Best Tent Camping near Salina, KS

After having camped every night for the past several nights in cold weather, we decided to stay in a KOA Kamping Kabin this time. While we were in Colorado, it had gotten below freezing and it had snowed. It was time for a break. This campground should be rated on a scale of 1-10. I would give it a 9, but I gave it 4 stars because of two things. The road noise was constant since we were next to an Interstate highway. Also, if we had been tent camping, there would have been too much gravel. The playground was mostly dirt. For some people that would be a bad thing--for others, not so much. I only state readers would get as many details as possible. The tent sites are a little close together, as well as the RV sites, but that is to be expected. Other than the things I previously stated, this campground is large and has lots of activities. There are several things for children and young adults to do—gem mining, basketball, table tennis, fishing, volleyball, a jump pad, horseshoes, etc. The cabin we stayed in had plenty of space for outdoor relaxing. Although our cabin had a bath room, I was able to check out the bath house. It was modern, up to date, and well decorated(as you can see in the photos). This campground probably gets more visitors passing through than people looking to come here as a destination, but Salina does have its share of things to do. By the way, if you’re looking for good Chinese food, you need to check out Great Wall in Salina. It is takeout only, but it is well worth taking it back to the campground. If you don’t like Chinese, there are plenty of other options. Overall, I think this is a great campground and I do recommend it(except for the road noise).

While our family loved the scenery this is not a lake for tent camping. Unless you like sleeping at an angle. Very limited tent camping as well. This lake is made for those with RVS

Kansas has over 40 state fishing lakes with free camping. Lots of fishermen. I’d say over a dozen camping sites. We had a shelter, picnic table, toilet building, view of the lake. We rode our motorcycles here to tent camp. Raccoon couldn’t wait for me to zip my tent to come out and see what we left out.

Beautiful site, cool and informed tour, open placement for tent sites. No water available at time of my stay. Showers available at nearby state park after park entrance fee. Enjoyed the chill time at the campfire on the silo. Worth the stop.

KOA campgrounds are a quick stopover for us, never a destination. This location has it all. Cabins, tent sites. Great RV sites, even a yurt! Some highway noise. Clean, great kid play area (with ping pong) and a nice playground. New furniture provided and built in fire pits.

Went with a buddy for tent camping 1 night this August. Clean area with plenty of firewood and a picnic table. Paid 14$ for a campsite, grass definitely could of been trimmed at our designated campsite. card only at the entrance because of COVID-19 at the moment. We camped right across from the boat ramp but was still a beautiful view

We tent camped by the lake and trail heads. Nice cove for the paddleboard even if the water is a little shallow. CHECK THE WEATHER. Ive never been in storms like the 2 nights we stayed here. I thought we were going to Oz. Beautiful besides that. We rigged up a shower curtain with treking poles and our towels. Gonna go back to ride more mtb trails.

I stayed here as i was driving through Kansas, so it was just a quick overnight, but it was very beautiful and peaceful.

I arrived pretty late, about 8:15pm, and there was no one at the gate when I arrived so I was a little worried, but I pulled up their email that had all of the information and between that and the park signs I was able to easily make my way to my campsite--which was BEAUTIFUL! I stayed in spot A18, and if you are tent camping I would choose that one if you can. It is the last spot in the row of sites and is bordered on two other sides by the lake so you can have an uninterrupted view

This is a busy lake campground but we were very pleased with camping here! The tent sites on Buffalograss section provide a fire ring and a table, they are spaced apart and offer waterfront views. The other campgrounds and boat ramp are close, so it isn't too quiet, but it is a wonderful spot nonetheless. Also, I must note there were some 24miles of mountain bike trails nearby and that was fantastic for us.

Cedar point has some very spacious primitive and tent sites. There are also some with electric and water. Some of the sites in this campground have nice water views. Most have fire rings and tables. There are restrooms, bath house, trash receptacles and a dump. There is also a swim beach and a hiking trail. It’s a very pretty area and this park has wildlife to view like the large flock of turkey vultures who live in the dead trees of cedar point.

Being hikers at heart, we chose this campground since it is very close to the Horse Thief Trail trailhead. Unfortunately, the trails are very much built for horseback riding with sand terrain, a VERY narrow path and intense overgrowth. Not quite what we were expecting. It would probably be okay without dogs and with long pants, but unfortunately we have 2 giant dogs and it’s 100° today. The overall state park only has 2 okay-ish sized swim beaches, but overall limited water access unless you’re boating - which we are not. The tent sites have pavilions as a nice surprise, but other than that, we will not be coming back!

So I was excited after seeing so many great reviews for this campground. Even more so when I arrived and saw how beautiful green and lush the area was. I did however discover the campground was locked and a sign had been placed at the entrance of the camp that it would not be opening again until April 2020.

A little confused because there were RV campers inside I explored inside and around and discovered this is partially due to recent rains flooding a portion of the campground. I completely understood that however the elevated RV spaces were still functional and not at risk.

The location itself is beautiful with lake views on 2 sides of the camp. You are only a short distance from the boat launch and day use area which have many more signs of recent rain with trees nearly completely underwater in this area.

The roads are paved, wide and well maintained. The bathrooms available on site are mainly vault toilets however in the camp there are some improvements.

Tent camping is only $14 well worth it if the campground were open in my opinion!! I will for sure be coming back!

Sunset Ridge is a small tenting campground along side sunset cabins. Sunset ridge is nicely shaded. Each site has a covered picnic shelter and grill. The sites are nice and spacious. The cabins to have large shelters with tables and grill. There are 5 cabins all with horse breed names and there is one that is ADA.

Wilson’s Lake in Kansas is something of a departure from surrounding areas of Kansas. If you take a moment to pull just a slight distance off the major highways and toward the Wilson’s Lake area you will be pleasantly surprised as the world begins to roll and open up into vibrant hillsides winding their way though the area. 

I honestly stopped myself for a moment and checked the map thinking to myself in such a cliche way,“ We are not in Kansas anymore.”

 But just as the map proved, I was in fact still in the same state, I noticed more and more signs for Wilson’s Lake State Park and found it was a must see while visiting the area. 

The road winds you down to the park and down to what seems like a dead end just at the Yarrow Campground. This campground is one of the most coveted in the park because of its location, its convenience and its size.

When visiting Wilson Lake you might want to consider this loop for improved camping.   When I visited I noticed that the roadways in and out of the campsite were well structured to provide ample movement for larger units with back up capabilities.   While this loop also offers tent camping, it really is designed for the small to mid-size RVs.     

Each campsite was equipped with a picnic table and fire ring, although I must say that some of the tables in this area were lacking a bit and needed some updating.    The sites also included water and electric hook ups with reasonable spacing between sites.   Pull- in/ back-in sites were graveled and semi level while the area between the spaces were grassy and lush.    During summer months this would be a perfect retreat for families looking to have a little fun together but still have convenience.   

What I liked most about this particular site was the proximity it had to the swimming beach and also the restrooms.   Within 100 yards of one another you could access flushing toilets and showers or fun in the sun.     This was the best overall campground for accessing both of these amenities and therefore I believe would bring about the most fun for the family overall.   Additionally, a playground was located nearby.

I would definitely recommend arriving early if visiting on a weekend or making reservations online to ensure a site at this campground in particular.   The most popular of this lake region, Yarrow, stays booked well into the later portion of summer on weekends and is hit or miss on weekdays.

TIPS:

* Check out the rental shop just outside of the park where you can find anything from a paddle board to a canoe.   Also this is a great place to check in if you are needing a few last minute supplies.

* Make sure to check out park rules at the kiosk before entering, this can be very valuable information especially when crowds are flocking to the area.

Great spot. There are many tent and even RV spots that are right near the water. Some parking spots require a Kansas state park passport but we were able to buy one at the park office. The water was calm enough in the morning and evenings to kayak and explore the coves. mid day when the water started getting a bit rougher we swapped the kayaks for bikes and explored the trails. the park offers several dirt trails and a few paved paths perfect for all levels of riders! To top it off the sunsets were amazing every night. only rated 4/5 because the bathrooms/showers weren’t the best.