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**blmitch5** · 02-28-2010, 10:32 AM

Anyone know of a great place to camp in KS or MO with little or no neighbors? Were just getting started and would love to find a spot where the dogs don't have to be tied up. We have the AS solar package and are changing the lights to LED to conserve power. Were ready to roll(once it warms up) and excited about boondocking.

clydecrashcu · 03-05-2010, 06:41 AM

I would think it will be difficult to find a true boondocking location in Kansas. As you know most areas at Fed., State or private owned locations. You might be able to find a rural farm that might allow you to stay on their land for a while. It will be interesting to see if someone in either states lists a boondocking location.

2airishuman · 03-05-2010, 10:52 AM

boondocking=no hookups....

there are LOTS of places to do this in the land of ahz....

including rural wally stores that LIKE us.

and roadside rest areas on rural ks roads.
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FREE camping is another issue entirely.

there are MANY spots with ALMOST free camping...

county lakes, fairgrounds, small city parks in rural towns, and so on...

many of these places have water/electric for 5-10$ or 'donations'....

and i use ALL of them,

some of the cool rural ks towns have 2-5 sites at the city parks that are basically available to anyone.
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and IF u buy an annual ks state park camping sticker AND vehicle sticker...

for about 170$ total...

u can camp for "free" in the ks state parks in the NO hookup/primitive zones ...

hillsdale lake JUST south/east of you has a 'free zone' like this along with loops where you only pay for water/electric...

the lakes at lawrence, pomona, melvern and so on across the state have these loops too.
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but here's the deal, i'm NOT sharing any of my primo doublesecret REMOTE spots with ne1 who wants to let the DOGS RUN LOOSE.

my dog doesn't wanna be JUMPED on, chewed on, barked at and neither do i...

((although i'm sure your pooches are wonderful, well behaved things and would NEVER do that ))

although i was BITTEN by another camper/hiker's dog last year in oregon...

who thought it would be NICE to let his 3 dogs 'just run' on the FREE federal forest hiking trails ...

now he's only got 2 dogs...

sad but true, the police came took and destroyed the biter.

and your CITY dogs won't know how to handle the THORNS, BURRS, poison ivy, oak...

snakes, ki-o-tees, ferrel cats, horses, and other critters that peacefully run...

where the buffalo roam and deer and the antelope play...
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on the MO side there are a LOT more camping options but also a LOT more established campground in the places people wanna go...

almost ALL of the lake zones have 10-20$ per day camping, same with the creeks and streams and rivers that are scattered into the ozarks...

IF the dogs are LOOSE, put an ORANGE SHIRT on them, or they risk getting SHOT by hunters...

it's real, it happens and it's our fault IF this happens.

even mountain biking or hiking in those locations requires wearing SOMETHING of the safety color spectrum...

cheers
2air'

**blmitch5** · 03-06-2010, 08:50 AM

Thanks 2nd Air. Dogs won't be loose so to say but useing a electronic coller and a wide zone with flags. In parks and hiking they would be leashed as per laws etc. They have hunting boots to protect their pads and don't bite. But if other dogs/people were around back to the leash. Our maiden trip will be at Hillsdale to get used to our new vacation home. I have played with her in our driveway but want to camp close to home to work out the bugs if any.

Where do you live? You seem to know the area well. I'm from Salina and we farmed alot near Tuttlecreek. We had our camper there all summer and it was a nice park. I think it's pretty quiet on the Randolh side since they took the marina away years ago. We will boondock on our farm for old time sake ( just outside Randolph). Big pasture and a nice pond. I'm not oposed to campground but think it would be nice not to worry about neighbors when listing to music while enjoying a dirty martini!

thanks again!

2airishuman · 03-06-2010, 01:22 PM

ok since the pooches have been corral'd and i MIGHT just need a dirty beverage some time...

here's a bit more info.

after purchasing a vehicle permit and rv sticker you will have access to the NO UTILITIES sections in most state park campgrounds...

these are typically called the primitive sites and while many are for tents, they also will accommodate rvs.

at hillsdale that loop is called rabbit ridge (

) humm....

the rest of the state park there has water/electric which is useful when the a/c is needed.

the dump station has fresh water too, so one can fill UP with water and DUMP even while camping in the primitive loop.

a couple of the loops have "premium sites" because of more shade trees but this only adds 2-3$ to the utility fee.

that's a great place to go for you and a few shake down nights of camping.

also the rv dealer/shop off i35 in olathe is closeby for supplies, emergency services and LP gas.

but the lake is still YOUNG so the flora/fauna around it isn't well developed yet.

also it's SO close to the metro area that a lot of people use that area.
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even though it's a hour more towing, the state park at pomona (vassar state park) is MUCH MUCH more remote and isolated from the metro zone.

in fact you will think the park has been abandoned or is a ghost town most of the year...

that park is 40+ years old so the shoreline and trees and campsites and trails are MATURED in a good way.

some of the loops have FULL HOOKUPS and others water/electric only or primitive.

at night the stars are BIG and IF it's not a 3 day holiday (memorial/the 4th/labor)...

it will be primarily YOU and the camp host and the park rangers.

so i like that area a LOT for quiet camping near water and with ALL the normal state park facilities to use.

the small towns around there (for groceries) are friendly and need the biz (check out osage city/overbrook/lyndon and vassar)

MELVERN lake/state park is similar but a tad busier during fishing season and another hour southwest.
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almost ALL of the LARGE ks lakes, also have army coe campgrounds...

these are typically closer to the spillways, reservable ONLINE and cost more.
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ok, for TOTALLY FREE boondocking check out douglas county state fishing lake...

they've recently FILLED the lake and restocked it with fishies...

and there is a FREE camping area there.

this is very close by u and near baldwin.

go there most weekends and it will be YOU and a few guys fishing.

go mid week and it will be JUST YOU.

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many of the counties in ks have a "fishing lake" with free camping.

these show up on the state park map but are NOT really state parks with fees and so on.

almost ALL of them you would find very sparsely populated.
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i'm not a huge fan of tuttle creek/milford.

it's a NICE area but gets a LOT more traffic use than most other ks state parks/lakes...

so does perry near topeka and the clinton lake at lawrence, and it because ALL 3 are near population centers.

realize "busy" and "traffic" are relative terms and almost ALL camping in ks is UNcluttered relative to other states...

IF headed west on i70, i prefer going to wilson.

the lake there is MUCH different than any other lake in ks and there's a great mtn biking/single track trail there...

or council grove (in the lower flint hills) which has a nice little lake/campgrounds and the historic santa trail head legacy.

but from olathe, there are dozens of places to try within 2 hours of towing.
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spring is a great time to hit ALL of these areas, no skeeters, no ticks, no poison ivy yet...

but there is the hail/winds/rain/tornados or SNOW to make it all more interesting...

cheers
2air'

**blmitch5** · 03-07-2010, 04:19 PM

Thanks for the info! Where the heck do you live? I'd gladly shake you a dirty martini!

walker77 · 04-08-2010, 07:32 PM

Hey blmitch5, i live in the kansas city area too (Raymore) Ive been itching taking the airstream down to the national forest in southern Missouri. I normally go down there to ride atvs, and i think it would be fun to take the trailer too. You might want rock guards and a small enough trailer to take down the dirt roads.

drew05 · 09-27-2010, 08:12 PM

Hi, we live in Peculiar. We picked up our Flying Cloud last month. We are going to Knob Noster SP this coming weekend. Far enough not to be too close to home, but close enough to 'get away'. We would like to try to get away at least once a month, especially around Christmas, but also want to slowly build up our skills...

**blmitch5** · 09-27-2010, 08:21 PM

You should consider Branson this weekend! It the Air Midwest rally and some great people will be there. This will be our first rally and we can't wait. We leave Wednesday and will stay at Table Rock lake then move Friday to the rally. Acorn Acers out side of Branson. You will love your AS. Were having a blast with ours. I drove 1300 miles one-way to get her and have been on lots of weekend trips and one 10 day trip to Colorado. Have fun and if it's not too late head to Branson!

drew05 · 09-28-2010, 07:21 AM

We talked about it and began planning, but our son has a swim meet this weekend, so that trumps any long trips.We are looking forward to next years Rally.

Where at Table Rock are you staying. We had stayed at a B&B a few years ago that was south and across the lake from Branson. There was a small park that was nice. Further west there was an old park that may be a Boy Scout camp that was neat and didn't seem crowded.

Have fun and a safe trip this weekend

**blmitch5** · 09-29-2010, 06:39 AM

Here's where were headed. It @ 30 mom to Branson and has good lake views etc. I wanted a quiet area near the water.

Facility Details - Recreation.gov, Old Highway 86 (MO) - Recreation.gov

Have a great weekend!