The Dyrt is here to help plan your best camping near Plains. Plains is filled with the activities, sights, and experiences to make everyone in your crew a happy camper. At The Dyrt, campers like you share their favorite spots, plus tips and photos. No matter where you're headed in Plains, you'll find the best spot for you and your camping crew.
$10 - $23 / night
"General: There are several camping areas situated around Lake Meade, some with as few as three tent sites, and others with electric hookups."
"There were more RVs on the northeast edge of the small lake. I arrived around 4pm and spread out my gear to dry after camping in the rain in Iowa the previous night."
$5 - $20 / night
"You wouldn’t believe it when you’re approaching it, since it seems near a road and behind the train tracks, and it seems to be near a refinery."
"Has big playground for kids and miles of hiking trails, even lakes to fish. Staff very friendly and helpful for anything you need."
"I will be back because I regularly drive through the area on my way to Arizona.
I felt safe. There was bathrooms. It was quiet for the most part."
"The people were friendly and we had a wonderful view of the lake! Enjoyed a bike ride to the showers and I gave it four stars because there wasn’t any hot water. And they weren’t the cleanest."
"Welcoming staff, grassy area for pet walk, full hookups, shower, bathroom, rec area and laundry. Free wifi."
"We stayed 2 nights after a 500 mile driving day. Gravel sites with grass surrounding the park. Approximately 30 or so full hookup spaces. Community room with restrooms, showers and laundry."
"Nestled just outside Garner State Park has some great scenery."
"It is close to the dunes so if you plan to sleep in you will likely be woken up by sunrise dune buggies. Extensive trail system for hiking and buggies."
"There is another campground for the park on the south end of the lake, right on the dunes for off roading.
This used to be a state park, but around 2011 the state closed it and the city took over."
"This is a tiny (5 pull-thru slots) RV park run by the county in Montezuma, Kansas. Perfect for an overnight stay, it has 30 and 50 amp hookups, sewer and water. All for only $20/night."
ScoutThis was a great VERY quiet get away for me and the wife. Not a lot going on in this area during the winter time but this was the perfect place for us to unplug. Nestled just outside Garner State Park has some great scenery. The dog park and surrounding area could have used some more grass in and around it to help keep the mud out of the RV but the dogs enjoyed themselves. All in all a great place for a get away if you're looking to unplug.
TravelerWelcoming staff, grassy area for pet walk, full hookups, shower, bathroom, rec area and laundry. Free wifi.
TravelerVery quiet, clean, pet friendly! We stayed here for 3 1/2 weeks wile I worked nights. Small showers
GuideKeep in mind, we haven’t found any five-star campgrounds in Kansas, and a shortage of campgrounds in general, so we were glad to find this perfectly adequate, safe space with level gravel pads close together. Full hookups. The best thing about it is its proximity to Dodge City.
TravelerThis is a tiny (5 pull-thru slots) RV park run by the county in Montezuma, Kansas. Perfect for an overnight stay, it has 30 and 50 amp hookups, sewer and water. All for only $20/night. Each slot is a gravel drive with a concrete pad on the side that has a concrete picnic table. It’s right off KS-56, but we didn’t find it too noisy. I would definitely stay here again if passing by this way. Even has the added bonus of a small adjacent field where we were able to kite our paramotor wing for a bit.
LegendGeneral: There are several camping areas situated around Lake Meade, some with as few as three tent sites, and others with electric hookups. We camped on a weekday in April and the visitor center was closed when we arrived so we were a little confused looking for the Lake View campground, where we had a reservation. Google maps does not show any campground with that name but by eventually driving around the lake, we found it, but on the map, it was labeled Scout Campground. There were only a handful of campers in our campground and none in the others that I could see.
Site Quality/Facilities: The sites in Lake View (aka Scout?) have sites scattered about, all on dirt/sand pads. I can understand why one reviewer said that Site 22 was the most coveted as it offers the most privacy of all the sites in this campground. Sites 18 and 19 would be good IF you have small children as the playground is right behind 19 and next to 18. Don’t reserve these sites if you don’t want the noise and activity of kids nearby. As the name suggests, many of the sites have an unobstructed view of the lake. In summer, the sunsets are likely fabulous but in April, the sun set behind the trees and was a non-event at our site.
Bathhouse: At Lake View, there are four unisex combo bath/shower units; they were clean. Soap dispensers and air dyers so, if you are like me, don’t forget to bring your towel so you don’t have to use the air dryers.
Activities/Amenities: Fishing appears to be a big draw. In season, there is also a small swimming beach and kayak rentals. This area is about a mile walk or drive from the Lake View campground. There was one hiking trail of indeterminant length; I was hoping it would go clockwise around the lake but when I looked at the map, it appeared I would have to cross a stream to do so I only ventured a short distance down the trail. Cell service is spotty, ranging from one bar to no service.
I would imagine that in the summer and on warm weekends, this place is likely hopping but we enjoyed a quiet night on a lake as we were passing through on our way further west.
GuideSites 50 through 82 are in the back away from the highway and very quiet. 33 through 44 are back in sites and front the highway and are noisier. 50 to 82 have 20 feet of grassy space between sites, I highly recommend these sites. They also have trees to provide shade. Some sites have multiple sewer dumps so your positioning of your rig is less of a problem. They accept the Dyrt Pro card for a 10% discount. All level sites. 😊
ScoutBefore I do my review here, I want to point out that we own a small Toy Poodle and are very conscience of our dogs bio footprint in the environment and always pick up after he uses the bathroom. So here is our experience that really upset our family and my in-laws. I was walking my dog to the grass area and noticed my dog was wanting to go to the bathroom on the gravel. I pulled my dog quickly over to the grass area and picked up his waste to throw away. Little did I realize my dog had dropped a piece of poop before getting to the grass, I didn’t see it but the owner said he watched us and saw my dog poop in the gravel without me picking it up. I returned to my camper and 15 min later I receive a knock at my door and the owner tells me that I left my dogs poop and here it is. He slammed his shovel against the gravel on the ground, dropping a ping ball size poop on my front steps. I felt really bad that I didn’t see it and apologized but as soon as I did the owner tells me this is my first and only warning, if it happens again then we’ll be gone! We apologized a second time and the owner just stared at us angrily and walked away without acknowledging the apology or saying anything further. Me, my wife, my son and my mother and father in-law were jaw dropping shocked. We had stayed here several times before, made this our campground of choice in Dodge City when ever we visit and we’ve never had any issues. We pay good money to stay in their campground every year so a little bit of couth goes a long way in customer service. I was mortified that anyone who owns a campground would talk to someone and threaten to kick them out because of an honest and rather minor mistake. All he had to do was stop by and tell me he saw my dog poop in the road and to please double check your dog while walking him. What further put salt in the womb is when me and my wife went to the front desk to sign in from the night before and we confronted the owner that we didn’t know that our dog had pooped on the lot and again apologized. We then told him that all he had to do was be nice about it and he responded, “I was nice about it”. We argued politely for a minute that he was not nice and there’s no reason to talk to us like we’re little children. We finally gave up rationalizing with him and left. All over town and in front of their campground it’s advertised that their campground is for sale so maybe he’s having a very bad morning or there’s some added stress because their campground is for sale or maybe it’s the “I don’t care” attitude now but one thing is for sure, my family and my in-laws will never make this our weekend home for our mini vacations anymore. My advise is go to the brand new KOA campground right up the street where they don’t treat the customers like this, who actually care how they treat their customers. Plus it’s a heck of a lot nicer with concrete pads, new and very nice facilities. GunSmoke campground is very noisy because of the highway it sits right up against with very crowded campsites on the front half of the campground. They show pictures on the internet of the rear newer addition but not the crowed older section.
RangerNeeded a place to stop for the night with electric since it’s 95 in Kansas in July. This was right off 400 on our way out of Dodge City. $25 a night with water and electric. Small campground but has what we needed. Bonus it has a laundry mat. Second bonus there is a horse farm right behind the campground.
Discover the best spots for pets-allowed camping near Plains, Kansas, where you and your furry friends can enjoy the great outdoors together.
Frequently Asked Questions
Which is the most popular dog-friendly campsite near Plains, KS?
According to TheDyrt.com, the most popular dog-friendly campground near Plains, KS is Meade State Park Campground with a 4.4-star rating from 10 reviews.
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TheDyrt.com has all 20 dog-friendly camping locations near Plains, KS, with real photos and reviews from campers.
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