Found · unverifiedMunicipalFree

Rocky Pond (Belleville)

Drive-up · public land · KS · 39.83085, -97.61971

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.

TENTS CAMP FREE at Belleville's Rocky Pond; RVs do not. The city is explicit that tent camping and use of the shelters and picnic areas are free on a first-come first-served basis, while the 15 RV spots with water, electric and sewer run $20 a night (50-amp only). There is a sewer dump by the restrooms. No reservations are taken. Belleville is on US-36 and US-81 and is worth a stop for the high-banked dirt track. 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 Rocky Pond (Belleville)

Aerial — USGS / NAIP

Weather outlook

Loading the latest forecast…

Live NWS area forecast (~2.5 km grid, not elevation-corrected). Camp sits at 1,501 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

ShShower0 mi
MMechanic1 mi
RxPharmacy1 mi
+Urgent care1 mi
@Mail1 mi
FFuel1 mi
GGrocery1 mi
HHardware18 mi
DDump23 mi
WWater52 mi
OOutfitter54 mi
LLaundry54 mi

≤30 mi30–4545+water

The read: water is a real 52-mi drive, fuel & food sit about 1 mi out.

Not within 60 mi: 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

1,501 ft

State

Coordinates

39.83085, -97.61971

Cost

Free

Nearby & resupply (OpenStreetMap)

Water featureRocky Pond (water) · nearby
Nearest townBelleville · ~0.8 mi
Drinking waternone within 10 mi
FuelLove's · ~1.0 mi
Propane / LPGnone within 31 mi
Dump stationnone within 31 mi
GroceriesThriftway Foodmart · ~1.0 mi
PharmacyHealth Mart Pharmacy · ~18.7 mi
Hospital / clinicRepublic County Hospital · ~1.3 mi
HardwareHardware · ~27.2 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.

Airport Park Campground (Concordia)~19.6 mi
Little Blue WMA~23.2 mi
Little Blue East WMA~24.0 mi
Rose Creek WMA~26.5 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

Camping rules: City of Belleville official site, https://www.cityofbellevillekansas.com/parks-department , fetched 2026-07-20, quote: 'Camping in tents and use of the shelters and picnic areas are free, on a first come first serve basis.' Same page: 'RV hookups are available at Rocky Pond for $20 per night, $125 per week or $500 per month.' Coordinates: OSM way 263536290 'Rocky Pond' via the Nominatim public geocoder -- this is the POND polygon, so the point is the water body and the campsites ring it; expect to be a short distance off this pin. No stay limit or season is stated by the city. 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 →