89
Pull-thru
USACEMelvern Lake · Kansas
Outlet(Melvern)
Overview Outlet Campground is situated below the Melvern Lake Dam on the eastern edge of the Flint Hills of Kansas.
Sites152137 reservable
Elev.981ft
Comf.Mar-Nov9 months
Max rig80 ft89 pull-thru
Electric152140×50-amp
From Topeka0h55real road time
The honest read
Synthesized from
RIDB · Open-Meteo
OSM · OSRM
Updated 2026-05-27
RIDB · Open-Meteo
OSM · OSRM
Updated 2026-05-27
At 981 ft, Outlet(Melvern) has a 9-month comfortable window (Mar-Nov). Winter nights average around 26°F, so the shoulder seasons turn cold fast. 152 sites total: 137 reservable and 15 first-come, first-served. Of the sites, 89 pull-through, 140 with 50-amp, and the longest takes a 80-ft rig. Within about 4 miles: lake or river access.
The campground at a glance
01 · CHARACTER
Reads strongest on shade and reservability. Softest on roomy sites.
Six axes, each scored relative to every other federal campground in the region: quiet (miles to a major road), cool (elevation), roomy (average site spacing), shade, RV-fit (longest rig), and how reservable it is. All six come from data, nothing hand-tuned.
When to go
02 · CLIMATE
avg highavg lowfrost-freedriest · Dec
Mar-Nov
Comfortable window: nights stay above 35°F, days below 90°F.
75%
Of summer weekend-days are dry.
Apr 12
Last spring frost; first fall frost Oct 29.
71°F
Average July low.
Getting there
03 · ACCESS
01
Topeka
40 mi
0h55
02
Kansas City
86 mi
1h44
03
Wichita
120 mi
2h12
By drive time
Routed road time (OSRM). Nearest major highway 0.6 mi away.
Picking your site
04 · 152 SITES
Color byShow only
140 mapped sites · dot color = seclusion · click a dot for details. Basemap © OpenStreetMap.
0
Walk-in
140
50-amp
1
Accessible
0
Prime
152
Sites
★ The standout
Site 040GC
A-LO · pull-through · shaded.
To neighbor
172 ft
Max rig
45 ft
Type
Pull-thru
What's within four miles
05 · TRAILS · PEAKS · WATER
Trails & Peaks
Trail segments
64
Water & Access
Lake / river access
yes
To nearest major road
0.6 mi
Method
We synthesize public data layers: RIDB and Recreation.gov facility and site records, Open-Meteo climate normals, OpenStreetMap roads, trails, and water, OSRM drive times, and USGS elevation. We take no bookings, no ads, and no paid placements. Independence is the entire point.