Campgrounds and RV parks near Fowler, KS

Most activity centers on water, history, and open country. The park's centerpiece is the 80-acre Meade Lake, known as the Oasis of the Plains, with excellent populations of bluegill, channel catfish, flathead catfish, trout, saugeye, crappie, and largemouth bass. The park offers nature trails for hiking, biking, and birding, as well as a disc golf course, and the adjacent 360-acre wildlife area provides hunting opportunities for dove, quail, deer, turkey, rabbit, and occasional waterfowl. In Dodge City, families staying at Dodge City KOA or Gunsmoke RV Park can reach Boot Hill Museum, the Long Branch Lagoon water park, a small zoo, and the city park. From Red Hills Motel & RV Park in Ashland, the Gyp Hills Scenic Byway, Big Basin Prairie Preserve, and St. Jacob's Well are within easy reach for day trips.

Meade State Park is open year-round on a first-come, first-served basis, with reservations for the camping season (April 1 through October 31) going on sale December 10 at noon, and electrical service remaining available to all campgrounds through winter. Water is available year-round only at Sagebrush Campground; water is shut off for the season at Cedar, Lakeview, and Cottonwood campgrounds. Late spring and early summer bring the highest precipitation and the strongest thunderstorm and tornado risk, with the regional severe-weather peak in May and June. Mid to late summer is hot and dry, with afternoon highs often pushing into the 90s Fahrenheit and persistent south winds. Fall is generally the most comfortable stretch for RV travel: warm days, cool nights, lower humidity, and fewer storms. Hunting seasons (dove in September, then pheasant, quail, and deer through winter) drive a second wave of demand at private parks like Red Hills Motel & RV Park and Gunsmoke RV Park. Winter is cold and windy, with occasional snow and ice events; private parks generally stay open year-round but offer reduced services.

Expect wide-open country, long sight lines, and steady wind. Cell service is reliable in Dodge City and Meade but can drop on county roads between towns, so download maps before leaving pavement. Meade State Park features multiple campgrounds totaling 42 water/electric utility sites and 150 primitive campsites across Cedar, Lakeview, Cottonwood, and Sagebrush areas, with tall cottonwood trees providing shade and facilities including vault toilets, showers, restrooms, and a swimming beach. Dodge City KOA offers full hookups, paved pads, pull-throughs, cabins, and laundry, with train noise audible from some sites given the downtown location. Gunsmoke RV Park is an older, no-frills park with full hookups. Red Hills Motel & RV Park is small, with a handful of full-hookup sites plus motel rooms.