Elm Grove — Historic Lake Scott State Park

There is not a lot to see on the flat western plains of Kansas and you would not see this state park either if you didn’t know it was there. This lake is like a sunken oasis of trees and water. The area itself was great! There’s even a few histoical sites to visit and it is close to Monument Rocks, which is what bought us to Kansas.

The campground, however, is just ok. Perhaps it would’ve been better if they had rain to green up the grass, but it was mostly brown in June when we camped there. They have a large selection of sites and on a Monday night in June, we had many choices available for tent camping. It appeared that most who camp here have an rv and those spaces looked about full. Thankfully, those are two different areas of the campground because they were packed into a parking lot style campground. The tent area probably would’ve looked packed in too since the sites are small, but with only a handful of tents, we had some space. 

One thing that did limit our choice of sites was a LARGE herd of geese that covered all of the lakeside sites as well as the next row in. I didn’t want to set up in bird poop in the dry grass so the sites with a decent view were out. We did luck out and find site 2 of the Flatland area which was up above the water line so the geese couldn’t swim up and walk in. Site 2 had a great view of the lake and was set apart from the other sites along with site 1. Site 1 would’ve been the better site but it was occupied by a tent that appeared to have been abandoned. Site 2 was not level by any means, in fact it sloped quite a bit compared to the rest of the sites. There was no tent pads, which would’ve helped a lot for this site. We just set up so our heads would be at the high end and it worked. It was too nice of a view to let a bumpy sloping site stop us! 

The campground has a host and everyone was quiet for the night. We slept pretty well, other than the high humidity of Kansas.

The bathhouse left a lot to be desired. A good cleaning to remove dead bugs would’ve went a long way. A fresh coat of paint would make it inviting. It looked like nobody had checked on its’ condition for many years. We were hoping to use the showers, but they were no cleaner and had an odd design with no doors or shower curtains. The lighting was very dim as well, making it all look a little too creepy for a shower there. A fresh coat of paint, brighter lighting, some shower curtains, and a good scrub down would make this facility SO much better! We also checked the other batthouse on the opposite side of the lake and it was the same way...only creepier because there was one lone rv camped near it.

Overall, I would not camp here again unless I read some reviews indicating the the bathhouse has been improved. It’s not a dealbreaker to not have a shower, but if this campground had been fuller, the geese all over the sites may have been. If you have an rv and pay for full hookups, you might like this campground. If you are tent camping, keep looking.

Kansas Oasis

This park is a gem!!! Just a mile away all you can see is the flat flat farmlands of KS and then the road dips down into the canyon and you're in another world with a spring fed lake and shady cottonwood trees, mesas and rock formations. We camped in the Circle Drive campground and had a wonderful time. The campground was full and so very quiet. Sites were well spaced and ours was fully shaded. An easy walk to the swim beach and little bait shop and store open on the weekends. The lake is small and quiet with fishers and kayakers. We swam a lot, fished a bit even though the fish weren't biting, explored the dam, hiked a on the bluffs trail and made the short drive to Monument Rocks. There is a great disk golf course and ADA fishing docks with paved walkway access for those who need it. The campsite bathrooms were open-air and nicely cleaned once a day. The shower house and bathrooms near the swim beach were clean and well kept. We'll be back for sure! Highly Recommend!

Awesome KS State Park! 

While traveling through Kansas we found a beautiful spot to camp that we would recommend to all campers whether beginning, tenting, RV or even to just stop and spend the day. There is plenty of camping sites, fishing areas, swimming beach, a beach/boat/market house, historical markers and dwellings along with beautiful rolling hills and bluffs. Camp hosts were pleasant and helpful and area was clean. Some areas are shaded better than others as seen on google maps. And not to forget that Monument rocks are about a 20 minute drive from there and a must see-amazing that they could be there.

A Diamond in the rough

Arrived on a Thursday afternoon late August. 
Started out looking for spots on the west side. Drove around the entire lake and found spot #3 on the east side to have the best views. 
Pros: 
Lakeside camping
Decent views of bluffs
Relaxing sounds of fish jumping 
Plethora of wild white sage

Cons:
Only found one spot worthy of camping 
Broken glass, diapers, beer cans



Decent scenery 

Driving through Kansas and coming up on this park and it's views made it a great spot to stop at along the way. Able to pull up to campsites and park next to your tent area. Everything was clean and my spot was a nice wake up view looking across the lake. Only caught a catfish while there but still great fun. Wish I could've gotten video of the thunderstorm that rolled through in the distance. Overall though,  great hiking around the lake and good spots. Just a short drive to town also if you need to pick anything up.

Great Surprise 

As you approach this lake, you will think your GPS is lying to you.  You are in the middle of corn fields and no lake is visible, even when you are just a mile away.  The lake sits in a gorge, and it is you won't see it until you are right at the top of and/or descending into the gorge.  

  

This is a nice stopover spot for anyone traveling west through Kansas.  We used it as a pit stop before entering Colorado.  It's a pretty lake with good fishing and a nice swimming area.  You can also rent boats to paddle and fish.  Our spot was a bit exposed, but there are plenty of campsites with good tree coverage and privacy.  

  

The campground and facilities were clean

An Oasis in Western Kansas

We enjoyed our 2 night stay in the Circle Loop. Only negative was no fire pits in this loop, but all the tent sites had fire pits. Strange.

  

Lots of positives, mainly the scenery and peace &amp; quiet. Amazing sites nearby...Jerusalem Badlands &amp; Monument Rocks about 15-20 minutes north off of US 83. 

  

Scott City, 15 miles south has a great grocery store and eateries,gas stations.

Scenic, quiet place

Standard Campground in middle nowhere Kansas. We were passing through to Colorado and were also planning to see the nearby Monument Rocks and New Jerusalem Badlands SP. We managed to be the only one in this campground. While this campground had a sign explaining their color coded services, there were no actual services. There were no  formal fire rings on grills, but most sites had remains of improvised fire rings. There is a group camping site with large fire ring, grill, volleyball court etc. This campground had two available bathrooms. One is a pit toilet with no lights, so bring a flashlight. The second had sinks, flush toilets, and showers, but had no main bathroom doors and completely open to the elements at the 8 foot height.

Elm Grove Campground

Stunning site! I loved being right near the water and the bathrooms were very clean and well kept. 

I camped here in the winter so it got down to 5°, so make sure to prepare for that.

Beautiful lovation

   It seemed like we drove a long time to get here. This was a stop on our way back home from Colorado. It was around 40 some miles from the Interstate&amp; all we saw were fields upon fields &amp; no trees. The husband was grumbling when we turned off on the road to Lake Scott. I felt a lot better when we took the road down into the valley &amp; saw the lake!

    This is not our first Kansas state park. We've been to Kanopolis &amp; Mushroom Rocks. Lake Scott is supposed to be Kansas' most historic park. We stayed for 2 nights in the Circle campground. Water &amp; electric. There's a few "seasonal" sites that offer sewer. 

As before, there was no one at the gatehouse to check in, so we found our site ourselves. The camp host was never around, but there were a few people in golf carts who waved at us.

   The site had some trees &amp; a view of the lake. The site was clean 

    It was a short walk to the bathroom by the lake. There are flush toilets &amp; showers &amp; I've got to say, they are the filthiest I've seen camping. Apparently it's no ones job to take out the garbage or clean the sinks or toilets. 

    The beach was fairly crowded both afternoons we were there. I have no idea why anyone would want to swim in that disgusting water, but I guess that's all that's around. My husband says he saw fish jumping, so there is that to do.

    This is a pretty scenic park. The rocks &amp; the lake, ect. There was never anyone at the beach store &amp; I found out it's only open on weekends. There was someone at the park office&amp; I got some area info. It was closed by afternoon though. The Steele Home Museum was closed both days we were there.