Best Campgrounds near Pittsburg, KS
Campgrounds around Pittsburg, Kansas provide options for tent camping, RV parking, and cabin stays within a 30-mile radius of the city. Crawford State Park, located approximately 20 miles northeast of Pittsburg, features multiple campgrounds including Oak Point, Rocky Cove, and Lonesome Point with lakeside sites and both primitive and utility-equipped spaces. Four Oaks RV Park and Parkview MH & RV Community offer dedicated RV accommodations closer to town, while Big Brutus Museum provides unique camping opportunities near a historic mining shovel about 15 miles southwest of Pittsburg.
Reservations are recommended for Crawford State Park campgrounds, particularly during summer weekends when lakeside sites fill quickly. Most developed campgrounds in the region feature concrete pads with electric hookups, though amenities vary significantly between locations. Prairie State Park, situated west of Pittsburg across the Missouri border, offers primitive tent camping with basic facilities and no hookups. Water access can be limited at some sites, with campers noting the need to collect water from central locations. According to one visitor at Rocky Cove Campground, "The odd thing about the campground is that there is no bathroom or showers. At all. You have to go to the next campground over, Oak Point. Not convenient."
The camping experience varies considerably across the region's sites. Crawford State Park receives consistently high ratings for its spacious lakeside campsites, swimming beach, and convenient restaurant. One camper described it as "a gem" with "amazing swimming beach, modern bath house and great restaurant." Big Brutus Museum combines camping with historical interest, featuring only ten sites with power and water on grassy, level areas. Prairie State Park provides a more natural experience where visitors might encounter free-roaming bison herds and prairie landscapes, though multiple reviewers mention significant tick presence. RV parks closer to Pittsburg offer convenient highway access but typically provide fewer recreational amenities than the state park locations.