Found · unverifiedKDWPFree

Woodson State Fishing Lake

Drive-up · Kansas Dept. of Wildlife & Parks · KS · 37.79337, -95.84261

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

Kansas State Fishing Lake — 180 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

USGS topographic map of Woodson State Fishing Lake

Aerial — USGS / NAIP

Aerial image of Woodson State Fishing Lake

Weather outlook

Loading the latest forecast…

Live NWS area forecast (~2.5 km grid, not elevation-corrected). Camp sits at 942 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

ShShower6 mi
GGrocery6 mi
FFuel8 mi
@Mail9 mi
+Urgent care22 mi
LLaundry23 mi
HHardware24 mi
MMechanic24 mi
WWater26 mi
RxPharmacy26 mi
DDump35 mi
AAir-up47 mi
OOutfitter58 mi

≤30 mi30–4545+water

The read: water is a real 26-mi drive, fuel & food sit about 6 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

Kansas Dept. of Wildlife & Parks

Elevation

942 ft

State

Coordinates

37.79337, -95.84261

Cost

Free

Nearby & resupply (OpenStreetMap)

Water featureWoodson State Fishing Lake (water) · nearby
Nearest townBatesville · ~3.3 mi
Drinking waternone within 10 mi
FuelPhillips 66 · ~8.2 mi
Propane / LPGnone within 31 mi
Dump stationnone within 31 mi
GroceriesLizard Lips Grill & Deli · ~6.5 mi
PharmacyWalmart Pharmacy · ~25.7 mi
Hospital / clinicFredonia Regional Hospital · ~18.0 mi
HardwareHardware · ~23.7 mi

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

Highway rest areaNHS Rest Stop or Truck Facility 30 · ~8.5 mi W
Highway rest areaNHS Rest Stop or Truck Facility 36 · ~12.8 mi NE

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.

Wilson State Fishing Lake~11.4 mi
Montgomery State Fishing Lake~44.3 mi

How we know this

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.

Field check

Not verified on the ground. Nobody from here has camped it. It stays at Researched 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 →