Atchison State Fishing Lake is located near Atchison, Kansas, and consists of 248 surface acres of water surrounded by 182 acres of public wildlife area.

Atchison State Fishing Lake provides free primitive camping on the south and east sides of the lake. There are picnic facilities and restrooms available on-site, and potable water is provided at the southeast entrance to the lake.

Contact: Kirk Thompson, 913-367-7811. Brochure

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Barber State Fishing Lake is located near Medicine Lodge, Kansas, and features 77 water acres, along with 113 acres of land -- 100 acres of grassland and 13 acres of timber.

Barber State Fishing Lake provides free primitive camping anywhere on the property. Picnic shelters and pit toilets are provided, but there is no potable water.

Contact: Todd Gatton, 620-895-6446. Brochure

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Bourbon State Fishing Lake and Wildlife Area is located near Elsmore, Kansas, and is "a picturesque 103-acre lake located five miles east of Elsmore. It lies in a deep valley surrounded by oak-hickory timber on Wolfpen Creek, a small tributary of the Marmaton River." There is an adjacent 277-acre Wildlife Area, with habitats that include native prairie, woodland, and a savannah.

Bourbon State Fishing Lake provides free primitive camping in designated areas along the southern and western shoreline. Picnic tables, barbecue grills, drinking water, and vault toilets are provided.

Contact: Monte Manbeck, 620-449-2539. Brochure

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Brown State Fishing Lake is located near Robinson, Kansas, and consists of 60 surface acres of water surrounded by 188 acres of public wildlife area.

Brown State Fishing Lake provides free primitive camping anywhere around the lake. There are picnic facilities and restrooms available on-site, but no potable water is provided.

Contact: Kirk Thompson, 913-367-7811.

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Butler State Fishing Lake and Wildlife Area is located near Latham, Kansas, and features a 124-acre lake surrounded by a 196-acre wildlife area. The wildlife area is made up of scenic Flint Hills prairie that becomes a spectacle of color when numerous species of wildflowers are in bloom.

Butler State Fishing Lake provides free primitive camping anywhere on the lake property. Picnic tables, picnic shades, pit toilets, and potable water are provided.

Contact: Kurt Grimm, 620-876-5730. Brochure

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Chase State Fishing Lake and Wildlife Area is located near Cottonwood Falls, Kansas, and features a 109-acre lake surrounded by a 383-acre wildlife area. The Wildlife Area consists of primarily of native grass prairie, and a variety of wildflowers are abundant throughout the area.

Chase State Fishing Lake provides free primitive camping in designated areas along the north shore. Picnic tables, fire rings, and pit toilets are provided.

Other nearby camping opportunities include Bates Grove Park and Swope Park, both inCottonwood Falls.

Contact: Brent Konen, 620-767-5900. Brochure

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Clark State Fishing Lake is located near Kingsdown, Kansas, and features a 300-acre lake surrounded by 900 acres of public land. It is located in "an extremely scenic setting of canyon country".

Clark State Fishing Lake provides free primitive camping anywhere within the property. Pit toilets are provided, but no potable water is available. No ground fires are allowed, but fires are permitted in the metal fire rings and grills provided.

Contact: 620-227-8609. Brochure

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Concannon State Fishing Lake is located near Garden City, Kansas, and features a 50-acre lake (often dry) and about 750 acres of grassland and marsh. "The large marshy area, in conjunction with the lake, provides a wonderful place to observe ducks, geese, herons and shore-birds."

Concannon State Fishing Lake provides free primitive camping throughout the area. Pit toilets are provided, but no potable water is available.

Contact: Justin Hamilton, 620-276-8886. Brochure

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Cowley State Fishing Lake and Wildlife Area is located near Dexter, Kansas, and features an 84-acre lake surrounded by a 113-acre wildlife area. Fishing, hunting, bird watching, and photography are popular activities at the lake.

Cowley State Fishing Lake provides free primitive camping along the north shore of the lake. Picnic tables and pit toilets are provided, but no potable water is available.

Contact: Kurt Grimm, 620-876-5730. Brochure

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Douglas State Fishing Lake is located near Baldwin City, Kansas. The lake is 180 surface acres, surrounded by a 538-acre wildlife area.

Douglas State Fishing Lake offers free primitive camping in designated areas on the west side of the lake. Vault restrooms and picnic tables are provided. Fires are allowed only in provided metal fire rings.

Be sure to check out the nearby Ivan Boyd Nature Trail, as well as the Black Jack Battlefield and Nature Park.

Contact: Kelly Rockers 913-845-2665. Brochure

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Ford State Fishing Lake is located near Dodge City, Kansas, and features a 45-acre lake, along with 260 acres of uplands and 10 acres of wetlands. The lake dam was originally built in 1936. The uplands and wetlands are made up of heavily timbered riparian areas along the creek, native grass on the side slopes, and old crop fields on the flatter upland terrain.

Ford State Fishing Lake provides free primitive camping in a designated area on the western shore of the lake. Pit toilets are provided, but no potable water is available. Fire pits and picnic tables are provided.

Ford State Fishing Lake is also home to the Ford County Lake Trail, which offers "about 10 miles of twisty singletrack that carry riders through trees, brush, and gyp rock formations along the lakeshore."

Contact: Todd Gatton, 620-895-6446. Brochure

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Geary State Fishing Lake and Wildlife Area is located near Junction City, Kansas, and features a 99-acre lake surrounded by 180 acres of public land. The lake serves as a stopover area for migrating waterfowl in the fall and spring.

Geary State Fishing Lake provides free primitive camping in designated areas. Picnic tables, fire rings, and pit toilets are provided.

Contact: Kristin Kloft, 785-461-5402. Brochure

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Goodman State Fishing Lake is located near Ness City, Kansas, and features a 40-acre lake and a 225-acre upland wildlife area.

Goodman State Fishing Lake provides free primitive camping in designated areas on the west side of the lake. Pit toilets are provided, but no potable water is available. Picnic tables and shelters are available.

Contact: Justin Hamilton, 620-276-8886. Brochure

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Hain State Fishing Lake is located near Spearville, Kansas, and features a 35-acre lake (sometimes dry), along with 20 acres of uplands. Due to its shallow depth, the lake supplies excellent wetland habitat; waterfowl hunting is the primary use of the area.

Hain State Fishing Lake provides free primitive camping anywhere on the property. Picnic shelters are provided, but there are no restrooms, and no potable water.

Contact: Todd Gatton, 620-895-6446. Brochure

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Hamilton State Fishing Lake is located near Syracuse, Kansas, and features a 90-acre lake (often dry) and about 338 acres of upland short grass prairie surrounding the lake bed, 12 acres of riparian timber, and 226 acres of grassland.

Hamilton State Fishing Lake provides free primitive camping anywhere within the property. A pit toilet is provided, but no potable water is available. Open fires are not permitted.

Contact: Tom Norman, 620-227-8609. Brochure

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Hodgeman State Fishing Lake is located near Jetmore, Kansas, and features 254 acres of public land, with an intermittent lake that covers approximately 87 acres when full. "Approximately 167 acres of the area is native grass with timber along the drainage and lake edge."

Hodgeman State Fishing Lake provides free primitive camping anywhere on the property. There is one vault toilet near the park entrance, but there is no potable water and no other services are provided.

Contact: Justin Hamilton, 620-276-8886. Brochure

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Kingman State Fishing Lake and Byron Walker Wildlife Area is located near Kingman, Kansas, and features a 144-acre lake, along with nearly 4,500 acres of wildlife area, which includes diverse habitat such as riparian woodlands, native prairie, wetlands and marshes, and cropland. The lake and surrounding wildlife area are ranked among the top areas for wildlife viewing in Kansas.

Kingman State Fishing Lake provides free primitive camping in designated areas. Picnic tables, fire rings, and pit toilets are provided.

Contact: Troy Smith, 620-532-3242. Brochure

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Kiowa State Fishing Lake is located near Greensburg, Kansas, and features a 21-acre lake surrounded by 43 acres of public land. It is located just northwest of the town, and the lake's water level is maintained by pumping ground water from a well. The lake offers outdoor recreation opportunities for fishing, picnicking, and camping.

Kiowa State Fishing Lake provides free primitive camping anywhere on the property. There is one vault toilet, and several picnic tables and picnic shelters, but there are no other services available.

Contact: Todd Gatton, 620-895-6446. Brochure

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Leavenworth State Fishing Lake is located near Tonganoxie, Kansas, and consists of 160 surface acres of water surrounded by 341 acres of public wildlife area.

Leavenworth State Fishing Lake provides free primitive camping areas on both sides of the lake. Campfires are allowed but must be contained in provided metal fire rings in designated areas. Pit toilets are provided, but no electricity or running water is available.

Contact: Kelly Rockers, 913-845-2665. Brochure

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Louisburg Middle Creek State Fishing Lake is located near Louisburg, Kansas.

It offers free primitive camping on the north side of the lake only. Facilities include a vault toilet, gravel pullouts for camping, picnic tables, and fire rings. Electricity and drinking water are not available. Fires are authorized only in the provided metal fire rings and grills.

The nearby Rutlader Outpost offers tent campsites with modern amenities, for a fee.

Manager: Tim Schaid, 913-783-4507. Brochure

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Lyon State Fishing Lake and Wildlife Area is located near Reading, Kansas, and features a 140-acre lake surrounded by a 442-acre wildlife area. The property is situated on the eastern fringe of the scenic Flint Hills of Kansas, and Native tallgrass prairie comprises most of the habitat.

The lake was built in the 1930s by the Works Progress Administration (WPA) and the Civilian Conservation Corps (CCC). "Their work is most visible today in the native limestone guard posts on the dam and the inlaid riprap on the face of the dam and spillway. A native stone shelterhouse was constructed in 1951."

Lyon State Fishing Lake provides free primitive camping in designated areas. Picnic tables, grills, and pit toilets are provided. Potable water is not available.

Contact: Don Patton, 620-699-3372. Brochure

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McPherson State Fishing Lake and Maxwell Wildlife Refuge are located near Canton, Kansas, and features a 46-acre lake, 260 acres of public-use area, and 2,254 acres of rolling native prairie. The lake is "set in a very scenic location in the southeastern tip of the Smoky Hills on the upper end of the Gypsum creek drainage and has a nice wooded campground on the west shore".

McPherson State Fishing Lake provides free primitive camping in designated areas. Picnic tables, fire rings, and pit toilets are provided. No camping is allowed on the fishing piers.

A self-guided nature trail is open year-round on the southwestern corner of the lake, but bicycles are prohibited from the trail. Maxwell Wildlife Refuge is home to one of the largest remaining wild buffalo herds, with about 200 bison, as well as a herd of about 50 elk on the refuge.

Contact: Cliff Peterson, 620-628-4592. Brochure

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The Miami State Fishing Lake is located near Fontana, Kansas. The facility is a 118-acre lake surrounded by 149 acres of timbered hillsides, and bordering the Marais des Cygnes River.

The lake offers free primitive camping on fourteen earthen piers that extend into the lake. Pit toilets are available, but no other facilities are provided. Fires are allowed in fire-rings where provided. The nearest services are in La Cygne. Access to the lake is via gravel roads.

Manager: Lucas Kramer, 913-783-4507. Brochure

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Montgomery State Fishing Lake is located near Independence, Kansas, and is a 105-acre lake surrounded by 303 acres of public land, located approximately four miles south and one mile east of Independence. The lake is built on Coal Creek, which is a small tributary of the Verdigris River, and "many scenic bluffs are found along the creek, and the stream and lake shores are covered with oak-hickory woodlands and stands of blackjack oak interspersed with a mixture of native rangelands."

Montgomery State Fishing Lake provides free primitive camping in designated areas. There are pit toilets, but no electric, water, or sewage hookups, showers, or drinkable water is available.

Contact: Darin Porter, 620-331-6820. Brochure

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Nebo State Fishing Lake is located near Holton, Kansas, and consists of 32 surface acres of water and 43 acres of public wildlife area. The land is characterized by native grass, riparian habitat, and border areas with woody vegetation with a mix of warm and cool season grasses.

Nebo State Fishing Lake provides free primitive camping anywhere around the lake. A pit toilet is provided, but no potable water is available.

Contact: Kirk Thompson, 913-367-7811. Brochure

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Neosho State Fishing Lake is located approximately 6 miles south and one mile west of St. Paul, Kansas, and is a 92-acre lake built in 1927. It "has been well developed over the years and has become an attraction for the vacationing or weekend camper/angler". It is also known as "Lake McKinley".

Neosho State Fishing Lake has three sites designated for primitive camping, and amenities include vault toilets, picnic tables, barbecue grills, a water hydrant, and a shelter house.

Contact: 620-449-2539.

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Osage State Fishing Lake is located near Carbondale, Kansas, and consists of 140 surface acres of water and 366 acres of "tall grass prairie with numerous wooded draws and slopes". The lake is managed as a combination wildlife and fishing area, and "lies in a small, pleasant valley of the Osage Cuestas".

Osage State Fishing Lake provides free primitive camping in designated areas. There are two public toilets on the west side of the lake.

Contact: 620-699-3372.

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Ottawa State Fishing Lake is located near Minneapolis, Kansas, and consists of 111 surface acres of water surrounded by 617 acres of public land, including a wildlife area.

Ottawa State Fishing Lake provides free primitive camping in designated areas around the lake. Amenities include vault toilets, picnic tables, and fire rings. Campfires are allowed only in established fire rings. No potable water is available.

Contact: 785-658-2465. Brochure

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Pottawatomie State Fishing Lake No. 1 is located near Westmoreland, Kansas, and the property features 190 acres, of which 24 is the lake itself. The lake was built in the 1930s by the Kansas Forestry Fish and Game Commission, the W.P.A. (Works Progress Administration), and the Kansas Highway Commission.

The lake provides free primitive camping in designated areas around the lake. One restroom is provided, but no potable water is available. Campfires are allowed in provided metal rings only. There is a short hiking trail that takes you on a scenic hike around the west side of the lake.

Contact: Blake Klema, 785-539-9999. Brochure

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Pottawatomie State Fishing Lake No. 2 is located near Manhattan, Kansas, and the property features 247 acres, of which 75 is the lake itself. The area surrounding the lake is a wildlife refuge, predominately riparian timber with some native grass on the upland area.

The lake provides free primitive camping in designated on the west side of the lake. Vault toilets are provided, but no potable water is available. Campfires are allowed in provided metal rings only.

Contact: Blake Klema, 785-539-9999. Brochure

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Rooks State Fishing Lake is located near Stockton, Kansas, and offers 67 acres of surface water and 246 acres of land. The lake was built in 1934 by the Works Progress Administration and the State Forestry, Fish, and Game Commission.

The lake provides free primitive camping in four designated camping areas along the east shoreline of the lake. A vault toilet is provided, but no potable water is available. Picnic tables are also provided in the campgrounds.

Contact: Michael Zajic, 785-425-6775.

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Shawnee State Fishing Lake is located near Silver Lake, Kansas, and consists of 135 surface acres of water and 400 acres of public wildlife area, which is dominated by native warm season grasses, forbs, and scattered brushy areas.

Shawnee State Fishing Lake provides free primitive camping in designated areas on the east side of the lake. Pit toilets are provided, but no potable water is available. Campfires are allowed in provided metal rings only.

Contact: Kelly Rockers, 913-845-2665. Brochure

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Sheridan State Fishing Lake is located near Hoxie, Kansas, and offers 60 acres of surface water and 188 acres of timber and native grass public wildlife area.

The lake provides free primitive camping in designated areas along the shoreline of the lake. Vault toilets are provided, but no potable water is available. Picnic tables and fire rings are provided at many of the sites.

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Washington State Fishing Lake is located near Washington, Kansas, just south of the Nebraska state line. The 65-acre lake is surrounded by 352 acres of public land, and the lake serves as a stopover area for migrating waterfowl in the fall and spring.

The lake provides free primitive camping in designated on the east side of the lake. A vault toilet is provided, but no potable water is available. Campfires are allowed in provided metal rings only.

Contact: Kristin Kloft, 785-461-5402. Brochure

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Wilson State Fishing Lake and Wildlife Area is located near Buffalo, Kansas, and consists of a 119-acre lake surrounded by 172 acres of public land, located approximately one mile southeast of town. The lake is built on Woodruff Creek, and situated near the intersection of US-75 and K-39 highways.

Wilson State Fishing Lake provides free primitive camping in designated areas. There are vault toilets, picnic tables, and grills, but no potable water or other amenities are available.

Contact: Scott Barlow, 620-637-2748. Brochure

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Woodson State Fishing Lake and Wildlife Area is located near Toronto, Kansas, and consists of a 180-acre lake surrounded by 2,705 acres of public land, located approximately 5-1/2 miles east of town. "Nestled in the northern edge of the spectacular Chautauqua Hills of southeast Kansas, Woodson is an ideal setting for outdoor enthusiasts, from bird watchers and hunters to fishermen and campers."

Woodson State Fishing Lake provides both RV and free primitive camping in 30 sites around the lake. Amenities include vault toilets, picnic tables, and grills, and potable water.

Contact: Scott Barlow, 620-637-2748. Brochure

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