Best Tent Camping near Salina, KS

Do yourself a favor and stay at Blue Stem primitive site 5. Beautiful view of the reservoir, and it’s on the end so you have a huge open area all to yourself. Buffalo Track Canyon Trail has gorgeous views with 2 small caves, and beautiful rock coloring. Before you head to your campsite make sure you stop off at Mushroom Rock for a photo op! The kids fishing pond is stocked with catfish, my kids loved catching something other than our usual blue Gill! The only reason I’m giving this 4 stars is because the concrete shelter is covered in offensive graffiti and there was trash all over our campsite. I got most of it picked up so hopefully others can enjoy it! Don’t forget your 7 principles of Leave No Trace!

Traveling to this State Park I didn't know much what to expect.   I did know that a lot of the camping was not accessible because of the recent flooding but they did maintain the self pay station for those wanting to snag the limited sites available.    I can only imagine with the upcoming Labor Day weekend this will still be hot ticket!  

When I checked out this campground the sites seemed larger and more spacious overall.   The upper loop still had that camping neighborhood vibe with sites clumped together a bit more closely but each was shaded and had a nice pull in and included a fire ring and picnic table, in some cases more than one.

There was a nice restroom area which included showers, something many of the campgrounds did not have so this was a hot commodity for sure.   

I can imagine this being a great location for RV campers with relatively even pull ins and for tents alike with lush grassy areas.   This campground did offer connections and water around camp.

On the lower loop it was a Bir more secluded and felt more spacious.    I preferred the short walk to the restroom to keep that privacy.   

Many of these sites were located on shoreline directly or on the cliffside of the area with great views.    Unfortunately these were also the ones which were more effected by the floods so only a portion of the area was able to be accessed.

Tips:

* Book Online or carry cash, there is no fee station currently and self pay is the only option.   This does not allow you to use card.

* Check the weather in advance.   There are many options for camping at the park when the weather has not been terrible but with limited sites available currently you will want to make sure you plan ahead with the weather and seek higher sites.

* Bring your fishing pole or boat, this lake is amazing for fishing and has plenty of places you can launch your water vessel of choice.

This might be the metropolis of this area but when the Walmart in town closes at midnight you know it is a sleepy little town. With that said it was nice to find this site to lay my head in the sleepy town.

The sites were level and pretty typical of a KOA. The staff was very nice and accommodating and walked me over to my tent site when I arrived. Very nice touch!

The bathrooms here were warm on a cold night and very clean. You could tell they take care of this facility very well. I had missed the pool season but with the cool air I didn't mind missing the cold water I was just wanting to stay warm.

For a basic site which included a fire ring and picnic table it was $24 that included access to wifi.

The only negative to getting a primitive site was that it was pretty windy and there wasn't really any wind block, I could have sprung for an upgraded site had I have realized there was going to be so much wind but that is my fault not theirs.