Agency-listedKDWPFree
McPherson State Fishing Lake
Drive-up · Kansas Dept. of Wildlife & Parks · KS · 38.47996, -97.46954
Ask an AI about this campsiteOpens Grok already loaded with this site. It reads the same records this page is built from, and links whatever it tells you.
Ask about this camp →Kansas Dept. of Wildlife & Parks lists this site. Someone from the agency inventoried it, so it is a real camp — not a spot we guessed at. What changes is conditions — roads, gates, closures, fire rules. Check those with the unit before you commit to the drive.
Kansas State Fishing Lake — 46 acres, managed by the Kansas Dept. of Wildlife & Parks. Free primitive camping is allowed (no camping fee), first-come, first-served, with a 7-day stay limit; a fishing license is required only if you fish. Camping is in designated areas only — confirm the current rules and where camping is allowed with KDWP before you go.
USGS topo — contours & terrain
Aerial — USGS / NAIP
Weather outlook — at McPherson State Fishing Lake
Loading the latest forecast…
Live NWS area forecast (~2.5 km grid, not elevation-corrected). Camp sits at 1,446 ft.
Fire & smoke — around McPherson State Fishing LakeNIFC · 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 McPherson State Fishing Lake · Kansas Dept. of Wildlife & Parks · KS
Straight-line miles · bearings approx · roads run longer
Nearest of each
- @Mail8 mi
- FFuel8 mi
- GGrocery11 mi
- EVEV fast charger11 mi
- +Urgent care13 mi
- HHardware13 mi
- LLaundry13 mi
- MMechanic16 mi
- RxPharmacy16 mi
- AAir-up26 mi
- WWater26 mi
- DDump28 mi
- ShShower28 mi
- PPropane53 mi
- OOutfitter54 mi
≤30 mi30–4545+water
The read: water is a real 26-mi drive, fuel & food sit about 8 mi out.
One dot per need — the nearest of each kind, straight-line from camp. Places from OpenStreetMap (© OpenStreetMap contributors); the EV fast charger from the US DOE station locator. Open in Google Maps ↗
The site — McPherson State Fishing Lake
Access
Drive-up
Land
Kansas Dept. of Wildlife & Parks
Elevation
1,446 ft
State
KS
Coordinates
38.47996, -97.46954
Cost
Free
Nearby & resupply — around McPherson State Fishing Lake · Kansas Dept. of Wildlife & Parks · KS (OpenStreetMap)
- Water featureMcPherson State Fishing Lake (water) · nearby
- Nearest townRoxbury · ~5.3 mi
- Drinking waternone within 10 mi
- FuelCenex · ~8.0 mi
- Propane / LPGnone within 31 mi
- Dump station~28.3 mi
- GroceriesLove's · ~10.9 mi
- PharmacyWalmart Pharmacy · ~22.5 mi
- Hospital / clinicMcPherson County Health Department · ~12.8 mi
- HardwareGoering Hardware · ~19.3 mi
EV charging — from McPherson State Fishing Lake · Kansas Dept. of Wildlife & Parks · KS — nearest public DC fast & Level 2 (US DOE station data)
- Nearest public DC fast charger11.3 mi straight-line SW — 24/7 Travel Store #10, McPherson, KS · EV Connect · CHAdeMO, CCS · 4 fast ports listed · listed open, last confirmed by AFDC 2026-09-16 · hours: 24 hours daily · directions
- Public DC fast stations within reach3 within 25 mi · 12 within 50 · 40 within 100 · 77 within 150
- Nearest listing NACS (Tesla)28.6 mi — Salina, KS - Tesla Supercharger, Salina
- Nearest public Level 2 (J1772)12.9 mi — Tradhuset, Lindsborg, KS (at a hotel) · Non-Networked · J1772 · 1 Level 2 port listed · listed open, last confirmed by AFDC 2026-09-14 · hours: 24 hours daily
- Pricing at the fast chargernot listed
- Power (kW)not listed by AFDC — “DC fast” spans roughly 24 to 350 kW, so ask the network.
- Read this honestlyStraight-line miles, like every distance on this site. Roads run longer than this, and you have to get back. We know where a charger is listed. We don’t know if it works today, how fast it is, or the road miles. Check the network before you commit.
Snapshot 2026-09-16 · AFDC record 189849 · US DOE Alternative Fuels Data Center
Nearby restrooms — around McPherson State Fishing Lake · Kansas Dept. of Wildlife & Parks · KS — pit toilets, restrooms & rest areas (government data)
- Highway rest areaNHS Rest Stop or Truck Facility 2 · ~8.2 mi W
- Highway rest areaNHS Rest Stop or Truck Facility 3 · ~8.2 mi W
Open McPherson State Fishing Lake elsewhere
How we know this — McPherson State Fishing Lake
Source
Kansas Dept. of Wildlife & Parks (state fishing lakes)
Confidence
Researched — The record is detailed and internally consistent, and the coordinates land where the managing agency says this site is.
How it was placed
Location & acreage: KDWP Fishing Atlas GIS (Res_SFL_CFAP_NoFee, CLASS=SFL, NAD83). Free-camping status: KDWP regulations + Boondocker's Bible KS SFL roster. Pilot ingest 2026-07-19 10:36:50.
EV chargers
US DOE Alternative Fuels Data Center station locator, snapshot 2026-09-16. Straight-line miles to the nearest public, open, unrestricted station; restricted and planned units are shown but never counted.
Field check
On the agency's books. The land manager inventoried this site, so its existence is not in question — current conditions are. Nobody from here has camped it recently.
What we don’t know about McPherson State Fishing Lake
A land record can put you within a few meters 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
- Whether a listed EV charger works today, or the road miles to it
Before you go — McPherson State Fishing Lake
Camping near a reservoir →Finding water out here →Fire rules & restrictions →Off-grid communication →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 →