Best Cabin Camping near Wilson Lake, KS

As you drive into Wilson lake Otoe you’ll pass by a few cabins on the way to the campgrounds. There is a fork- one leads Goldenrod and the other takes you to Yarrow,Yucca, and Sunflower. The main camp is Yarrow which has electric, picnic benches and fire rings. There is water scattered through out the campground. There also is a boat ramp and swim beach. There are 3 smaller areas Yucca and Sunflower and Sagewort. These areas are primitive and spacious.

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.

Big Bluestem is a popular campground at Wilson Lake. The outer loop is facing the water with pull thru sites. Best site is 77 right at the tip. The inner loop is mostly back in. The sites are water and electric and have a fire ring and table. They are roomy and have pretty views. The area has rolling hills and beautiful rock formations. You would never believe you are in the middle of Kansas. I was surprised to not find much algae in the lake. Bonus 😊

Who knew Kansas was so beautiful?! We sure didn’t. Loving out lake side campsite on Wilson Lake. There are multiple different campgrounds within the park. We chose Big Bluestem bc it has water and electric (not all do) and was right on the water. Be warned that signs directing you around are not all that easy to see or follow. I used the map on my phone mainly to direct us. We originally chose site 78 but upon arrival realized it would be too difficult to get our 40ft MH into. Ended up staying in site 80.

Ranger Review: Camp Zero 10 liter cooler at Wilson Lake in Kansas Campground review-driving up to Wilson Lake you would never know you were in the middle of Kansas. There are rolling hills surrounding the lake. There is not clearly marked signs which made the area kind of confusing for us. There are so many loops with camping and 2 other parks in this same area. The lake itself is very large and lengthy. It’s beautiful-perfect for boating, fishing, or kayaking. There are not a lot of trees so the area can get pretty windy. Lots of sites face the water. Prices vary from 10-24 per night. There are also park permits and service fee you must pay. Sites range from primitive to full hook ups. Most have fire rings and picnic tables. There are plenty of trails for hiking and biking and swim beaches. The bathrooms are clean and there are showers,marinas,dump stations. Check in and out is at 2 pm. Make sure to check out the town of Lucas for all the fun art. Product Review: As a Ranger for the DRYT, I get products to test from time to time and I tested the 10 liter Camp Zero at Wilson Lake. What I love about the Camp Zero cooler is: 1: The light aluminum handle with gripping pad. Makes it easier to carry without losing grip 2: The rubber feet on the bottom makes it so it doesn’t slide around in the car or boat and get scratched or scratch up the car. 3: the molded cup holders on the top of the cooler that turns it into a much need table on the beach 4: The heavy duty rubber latches to keep the cooler latched. They are bear resistant 5: The awesome colors you can get them in I chose the bright green 10 liter cooler. The green is so fun and cheery and I know that I’ll be able to spot it where ever it is. This cooler really keeps the drinks cooler for extended periods of time. It is so heavy duty, and sturdy. The cooler is a little heavy once you put ice and drinks in it so I’ll just make my husband carry it. I’m excited to take this Camp Zero 10 liter cooler with me on all our adventures

Ashley here with The Dyrt. We're so happy to welcome your hosts to our platform. This property is small and comfortable. The cabins are SO sweet! Kay & Richard have clearly put a lot of love into this spot. Check them out and leave your review here!

Well kept, beautiful views with water/electric/sewer and only 4 pull through spots next to a few cabins so it’s quiet and not crowded. Rangers are helpful and friendly. Water is clean and clear. Great park! Full service marina and store on site with supplies, groceries, fun stuff.

Quiet and lovely a clean place to camp with plenty of dead and dry fire wood to be gathered. this place has up to 24 miles of hiking trails on the north side as well as being the oldest lake in the state it has some unique history from ancient Indians and the area was frequented by Buffalo bill Cody and there aresome petroglyphs you can visit from natives of the area this lake is also a great fishing destination for all types of fish native to the state if tents and hammocks are not your thing they have cabins as well for $99 a night this is one of them lakes you should visit if your not from Kansas there is so much hidden beauty here that goes unnoticed by many

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.

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).

My wife and I camped in site 093 and really enjoyed the scenery of the lake and the park itself. Great place for a weekend getaway or long fishing trip on the reservoir. All the facilities were very clean and the park was well maintained.

We went for the weekend, mostly to do some hiking. Then realized we had found one of the nest places in Kansas! We got a perfect camp spot all to ourselves. It was not necessarily private or in the woods. But we were right up against the lake. There was sand like a beach the water was alright. I mean it's a lake. We loved the hiking through limestone. We found couple caves and climbed some rock. Would be good for mntn biking

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.

Big Bluestem Campground Site 78! Prime spot with large shade tree to block western sun. 20’ from water’s edge with path to drop kayaks in, swim or even sit lawn chairs into the water to cool off. Noted as largest saltwater and clearest lake in Kansas. 30/50A/120V and water hookups. Concrete pad. Clean showers a few hundred yards away. Trash bin in middle of loop. Marina two loops away; about 4 minute drive. Outstanding rock formations, reminds me of Utah. Water levels effect access to some formations. Great time, great weather, we’ll be back soon! T-Mobile service 1-4 bars. Streamed HotSpot for ROKU without issues.

NOTE: the GPS location on Dyrt was wrong and brought us to a privately owned farm. Just look the place up online to get correct directions. This place was easy to pull into late at night and set up camp. We were told we could camp anywhere we find a spot, and pay in morning if we got there too late. Easy peasy. Decent bathrooms and a beautiful park. Would be happy to stop there again.

This area is the Big Bluestem campground. There is a shower/restroom area at the beginning, hiking trails and primitive sites. Then you enter Big Bluestem campground which has two loops. One has pull through sites and the other has mostly back in sites. Each site has electric,water,fire ring,and picnic benches. There are some really nice views from the outer sites.