Meade State Park

About 10 miles outside Meade , KS in the middle of western prairie is this local oasis. Mature , towering trees give plenty of shade and most sites have a water view, if not right on it . Stayed over a weekend , so there were many camping, but didn’t feel crowded. Multiple loops to choose a site . Law enforcement patrols a couple times a day, didn’t see a single confrontation and all the campers were courteous and quite after lights out . Nice breeze blows most of the time and mild seasonal temperatures. No TV reception with regular antenna, decent phone reception. Would stay again .

Needing to break our journey in SW Kansas we stopped here based on a Campendium review and were not disappointed. Midweek in September the park is pretty much deserted (perhaps 8 - 10 other campers) and so we had a many sites with E/W hookups to choose from. Sites are well spaced and level and, if not on the lake, are close by and have fine views of the water. Pads are gravel but could become muddy. Cottonwood trees and other vegetation provide ample shade and we enjoyed a pleasant walk and lovely sunset. Judging by the number of reserved tags, the park is well used at the weekends, but for us it was a quiet oasis. There are showers and flush toilets in the modern bathrooms, but these buildings are open air (they have a cantilevered roof) and - at the time we used them - were not in very good shape.

33 degrees out on 10-29-19 on our way back to KS from AZ. Lots of campsites to choose from, all are in beautiful setting. Lots of trees, the lake is pretty. We need to go back when the weather is nicer and we are not in a rush to get home.

Lots of kids running around our site next to the lake and kids play area. The park appears to be geared toward family fun with a roped swimming area, concessions, three campgrounds, and several picnic areas packed into a smallish area. They have free to use life vests! There was also lots of fishing going on.

Our site was 50 feet from the water and had good views of the area. The only downside was that there were lots of weeds that could have used a good mowing.

We had only a weak Verizon signal while camped here, and our cell extender didn't seem to help much. Data was slow, slow, slow. Head over to the park office where they have at least some free wifi. Also, our water faucet leaked, leaving a huge puddle under our trailer. Lots of nice walking here, however.

We stayed here for a week in a water and 50amp Electric site. It’s a bit out in the boonies, about 20 miles off HWY 54 on HWY 23. We had a site on the lake, our 36 ft Class A with with slides had plenty of room. The sites are level gravel with picnic tables, fire pits and BBQ. Nice 2 mile trail to hike around the lake. Saw many people catching fish. The day use and camping is spread around the lake. There are swings in each camping area and a larger play ground by the swim beach. We were camped by a nice bath house with hot showers. There were only 4 Restrooms in the park varying from vault to flush toilets and hot showers. It was our first time seeing fire flies. It was very windy and hot but it’s to be expected in Kansas in June. Patchy cell coverage for both Verizon and ATT but guess the visitor center has Wi-Fi. We weren’t camped near there. NOTE if you don’t have a Kansas state park pass for your vehicle it’s $25 extra. We had to get one for motorhome and toad.

We stayed here 2 nights 5/6–8/2022 for $21/night plus taxes. $5/day/vehicle permit avoided since we had $25/year permit on RV & tow car. Cedar Campground sites were generously spaced and site 10 was easy back-in and totally level. Very weak Visible (Verizon platform) cell service, 1 bar 4G. With weBoost ~12' above ground, 2 bars, variable download 3–4.52Mbps, up 0.1–0.52Mbps. No OTA TV. Mostly sunny with 20–30mph winds. Four clean unisex/family shower/restrooms with door locks. Camped here to visit with local resident. No other reason go out of my way for this State Park. Dinged rating 1 star only because nothing of interest in area. Skip the $5/person Dalton Gang Hideout & Museum in Meade. I am a history buff, but the 1880s structure and the tunnel between the house and barn were mildly interesting, and there is nothing here that is not readily available on the internet or in books.

Loved this park! Absolutely nothing else around but this place is so peaceful and beautiful! Very clean! Many lakeside sites. Option of electricity/water sites or just primitive. Has boat dock, playground, bathhouse. Sites mostly level. We were in site 22 and needed 2 leveling blocks. Great site but door of camper opens away from lake. No fires allowed when we were here due to to dry weather and high wind -but campsites sit a bit down in a bowl so wind was nonissue.
Don’t make same mistake I did and pay at self-pay after hour station for a 3-utility site when we never saw a single sewer site! I naively thought that would not be an option if it didn’t exist- wrong.
Great overnight stop or place to just relax or fish.
Showers were open but sadly they were the-constantly-push-button- for-water type and were never warmer than lukewarm. Still they were immaculately clean when we were here
Would love to stay here again!

This is a really, really nice State Park. Kansas did it right here. Plenty of sites and they are huge! Even if you don't have experience backing a Travel Trailer, you won't have any difficulty at this place. The lake itself is a fisherman's paradise. You can just about go anywhere along the bank and fish. No weeds or any other obstruction to get in the way. We were there during the week days and it wasn't crowded at all. In fact, we camped in June and there were maybe 3 or 4 other RV's that were at our campground. You probably don't even have to make a reservation during the week days. Two minor drawbacks I will say. First, the signs getting to your particular campground are small, so be on the lookout. They don't have many signs telling you where to go. In fact when we arrived in our travel trailer, I couldn't find our campground. I drove around the entire lake. I went back to the office which is located at the entrance and they told me where to go. Even gave me a map. So be aware of this. Second, it's definitely off the main drag highway. If you are traveling through Kansas and decide to stop here for a pit stop, it's about a 13 mile one-way trip to the park. Also, we have Verizon and we had dead service. In fact, I shut off my phone because the battery was wearing down searching for a signal.
But all in all, a beautiful park and I would definitely seek it out if you are in the area. Stay a few days and relax!!