Wilson Lake is the perfect place for adventurous campers and RVers. Wilson Lake is filled with the activities, sights, and experiences to make everyone in your crew a happy camper. At The Dyrt, campers like you share their favorite spots, plus tips and photos. No matter where you're headed in Wilson Lake, you'll find the best spot for you and your camping crew.
Located right about in the heart of Kansas, approximately 60 miles west of Salina, Wilson Lake is somewhat of an anomaly among the state’s otherwise flat and featureless plains. This 9,000-acre reservoir, created by the damming of the Saline River, is surrounded by scenic cliffs and sculpted outcrops within the region’s low Smoky Hills. These hills consist of Dakota and Kiowa sandstone formations that were deposited during the Cretaceous Period. Boasting three recreation areas (Wilson Lake State Park, Minooka Park, and Lucas Park), as well as an 8,000-acre Wildlife Area, Wilson Lake offers locals and visitors ample opportunities to get outdoors for camping, hiking, biking, fishing, and wildlife watching. The year-round campgrounds at Wilson State Park feature 240 sites for tent and RV campers in two main areas: Hell Creek and Otoe. Within these areas, campsites are situated around the shores of State Park Cove and Hell Creek Cove, and many have nice views of the lake. RV campers can choose from full- or partial-hookup sites, with back-in or pull-through drives; tent campers have access to primitive sites. Most sites are open and exposed. All are equipped with picnic tables and cooking grills, and have access to water faucets, flush and vault toilets, showers, and cooking shelters. Dump stations are available in both areas. Campsite rates are $10–$24/night, plus vehicle fee; weekly and annual rates are available. The park provides two boat launches for recreational and fishing watercraft, as well as docks and a fish-cleaning station. Common catches in the lake include striped, spotted and smallmouth bass, bluegill, crappie, walleye, and catfish. Paddlers can launch kayaks, canoes and SUPs from anywhere along the shoreline. A swimming area is located in State Park Cove in the Hell Creek Area. Mountain bikers can enjoy riding on the 25-mile Switchgrass Trail, and the 1-mile, barrier-free Cedar Trail is nice nature path for the mobility impaired. Bird and wildlife watchers should be on the lookout for white-tailed deer, rabbits, quail, turkeys, and a variety of resident and migratory waterfowl, songbirds and raptors.
Lucas Park Campground is located on the north side of Wilson Lake in the wide open spaces of central Kansas.
Boating is the most popular pastime on the lake, with plenty of room for water skiing, wake boarding, jet skiing, sailing and more. Populations of many game fish species have been enhanced by a stocking program conducted by the Kansas Department of Wildlife, Parks and Tourism. Walleye, Large and Smallmouth bass can be found in abundance in the lake, as well as White bass, Striped bass, and channel and flathead catfish. Several trails are available to visitors, including the Bur Oak Nature Trail, a 3/4-mile nature walk located adjacent to Sylvan Park. The Rocktown Hiking Trail, located in the western part of Lucas Park, is a 3-mile loop trail situated in a 305-acre wildlife area. Massive red sandstone rock formations rise 15 to 30 feet above the ground and give the visual impression of a city skyline, giving it the name Rocktown. Trail brochures are available at the trail entrance. Wilson Lake also offers hunting opportunities for a variety of game animals, including pheasant, quail, prairie chicken, whitetail deer, turkey, waterfowl and rabbit.
Boating is the most popular pastime on the lake, with plenty of room for water skiing, wake boarding, jet skiing, sailing and more. Populations of many game fish species have been enhanced by a stocking program conducted by the Kansas Department of Wildlife, Parks and Tourism. Walleye, Large and Smallmouth bass can be found in abundance in the lake, as well as White bass, Striped bass, and channel and flathead catfish. Several trails are available to visitors, including the Bur Oak Nature Trail, a 3/4-mile nature walk located adjacent to Sylvan Park. The Rocktown Hiking Trail, located in the western part of Lucas Park, is a 3-mile loop trail situated in a 305-acre wildlife area. Massive red sandstone rock formations rise 15 to 30 feet above the ground and give the visual impression of a city skyline, giving it the name Rocktown. Trail brochures are available at the trail entrance. Wilson Lake also offers hunting opportunities for a variety of game animals, including pheasant, quail, prairie chicken, whitetail deer, turkey, waterfowl and rabbit.
Wilson lake, known as the "clearest lake in Kansas," is located in the Smoky Hills of North Central Kansas--a rolling landscape of hills, buttes and hazy valleys. Also known as Post Rock Country, the area contains thousands of miles of stone fenceposts and buildings that have been constructed out of the area's local limestone. This and other unique geologic formations and mixed grass prairie lands provide an excellent scenic backdrop for recreation around the lake.
Visitors may enjoy exploring other recreation areas around the lake, such as Sylvan and Minooka Parks as well as Wilson State Park, located on the south side of the lake. The nearby town of Lucas is known for its unique artistic spirit and attractions, while the town of Wilson and other close by communities offer visitors a rich historical heritage to explore.
$300 / night
This KOA is midway between St. Louis, Denver, the Black Hills, and Texas. You'll have easy access to I-70 as well as I-135 to Wichita. Located in a shady meadow northwest of Salina, you can relax in a lawn chair while fishing in the private pond. Swim in the pool, play horseshoes, enjoy the Jump pad, watch the kids go for a train ride, or rent a bike. All sites are pull-thru with free Wi-Fi and cable available on most. At Salina, spend more than one day seeing the area's historic sites. Visit Abilene (about 25 miles E), known as the boyhood home of President Dwight Eisenhower. Check out the museum chronicling Ike's achievements at the Eisenhower Center. Visit Lindsborg, Kansas' Little Sweden (S of the campground). Stop at Rolling Hills Zoo (6 miles W on I-70). In summer (Sat. and Sun.), enjoy the all-you-can-eat pancake breakfasts. "Delicious Hunt Brothers Pizza and Wings can be delivered to your site (hours vary; ask in the office)." Pool: Memorial Weekend - Labor Day Weekend. Max pull thru 80 feet. Your hosts: Daryle & Terri Schwerdt.
$46 - $65 / night
The City has a new RV Park located on the west end of the City Park on Lincoln Avenue. There are 6 individual spots available that include: 50 amp electric service & additional 20 amp outlet, water hydrant and direct sewer.
$20 / night
It was beautiful at sunset, very nice campground with good hot showers.
Not very crowded mid-April 2024. Level sites with water available. Many trees.
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BEAUTIFUL views!!! Very windy but worth it for water front. We stayed in a loop alone that could have had 3 other sites, next to beach access. Bathrooms were a bit of a walk but again, worth it!!
Thought I had seen a mirage once we pulled into the park after miles of Kansas greens and browns.
Self reg station (electronic) at the park as well as reserve early online.
This is a decent stop over during travel. The site was wide and level and had mature trees. The park itself isn't far from the interstate, which makes it fantastic for an easy off and on, but also comes with some road noise. There is also a truck stop at the end of the road for convenient fill up.
Friendly staff, primo campsites, and awesome amenities. Highly recommended for a wicked camping experience!
We've camped at Wilson State Park three times now on eastbound road trips and I can't recommend it enough! There are sheltered sites on green lawns where tent campers can spend a quiet night. Trees provide shelter from wind and thunder storms. Depending on where you camp you can walk to swim in the reservoir. And the Switchgrass MTB is surprisingly fun! Just be careful to let it dry out before you ride since that wet sand can wreak havok on your drive train. I've only camped at Wilson on weekdays and it's never crowded.
Every spring I look forward to getting out of the city and relaxing peacefully at this beautiful Lake! I love the gorgeous sunsets, the beach area, the hiking trails, and picking guitar with my besties! There's nothing better than being submerged in mother nature and I can't think of a better place to do it!!
This place is an incredible continuously working Ranch since 1884. It is also the site of the first recorded Buffalo Soldier conflict out of Fort Hays (25 miles away). So history? Check! The views both day and night? Stunning! Our hosts? The best part of our stay. They were extremely accommodating and welcoming. We will be back. Soon! And I live in Detroit…
Trails with cliffs, creeks and caves, campsites with incredible views and Bald Eagles soaring overhead. No other campers in the grounds. What’s not to love?
Awesome little stop on my X-Country route, host was very sweet, I told her I know the spots are close but I like to be isolated when I can and she gave me a great site away from everything with a fire-ring. Just what I wanted. T Mobile service is Very Good opposed to the rating I saw of Poor
We called ahead to see if they had sites available for the night. Arrived just before the office closed at 7pm. Got a pull-through full-hookups site. The campsite pads are level, nice and wide, gravel like the roads, with wide grassy/dirt/gravel areas between and beautiful mature shade trees everywhere. Also several friendly cats acting as camp hosts, welcoming us at the office when we checked in, greeting us every time we stepped out of our rig, and checking out all the campsites and trees regularly. ☺️ Our site had a picnic table and a clay/Terra cotta statue of a bear eating honey, with a hole in his belly as a small fire ring. Most sites had a covered picnic table. Full hookups worked fine.
Bathrooms were ok; dead crickets on the floor.
We would stay here again.
Showers very nice. Could use more trash bins and more than one shower house.
This is a nice spacious campground off of 70, very easy access to the interstate. The sites are roomy and have full hookups and covered picnic areas. The staff is very friendly and helpful! The cons are that it is right next to the interstate, thus, the noise is exceptionally loud and it was difficult to get a good nights sleep. The grounds could be cleaned up as well as there are pieces of trash and dog poop in the grass. It is a nice little place to stay for the night passing through but could use some improvements.
KOA campgrounds are a quick stopover for us, never a destination. This location has it all. Cabins, tent sites. Great RV http://essaypapers.reviews/ 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.
Just off the interstate, so some road noise in exchange for the convenience. Friendly hosts, level sites. Nice small swimming pool and fishing pond. Was easy to order their pizza, made there and delivered to our site, as we arrived too late to cook. Stopped here traveling west, and again traveling east.
We tent camped here and enjoyed our stay. The food, pizza, was excellent. The staff brought our order to our site. We enjoyed a swim in the pool to cool off due to the temperature being in mid 90's. The bathrooms were air conditioned and clean. Overall, this campground is a good one and we recommend it!
KOA did not disappoint here. Right off the highway, there is some road noise but for someone passing through it was great because it didn’t add more miles to our trip. We have a 5th wheel so with the AC running at night we didn’t hear the road noise.
Spots are wide enough to allow space and not on top of neighbors. We got a deluxe patio site. Very convenient so we did not have to pull out are grill and outdoor furniture for just an overnight stay. Had a fire pit and gas grill (that was remarkably clean and had all clean utensils inside for grilling!)
The store has fresh pizza and ice cream available, as well as some small grocery needs, and there is a big selection for Rv accessories/parts.
The kids loved the pool. There are 2 pools one circular one 3ft on sides 6 in the center. And a smaller rectangle one that is a kiddie pool. My son is 40 inches and he could touch the entire length. They have a gator pulling train cart, pedal carts, a jumping pad, basketball hoops that are adjustable and an outdoor ping pong table. Also a playground that could use some updates. And a fenced in dog park.
Overall a great stop for one night, and if I ever find myself driving through Kansas again I will definitely stay again.
Called Sunday of July 4 weekend and the owners answered. Late check in was zero issue. Super friendly folks and their pets are sweet as can be! Walked 5 mins up to Meridy’s for dinner and had one of the best steaks of my life. For just passing through, I couldn’t ask for a better quality stop.
I grew up here, stopped going when it became a party haven filled with drama, recently gave it a second chance and could not be happier I did so. It has really been cleaned up in all aspects. I WILL RETURN 🙂
Right by the high way, loud old cottonwood trees everywhere!
If you have kids and are looking for a easy stay this is the place. Owners are great, employees are awesome. Tons of extras it made our overnight stay feel like a part of our vacation instead of just a stopping point. Immaculate bathrooms, $4 all you can eat pancakes on the weekends. Pool, basketball, jump pad, ping pong, wagon rides, and so much more. Next time we head out to Colorado we will be staying here.
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.
It was so pretty! The primitive campsites were free Monday evening through Wednesday evening. Vault toilets were clean and there was a trash dumpster at the end of each loop. Each campsite in the Point area we were in had a lot of room around it. We were up on the top of cliffs so got plenty of wind. The beach area looked clean.
The road up to site 98 was long but beautiful. Surprisingly far from i-70. Lots of sites around the lake. Our bathroom was average, but expected of a vault toilet so no biggie. Rangers were around throughout the day which said to me they put a lot of work into integrity of the reservations and experiences. Site 98 overlooked the lake from a small ridge👌. we were able to launch our kayaks easily lets say 50 ft down. Was a small beach as well by the site. Larger beaches elsewhere.
Stayed here while traveling from Rocky Mountain NP through Kansas. This is a hidden gem right on the army corps of Engineers lake Wilson.
Must stay if Traveling through the flat state of KS.
Water is crystal clear and affords people the opportunity to swim fish boat etc
This park is huge and it can be confusing to find your way if you haven't been here. We had a park host help us, which was great. We booked Sandstone 408 based on a review here. It did not disappoint! Right across from the lake. Large site. Everything we need. Come and enjoy!
Camping near Wilson Lake, Kansas, offers a mix of beautiful scenery and outdoor activities. Whether you're looking to pitch a tent or park your RV, there are plenty of options to enjoy the great outdoors.
Camping near Wilson Lake, Kansas, has something for everyone, from families to solo adventurers. Just remember to plan ahead and enjoy the beautiful outdoors!
Frequently Asked Questions
Which is the most popular glamping campsite near Wilson Lake?
According to TheDyrt.com, the most popular glamping campground near Wilson Lake is Wilson State Park Campground with a 4.7-star rating from 27 reviews.
What is the best site to find glamping camping near Wilson Lake?
TheDyrt.com has all 14 glamping camping locations near Wilson Lake, with real photos and reviews from campers.
