Found · unverifiedMunicipalFree

Chautauqua Park (Beloit)

Drive-up · public land · KS · 39.45500, -98.11350

We haven't personally camped here. Everything below is pulled from public land data, USGS maps and OpenStreetMap — a real place on public land, but not field-checked by us. Confirm road conditions, current access, stay limits and fire restrictions before you go.

Beloit's Chautauqua Park, on the Solomon River just south of downtown, allows free camping for up to 10 days in any 60-day period. The county tourism office describes 30 electric and water hookups and a sewer dump station, which makes this an unusually well-equipped free stop. Restrooms are open roughly April through October. Donations are appreciated. The deal these towns offer is simple: camp free, and they hope you buy fuel, groceries or dinner in town. Be a good guest and it stays free for the next traveler. Town rules change often and we have not visited -- confirm current rules with the town before you go.

USGS topo — contours & terrain

USGS topographic map of Chautauqua Park (Beloit)

Aerial — USGS / NAIP

Aerial image of Chautauqua Park (Beloit)

Weather outlook

Loading the latest forecast…

Live NWS area forecast (~2.5 km grid, not elevation-corrected). Camp sits at 1,364 ft.

Fire & smokeNIFC · AirNow

Checking active fires & air quality…

Active wildfires from NIFC (within ~50 mi); air quality from AirNow. Always confirm current fire restrictions with the managing office before you go.

Everything you need — measured from camp

Straight-line miles · bearings approx · roads run longer

Nearest of each

FFuel1 mi
GGrocery1 mi
MMechanic6 mi
DDump12 mi
ShShower12 mi
@Mail16 mi
+Urgent care16 mi
HHardware17 mi
OOutfitter23 mi
LLaundry23 mi
RxPharmacy24 mi
AAir-up51 mi

≤30 mi30–4545+water

The read: fuel & food sit about 1 mi out.

Not within 60 mi: Water, Propane. Plan those before you head up.

One dot per need — the nearest of each kind, straight-line from camp. Places from OpenStreetMap (© OpenStreetMap contributors). Open in Google Maps ↗

The site

Access

Drive-up

Land

public land

Elevation

1,364 ft

State

Coordinates

39.45500, -98.11350

Cost

Free

Nearby & resupply (OpenStreetMap)

Water featureMulberry Creek (stream) · nearby
Nearest townBeloit · ~0.4 mi
Drinking waternone within 10 mi
FuelCasey's General Store · ~1.2 mi
Propane / LPGnone within 31 mi
Dump stationDump station · ~11.8 mi
GroceriesCasey's General Store · ~1.2 mi
PharmacyMankato Professional Pharmacy · ~23.5 mi
Hospital / clinicMitchell County Hospital Health Systems · ~0.9 mi

Nearby restrooms — pit toilets, restrooms & rest areas (government data)

No mapped restroom within 30 miles — plan to pack it out.

Open this spot elsewhere

Google satellite →Gaia GPS →CalTopo →Back to the map →

Other camps nearby

If this one is full, gated or washed out.

Jewell State Fishing Lake~19.0 mi
Airport Park Campground (Concordia)~25.2 mi
Saline State Fishing Lake~45.4 mi

How we know this

Source

municipal park records

Confidence

Likely — The record is good enough to put a pin on, but thin in places. Treat the details as a starting point, not gospel.

How it was placed

Coordinates: OSM way 228034365 'Chautauqua Park' (leisure=park, GNIS 472348), centroid. Camping rules: Mitchell County official tourism site, https://www.discovermitchellcounty.com/explore-live-grow/chautauqua-park/ , fetched 2026-07-20, quote: 'Camping facilities can be used free for up to 10 days in any 60 day period' and '30 electric & water hook-ups, and a sewer dump station'. Not stated on a City of Beloit page, so confidence is 'med' rather than 'high'. Verified 2026-07-20.

Field check

Not verified on the ground. Nobody from here has camped it. It stays at Likely until someone does.

What we don’t know

A land record can put you within a few metres of a spot. It cannot tell you any of this — so check it yourself, and treat anything below as the open question it is.

Road surface & last-mile access
How many rigs actually fit
Cell coverage by carrier
Seasonal & winter access
Current fire restrictions
Whether any water here is drinkable
Shade & wind exposure
Noise and who else shows up

Before you go

Your first dispersed night →Fire rules & restrictions →Getting unstuck →Power off-grid →All field notes →

Been here? Tell us what changed. This page is built from public records, so the fastest way it gets better is somebody who has actually pulled in. Road washed out, site gone, gate locked, or it is exactly as described — all of it useful. Send a report →