Venango Park

About

Venango Park Campground occupies the eastern shores of Kanopolis Lake, one of the oldest reservoirs in Kansas, impounded on the Smoky Hill River. The campground provides 126 sites ranging from primitive tent spots to electric sites with water hookups, all set among shade trees with many offering lakefront positions. Sites accommodate RVs and trailers up to 50 feet with gravel, back-in driveways. Full amenities include flush restrooms, hot showers, potable water, and an RV dump station. The location delivers strong recreational value. The Venango Park ATV Trail covers roughly 5 acres and draws motorcycle and ATV riders, while a 1.7-mile hiking-only trail winds through forests, grasslands, and wetlands. The lake supports excellent fishing for walleye, saugeye, wiper, largemouth bass, crappie, channel catfish, and flathead catfish, with KDWPT stocking trout seasonally. A boat ramp provides direct access, and a swimming beach sits within the park. Wildlife viewing is productive year-round. Whitetail deer, pheasants, quail, Texas horned lizards, and beavers are common. Bald eagles frequent the area, and waterfowl concentrate at Loder Point Marsh within the campground. Spring and summer wildflowers including purple poppy mallow, blue false indigo, yucca, and prairie wild rose color the surrounding prairie.

Directions

From the north: Take HWY 140 to HWY 141, travel south on HWY 141, then half a mile west on Venango Road. From the south: Take HWY 4 to HWY 141, travel north on HWY 141, then half a mile west on Venango Road. Signs mark the park entrance.