The Dyrt is here to help plan your best camping near Paola. Aside from great camping spots, you'll find hiking and many more outdoor experiences. Thinking of traveling with kids? You're in luck—Paola 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 Clinton Lake
Blue Springs Campground features modern facilities and is located only 5 minutes from Blue Springs Lake. Some of the amenities include:
Attendant
Fire Grill
Firewood - $7/bucket (outside firewood is not permitted)
Laundry
Picnic Table
Playground
Restrooms
Showers
Premiere - Full Hookup with Concrete Pad: 29 sites
Full Hookup: 16 sites
Electric: 23 sites
Electric and Water: 13 sites
Total: 81 sites
$33 - $48 / night
This approximately 560 acre park offers a variety of water sports, including boating, skiing, swimming, and fishing on a 200 acre lake. Also available are camping and picnic areas, a playground and hiking trails.
During the summer months, a camp host is available at the campgrounds on the west side of the lake to assist campers. Camping and boating permits are also available from the Lake Caretaker at the office near the boat ramp.
Lake Miola is located at the north edge of Paola at 299th Street and Hedge Lane Road.
Bloomington East Park includes Cedar Ridge, Hickory/Walnut, and Oak Campgrounds, Ash and Elm Group Camps, and Bloomington Beach Picnic Shelters. The park is located just west of Clinton Lake, between the Rock Creek and Wakarusa River arms of the lake, and offers several different recreational options. Within Bloomington East Park, visitors have the opportunity to reserve picnic shelters and campsites, both for group camping and individual family camping.
Bloomington Beach has a large sandy beach for swimming. Bloomington Beach requires a day use fee, for non-campers, between May 1 and September 30. There are horseshoe pits, sand volleyball courts and playgrounds located several places in Bloomington East Park, making it the perfect spot for families. Clinton Lake offers opportunities for boating, fishing, canoeing, jet skiing, swimming and countless other water sports, making it the main attraction in Bloomington East Park. The lake's fish and wildlife resources provide sightseers, fishermen, and hunters, ample opportunities for their sports, and Clinton Lake is well-stocked with crappie, walleye, channel catfish and white bass. Bloomington East Park has three boat ramps within a short driving distance of the campgrounds. These boat ramps (#5, 6 and 7) do require a day use fee, for non-campers, between April 1 and October 31. Visitors enjoy viewing bald eagles, white-tailed deer, Canada geese, wild turkey and other wildlife in abundance at Clinton Lake. Three trail systems are located around Clinton Lake, including the North Shore, South Shore and the George Latham Trails. All offer hiking, biking and equestrian opportunities within a 20 minute drive.
Congress authorized Clinton Lake in 1962, and the finished reservoir was filled in 1980. While the Dam and Reservoir were originally built for flood control, the area has now become a recreational oasis for millions of visitors to enjoy the beautiful green Kansas backdrop. Clinton Lake's beautiful setting of steep bluffs, wooded shoreline and clean water is unequaled among Kansas lakes. Shoreline development has been limited in an effort to preserve as much of the natural setting as possible. Clinton Lake spans 8 miles up the Wakarusa Valley and covers 7,000 surface acres. If the lake ever approaches the top of its flood pool, an additional 5,800 acres will be covered, extending the area to 13 miles along the valley floor.
The Visitor Center, located on the northwest side of the dam, has several informative displays covering topics such as the history of the area, reasons for the dam and the wildlife in the area. The Clinton Lake Museum, located within Bloomington East Park, has several informative displays covering topics like the history of the region and the Underground Railroad. The cities of Lawrence and Topeka are within a 30 minute drive.
$14 / night
10 minutes for downtown KC., MO. and 15 minutes from Overland Park, KS., Walnut Grove RV Park offers a total of 50 lots. We are not a resort, so we don't have pool or activities. You stay here so you can do all those things in the city around us. Amenities include hot showers, clean restrooms, laundromat, dump station, dog park, both 30 and 50 amps sites are available with full hook-ups at each lot. WiFi internet service is available from edge to edge of the park! Paved roads lead to our 50 sites, that our staff is more than happy to help get you in and out of with ease! Along with the historical attractions, there are also several Casino’s near the park; Harrah’s, Argosy, Casino KC and Hollywood Casino. All are located within a 15 minutes drive! Maps and Brochures are available anytime in the front of the office, or just ask one of our Staff for directions to your destination and they will print you a map on the spot! ALSO, with tournament time rapidly approaching, The National Intramural Softball Fields are located just 5 miles West of the Park on Johnson Drive. If planning to attend a tournament please make reservations EARLY. We wish to accommodate everyone, but with conventions and special events, we ask that you make your reservations as much in advance as possible, with only 50 lots, a prime location, and our rock-star staff, we have a tendency to fill up FAST! 65′ Max RV Site Available Length
$62 - $131 / night
Water, Electric: 22
Primitive Campsites: 12
Other Information: Saddle Ridge equestrian area has approximately 32 miles of marked trails available to horseback riders and trail users. Sites are reservable at reserveamerica.com 2 days in advance of arrival.
Conveniently located south of the Kansas City Metro Area, one of Kansas’ newest reservoirs awaits visitors to its more than 12,000 acres of park and wildlife area. Completed in 1982, more than 70 percent of the standing timber was left in the reservoir basin to provide fish habitat. Walleye, catfish, largemouth bass, crappie, and bluegill are abundant. Approximately 4,500 acres of water and 51 miles of shoreline are open to fishing. Roughly 7,000 acres are open to hunting at Hillsdale within the wildlife area and state park.
Common wildlife includes whitetail deer, bobwhite quail, squirrel, rabbit, beaver, muskrat, and a variety of waterfowl. Birdwatchers will see bald eagles, shorebirds, finches, warblers, sparrows, and hawks.
The Saddle Ridge equestrian area on the east side of the reservoir has about 32 miles of marked trails available to horseback riders.
Blue Springs Campground features modern facilities and is located only 5 minutes from Blue Springs Lake. Some of the amenities include:
Attendant
Fire Grill
Firewood - $7/bucket (outside firewood is not permitted)
Laundry
Picnic Table
Playground
Restrooms
Showers
Premiere - Full Hookup with Concrete Pad: 29 sites
Full Hookup: 16 sites
Electric: 23 sites
Electric and Water: 13 sites
Total: 81 sites
$33 - $48 / night
This approximately 560 acre park offers a variety of water sports, including boating, skiing, swimming, and fishing on a 200 acre lake. Also available are camping and picnic areas, a playground and hiking trails.
During the summer months, a camp host is available at the campgrounds on the west side of the lake to assist campers. Camping and boating permits are also available from the Lake Caretaker at the office near the boat ramp.
Lake Miola is located at the north edge of Paola at 299th Street and Hedge Lane Road.
Bloomington East Park includes Cedar Ridge, Hickory/Walnut, and Oak Campgrounds, Ash and Elm Group Camps, and Bloomington Beach Picnic Shelters. The park is located just west of Clinton Lake, between the Rock Creek and Wakarusa River arms of the lake, and offers several different recreational options. Within Bloomington East Park, visitors have the opportunity to reserve picnic shelters and campsites, both for group camping and individual family camping.
Bloomington Beach has a large sandy beach for swimming. Bloomington Beach requires a day use fee, for non-campers, between May 1 and September 30. There are horseshoe pits, sand volleyball courts and playgrounds located several places in Bloomington East Park, making it the perfect spot for families. Clinton Lake offers opportunities for boating, fishing, canoeing, jet skiing, swimming and countless other water sports, making it the main attraction in Bloomington East Park. The lake's fish and wildlife resources provide sightseers, fishermen, and hunters, ample opportunities for their sports, and Clinton Lake is well-stocked with crappie, walleye, channel catfish and white bass. Bloomington East Park has three boat ramps within a short driving distance of the campgrounds. These boat ramps (#5, 6 and 7) do require a day use fee, for non-campers, between April 1 and October 31. Visitors enjoy viewing bald eagles, white-tailed deer, Canada geese, wild turkey and other wildlife in abundance at Clinton Lake. Three trail systems are located around Clinton Lake, including the North Shore, South Shore and the George Latham Trails. All offer hiking, biking and equestrian opportunities within a 20 minute drive.
Congress authorized Clinton Lake in 1962, and the finished reservoir was filled in 1980. While the Dam and Reservoir were originally built for flood control, the area has now become a recreational oasis for millions of visitors to enjoy the beautiful green Kansas backdrop. Clinton Lake's beautiful setting of steep bluffs, wooded shoreline and clean water is unequaled among Kansas lakes. Shoreline development has been limited in an effort to preserve as much of the natural setting as possible. Clinton Lake spans 8 miles up the Wakarusa Valley and covers 7,000 surface acres. If the lake ever approaches the top of its flood pool, an additional 5,800 acres will be covered, extending the area to 13 miles along the valley floor.
The Visitor Center, located on the northwest side of the dam, has several informative displays covering topics such as the history of the area, reasons for the dam and the wildlife in the area. The Clinton Lake Museum, located within Bloomington East Park, has several informative displays covering topics like the history of the region and the Underground Railroad. The cities of Lawrence and Topeka are within a 30 minute drive.
$14 / night
10 minutes for downtown KC., MO. and 15 minutes from Overland Park, KS., Walnut Grove RV Park offers a total of 50 lots. We are not a resort, so we don't have pool or activities. You stay here so you can do all those things in the city around us. Amenities include hot showers, clean restrooms, laundromat, dump station, dog park, both 30 and 50 amps sites are available with full hook-ups at each lot. WiFi internet service is available from edge to edge of the park! Paved roads lead to our 50 sites, that our staff is more than happy to help get you in and out of with ease! Along with the historical attractions, there are also several Casino’s near the park; Harrah’s, Argosy, Casino KC and Hollywood Casino. All are located within a 15 minutes drive! Maps and Brochures are available anytime in the front of the office, or just ask one of our Staff for directions to your destination and they will print you a map on the spot! ALSO, with tournament time rapidly approaching, The National Intramural Softball Fields are located just 5 miles West of the Park on Johnson Drive. If planning to attend a tournament please make reservations EARLY. We wish to accommodate everyone, but with conventions and special events, we ask that you make your reservations as much in advance as possible, with only 50 lots, a prime location, and our rock-star staff, we have a tendency to fill up FAST! 65′ Max RV Site Available Length
$62 - $131 / night
Scout
No. Hay palabras para describir esto tan increíble
Guide
Nice level sites. Clean facilities and friendly staff. Cost was a little steep for off season.
ScoutIf your camper is 10 yrs or older then don't even try it
Legend
Is situated near very busy Hwy and rails road. It is a little tight but the stuff is very nice.
Guide
The hosts are very friendly and the campsites have decent space between them, restrooms are decent except there are no hooks or benches at the entrance restrooms. The other restroom is unknown to me Nice shade for most of the day and there’s a swimming beach and places you can go fishing. Water and electric are shut off on the 1st of October
Scout
Pretty lake views, easy to drive in and find pretty private sites, and some fire ring
Traveler
Enjoyed a quick stay here several times. Laundry facilities. Clean and spaces not too close together. Well set up for either tent or RV. Shade.
Travelera good price with 30 Dollars
quiet
clean
good and helpful staff
no pool, but you can drive to a lake
Traveler
Beautiful well-kept park with gorgeous trails, beach, lots of shade, and quiet camping. We’ve been here three times now and just love it. Outlet park is below the dam. If you’re into fishing/boating the giant lake has a marina with everything you need to get out on the water as well as a kitchen where they serve hamburgers and other food items. The Marina is currently closed as of 8-2-24 due to weather damage but will reopen.
Scout
Overall it was a good experience. We came on a weekend with good weather and were able to reserve easily a couple days in advance. There were a few campers near to us that we could see but no one that was right next to us and we couldn't hear them at all.
Pros:
Access to "modern" toilets that flushed. While the one closest to us was closed (see cons) there was one a bit further, maybe another 4 minutes walk away that was open. It had a few stalls and were in decent enough condition.
PLENTY of wildlife. Bunnies, Racoons (and babies), PLENTY of deer, a possum.
Bugs - While I've been here in early July and the bugs made me want to scream, in late July it seems they are better or at least being more in the open helped. A few flies and mosquitos. Nothing too bad.
Cons:
Traveler
Beautiful park. Pay more for the pull through you’ll have tons of parking even if your rig is big. Our rig is 44 ft and we parked two 2500’s on the pad no problem. We reserve our days in advance and if we need to cancel we just change our reservation to a different date with no fees. The pool and clubhouse are well kept so are the bathrooms and laundry room. This Is our favorite campsite to date. So much to do.
RangerNice park in a beautiful setting. Only downside was the bugs were horrible here. Swarms of gnats and mosquitoes. The bathrooms were pretty dated too.
RangerCamped here several days in late June. The were very few campers, even on the weekends. Many slept in their cars and left at first light. I assume they went fishing at the lake. Bathroom was a little rough but manageable.
Scout
Camp spots are lakeside and adjacent to the launch ramp.
TravelerOn a road trip off the 70, pulled over to camp for the night! Quiet, only a few other campers around.. lovely nighttime sounds. Firepit. Some trash from other campers.. remember to pack it in and pack it out!
ScoutCamped out at site 13 for a real peaceful Saturday. Half of our group took the trail and hiked to the campsite, the other half got there by kayak/paddleboard. The site was very secluded and had a very interesting layout. Lots of hammock tree setups too.
Only real issue we had was there wasn’t a lot of flat ground. The tents we pitched were pretty close to the fire, and the biggest patch of flat ground was down wind from the fire.
Scout
This is definitely a smaller campground, but when communicating with the owners they were super nice and accommodating. We have a rooftop tent in our car, so we parked in one of the tent sites down by the creek and we had a very private space away from all of the RVs. The facilities were also very clean. There is a private indoor accessible toilet, as well as a hot shower and laundry. There are also indoor and outdoor games on site. Since we were closer to the pond it was pretty buggy, but putting on some bug spray helped.
Traveler
We recently took our scout troop to Woodridge and had ample space for the group. The 4.5 mile trail was a nice activity for the scouts during the morning. The trail was moderately difficult and could be problematic if raining. The vault toilet was pretty clean and well taken care of. It was fairly busy between the car campers and those who utilized one of the many hike in sites. Several of the hike in sites looked promising and I hope to one day return and use one as well.
RangerWe found a great spot for our van that was right on the water and mostly secluded. Got pretty busy on the weekend and people had loose dogs that were causing some problems, but otherwise very chill. Lake is beautiful, decent cell service with Verizon. Pit toilets in good shape when we arrived Thursday afternoon but kind of rough by the end of the weekend.
Camp in main area to be near toilets, otherwise there’s lots of loops near the water where you can find sites with more privacy. No trash so pack it out.
RangerIt was pretty crowded and most car camping sites were taken when we got in at 8pm on a Wednesday in may. Some folks appeared to be staying long-term and had left their dogs completely unattended with only one tied up so they were just wandering the campground.
We left after a night because cell service wasn’t very good (1 bar on Verizon/at and t/t mobile) and the loose dog repeatedly wandering into our campsite was upsetting our dog. Sites down the trail for tents seemed okay.
Traveler
Stayed one night in Walnut at site 286. $20 a night. Clean showers and bathrooms. Plenty of hot water. Plenty of spaces in walnut, hickory was busier. Beautiful lake.
RangerPros 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.
ScoutThis is a small remote lake of about 160 acres water area. A county road takes you through the area and across the dam. There are gravel pull off areas and a lakeside gravel road. The pit toilet is not well maintained. Not suitable for larger vehicles.
Ranger
Nice to spend the night. Friendly staff and clean bath/shower facilities. Close proximity to the interstate does come with some traffic noise. Many retail options within a short drive.
ScoutHad to call numerous times to acully get thru. Asked about 6 weeks of staying. Inquired about long term. Was told that it would cost me $3400.00 to stay a mo th here. That's insane
Traveler
Stayed here off season for free. They do not close the gates so you can enter but no access to facilities, water or electric. Campground slopes to the river so very few level sites. Some noise from the road but otherwise peaceful as nobody was there.
GuideWe offer a perspective on RV camping "off peak" (late fall and early spring). This KOA has a nice eastern exposure for morning sun, and lots of pull through sites. On the downside, if you're sensitive to nearby road noise, there's a lot of Jake Brakes on I-70 which, at least in the absence of tree foliage, is all over the park.
Camping near Paola, Kansas, offers a mix of beautiful landscapes and family-friendly activities. Whether you're looking for a peaceful retreat or a fun-filled adventure, there are several campgrounds to explore in the area.
Camping near Paola, Kansas, has something for everyone, from families to RV enthusiasts. With a little planning, you can enjoy a great outdoor experience!
Frequently Asked Questions
What camping is available near Paola, KS?
According to TheDyrt.com, Paola, KS offers a wide range of camping options, with 82 campgrounds and RV parks near Paola, KS and 2 free dispersed camping spots.
Which is the most popular campground near Paola, KS?
According to TheDyrt.com, the most popular campground near Paola, KS is Russel Crites - Hillsdale State Park with a 4.1-star rating from 15 reviews.
Where can I find free dispersed camping near Paola, KS?
According to TheDyrt.com, there are 2 free dispersed camping spots near Paola, KS.
What parks are near Paola, KS?
According to TheDyrt.com, there are 15 parks near Paola, KS that allow camping, notably Clinton Lake and Pomona Lake.