you want to tent camp or just don’t need hookups. The bath house was clean, and the owner told me that it is sanitized every day. The shower stalls are spacious and there is hot water. There is a playground for kids and activities for older people—basketball, corn hole, etc. The only drawback is that you can hear trains passing through during the night about three or four times. It didn’t bother me since I love the sound of trains, but it does wake you up since the tracks are so close to the campground. The town is within walking distance of the campground, and it is worth walking(or driving) to it. The buildings are interesting architecturally, and the town is known for antiques. Overall, I really liked this campground. It may not have all of the amenities of the larger campgrounds, but it is quiet(except for the trains) and peaceful.

We really enjoyed Prairie View campground. We were in site 116, which our camper door faced a cove of the lake and the boat ramp. It was like there was no one else camping by us. We were able to launch our kayaks a few feet from our campsite which was nice. Each campsite was equipped with electric and water, a fire ring,and a picnic table. The sunsets over the water were beautiful. The restrooms and shower were ok. There was a sign that stated it was only as clean as the last person who used it. Was t to excited about that during Covid. We were able to see a few blue heron and a Golden and a bald eagle. We will definitely be back as it was very peaceful

When visiting Milford State Park one of the first camping loops you find is Prairie View Campground which is why many find it so appealing.   It has great cell signal, close proximity to the front office and highway and borders upon the lake.    But with that lake access also comes a very scary reality during rainy season.   This campground is prone to lower sites flooding when rains are abundant.    However no one could have prepared for massive rains which took an already vulnerable large campground and turned it into a very small limited access site.

Of the campgrounds available at Milford Lake this is one of the few which remain open despite waters swelling and swallowing the majority of the camp during the 2019 season.

Campsites offer electricity and picnic tables with a variety of styles of sites including pull through and back in.    However with man of these underwater it is hard to find a site currently that feels safe and high enough to merit camping here.

This campground has a lot of promise with their facility.    There is plenty of shade in the area making for a very comfortable stay when not experiencing rising waters.   There is firewood available from the campground host as you enter the campground and 2 loops for camping offer plenty of options during peak season.

Currently there are less than 10 sites available at this location, road is barricaded and the waters are literally in the backyard of all sites as it has created a peninsula.   

Typically there is shore access for fishing in this campground.

TIPS:

• Call ahead before visiting this park as a whole to check conditions.  With limited locations for camping currently available you will be happier by checking in advance rather than coming and experiencing being turned away.
• Book online or pay at the pay station with cash.    No cards are accepted at the pay station and mostly of the time there is no one in the check in booth at the gate.