Best Dog-Friendly Camping near Marion Reservoir

Newer campground with nice flat lots. Simple, straightforward campground. Perfect for an overnight or stopping place while traveling. Great dog park and small kids area.

Close to everywhere, flat gravel sites, friendly owners and employees, full hookups, nice dog park and kid's playground. We travel through Wichita frequently and are happy to have found a place to stay overnight or longer when needed.

The park was clean and friendly.  I loved the dog park so I could let my pups run free.  The laundry facility was very helpful so i didnt have to travel to find one.  There was free wifi in the park as well, which my kids loved.  There is a very pretty pond area on the property, with very nice walking trails.  Wichita, KS is very close by with lots of fun things to do.  Enjoyed my time there, will def stay there again if back in the area!

I am thrilled with the amenities at this campground. The Wifi works great, especially after this is the first time I had wifi since leaving home. The pool, fishpond, kids playground,nature trail, and dog park are just some of the amenities. We all had some sandwiches made for us while we checked in. The bathroom and shower were exceptionally clean. My only concerns are the electric pedestal had a bulge below the socket, which wouldn't fit my surge protector. My electric went out, and I had to reset the breaker. I would have felt better knowing my surge protector was usable. Abilene, the boyhood home of President Eisenhower was right up the road and worth a visit.

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. 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.

In June of 2023, my husband& I decided to move into our 42' toy hauler. We searched& searched within a 30-minute radius of our property that we had bought for a campground with great amenities and where we would feel safe with our 2 babies. Walt's is by far the safest, friendliest, fun-filled campground compared to any of the others we visited around. We were greeted with friendly faces and welcoming staff from our very first day of move-in. They made sure we got settled& hooked up ok and have continued to make us feel right at home. My husband is a truck driver so isn't always home when things go wrong with the camper. The staff has always been there to help when something happens especially when we have had issues with propane leaks, or the heater not working during the colder temps. This campground offers put-put course, swimming pool with poolside pub, horseshoes, catch& release fishing, walking trail, small dog park, playground for children, shower houses/restrooms, laundry facility, on site gas station, a country store with made to order pizzas, sandwiches& tex mex! They do several family friendly events throughout the year. At the country store they have anything of convenience that you may need from toiletries, drinks, snacks, ice cream, games, books, alcoholic beverages, etc. We absolutely love staying here. The sites have been freshly graveled. During the summer the lawn, gardens, pool, etc. Were maintained regularly and they are constantly doing updates weekly here. The best part it is also right off I-70. For long term campers that are truckers they do have a small area for semis. They also have a rentable party room inside the country store as well as outdoor areas for party rentals!

There are a few designated camping areas with fire pits and picnic tables, but you can park and camp anywhere around the lake. Perfect for fishing, exploring, camping, boating, fishing and more. Campfires and leashed pets are allowed. Don’t forget to visit the waterfalls (entrance on State Lake Rd).

You'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!

You'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, at least not during the busy summer camping season. Cross Timbers and Fall River are much better!

very well kept trails wind through this park. I went with my two dogs and husband for a fall afternoon hike and thoroughly enjoyed the wooded scenery!

We stopped here overnight during our road trip across the country. It was a delightful surprise! The bathrooms are super clean, there is a very nice playground and fenced dog run.

The campground was ok. Sites were small and had trees extremely close to the camp pad. Parking for your vehicle was poor. The good thing was all sites(16) in Sumac have all 3 utilities, which in a State Park is quite a few. However, the placement of the sewer was a Awkward if you have a backend bathroom..On a very sad note our 11 year JRT was struck & killed directly in front of our camper , he has always been a good , stay in camp dog, put this sites are not big on space between camper& road. Keep your dogs CHAINED , in a cage or in the camper. No space to catch a runaway before they get to the road.

My husband, our 2 dogs, and I stayed at the Equestrian Loop. We pulled in our PUP for a night sleep. The spot we chose to pop up was right near the water, and you could hear the waves hitting the shore all night long. A beautiful and peaceful sound.

Multiple spots are available on the lake, and there are a couple in a grassy wooded area. They have picnic tables and fire pits already there. I stayed in the grassy wooded area and enjoyed the night. Road noise dies down around 8 or 9 and then you only hear occasional cars if you are awake... didn't bother me much. Had a dog and she had a good time.

....the camp host offers you dog food and asks if your homeless....haha

Bluestem Point Rocks & Rolls! My SOBF (significant other boyfriend) and I have camped here over six times. We didn’t even leave when they had the semi-floods and crazy lightning storms in May & June 2019 (and we only live 30 minutes away). The picnic tables are great because they are shaped like a sail and you can turn them to block the wind or sun. You can also put a tarp on top and block out the rain. The camp hosts (Bob and Jean) are so friendly and accommodating. They also keep the place spic and span.

Pros: 

- easy to get to from I-70

- friendly camp hosts 

- lots of grass to walk dogs 

- beautiful sunsets 

Cons:

- 35 minutes one way to the nearest town with major stores like Walmart and Petco

- people did not care about walking through my waterfront site to get to the water (there were other ways)

- site was pretty sloped back to front and side to side but just bring leveling blocks and you're fine

- dump station didn't provide a water hose for cleaning the sewer hose after dumping even though it had water connection but must provide own hose 

I didn't use the bathroom facilities and forgot to test speed but I had zero issues with Verizon or AT&T.

Nice pull through & back in site just 4 miles from Kansas fairgrounds