Best RV Parks & Resorts near Ransom, KS

Nothing fancy, but it was a great place to stop for the night. Both times I've stayed I arrived after dark and was only passing through, so I opted not to set up the tent and instead slept in my crossover, which is set up to sleep in. The area was well lit at night, and I felt very safe.

The campground: It's small, mostly quiet, flat, and had a decent amount of shade. The area I stayed in had pull through spots that faced the water (a reservoir, I believe). There's a small dock on the water. My site included a picnic table, grill, and water spigot. I'm not sure about electric hookups and dump stations, since I have no need for those things. The bathrooms were clean, and had both toilets and showers.

Booking: The campground does not take reservations, which I think is great, as it allows me to be a little more spontaneous. There's a self-pay station in front of the bathrooms near the entrance to the campground. I stayed here on a Monday night in late October, and had no problem getting a site. The cost depends on if you're there in the off-season or not, but I believe the most expensive fee is $25 for RVs.

The area: Ellis is a small town. If you're arriving later in the evening I would recommend stopping to eat somewhere prior to arriving in Ellis. In the morning, I made a quick detour down the main street and saw a café, a pizza place, and a Mexican restaurant. There's also a railroad museum. The campground is pretty close to the highway; right off the highway are a couple gas stations with fast food places inside.

Cell Service: I have Verizon, and my service was good enough to stream a live hockey game. The campground said it had WIFI, but I didn't try it out.

The good things are the nice people who run the campground, the little store they have with all kinds of camping and RV stuff. They have a little pond with a dock and a paddle boat. Showers and restrooms are clean and private.

It's not a scenic show-stopper. Gravel lots, but most are pull-through and easy to use. 

We stayed in our pop-up camper that fell apart during a super intense storm. Not the campground's fault, but scared the tar out of us. They were nice enough to let me store the camper for a little over a week until I could come back with tools and parts to repair it.

Super nice people. Nice town nearby. Great place to stay if you're going to be in Hays.

General: We arrived just before 6 pm on a Sunday in mid-September and had our choice of lakefront sites but by 8 pm, it had filled in. There are other sites that are not lakefront and they would be ok if the lakefront ones were full but definitely not as desirable. The rates are reasonable -$20 for an RV site; $15 for tents (the tent area was just a grassy common area, and no one was staying there when we were there). Payment is on the honor system as there was no on-site host and as far as we could tell, no one checked to see that we had paid. 

Sites/Facilities: Each site is very large and spaced a decent amount apart but there is no physical separation between them. Each has a large picnic table set on a concrete pad and electric hookups, however, be aware that you need a very long cord to reach the electric box. Ours did not make it but we were ok for one night without electric. We also could not get the water spigot to work but again, not a big deal for us for just an overnight. There is also a free common dump station. 

Bathhouse: The bathrooms and showers were ok, but not great. They were cleaned very early in the morning. 

Activities/Amenities: The small town of Ellis is within walking distance from the campground and although it was small, the town did have a lot of civic pride. There was good internet and free WiFi, although we did not try and access it. There was a small playground, but a sign was posted indicating it had not been disinfected during Covid and it was recommended it not be used. Fishing seemed to be a popular activity and there was a fishing/boat dock. 

Conclusion: We could not hear much road noise during the day but as soon as it quieted down at night, the road noise from I70 was very loud all night long, however, this is a very convenient stopover for people traveling east or west on I70 looking for a place to spend the night.

This state park has two sections: the north shore (Bluffton) which has a large campground and is more developed and the south shore (Page Creek) area. This review is for Bluffton which has five loops, and each has different plusses and minuses. Broken down by loop:

• Butterfield has a bath/shower house and the largest variety of activities (archery range, BMX track, playground, and an interesting game called Neos 360 which is part electronic game and part competitive sport, suitable for all ages. Pads were either gravel or paved and most of the sites were labeled prime (extra$2.50 per night April-September)

• Arapahoe: no bathhouse but located not too far from Butterfield’s. All pads were concrete and appeared to have recently been redone. All sites were labeled prime (see Butterfield)

• Wagon Rut: no bathhouse so more suitable for fully contained RVs. Many are large pull-through non-prime sites.

• Broken Spur: group campground with a picnic shelter, volleyball, separate gravel pads with electric hookups.

• Overland: this loop is closest to the lake and where you would want to be if fishing. There is a fish cleaning station right outside the loop and this is the only other loop with a bath/shower house. Pads are a mixture of paved and gravel. There is a boat ramp and a nice playground and all sites are labeled prime (see Butterfield)

• Additionally, beyond Arapahoe, there are more unlabeled and undeveloped sites (Despatch and Honii). 

The office was closed when we arrived and the self-check-in process was a bit confusing and cumbersome. Each loop has different prices (and some have different prices within the same loop) and then you have to add the prime fee if applicable in addition to the $5 per day vehicle fee. Cash or checks and fortunately, we had the correct change. The skeeters will eat you alive and the mourning doves will wake you up in the morning. One thing I really appreciated was the recycling of propane canisters. I imagine this place would be hopping during the summer and on weekends but on a Tuesday in September, it was blissfully peaceful and quiet.