Swope Park

We came into town to visit Tallgrass Prairie National Preserve. Otherwise, there isn’t much nearby, but that works fine for our short time here. We have a 42 ft toy hauler and we fit just fine. The kids enjoyed the playground and the grounds are well kept. We arrived on a Friday around noon, and there was one other RV. By dinner time, all of the spots were filled. The dump station is near the stone barn, as mentioned on the sign.

Swope park offers 6 parking spaces with 15A/30A/50A and water hook-ups for self-contained rigs. The spaces are pretty close together, but are big rig compatible. Sites decently level concrete tire drags and grass. No picnic tables or fire rings - but there are picnic areas through the park. They are nestled between softball fields, an outdoor pool, a playground and fitness area, an extensive and impressive disc golf course and dirt roads/parking areas.

The dirt roads/parking area make for some big gusts of dust when the wind picks up. And this is Kansas - so yes, the wind does pick up.

The park itself is quiet, but frequented. During the afternoon and evening hours there is softball practice, disc golf players hitting the course, and the occasional teenager driving through due to probably boredom of not much else to do in town.

There is a self-serve payment box on a light pole in the RV area, and it is checked each morning. There is no tent camping here. Restrooms are only open by a code that you must call to get the number for. We did not find a dump station.

Swope Park is on the edge of downtown Cottonwood Falls, which is home to a well manicured main street with antique shops and a lovely courthouse. There are no restaurants in town that are open with any regularity. There is a Dollar General and a gas station on the corner of the park. There is a path/trail that runs to the neighboring Strong City and will lead you to the base of Tallgrass Prairie National Preserve, but the visitor center is up the road a bit and probably not safe to access by riding your bike from Swopes park (the trail ends at a hiking trail to the visitor center that you cannot bring your bike into and the VC is still a few miles away). There are bison at Tallgrass Preserve! They are neat and you can walk in their pasture.

Otherwise, there isn't much happening in the general vicinity. A few antique stores. 3 restaurants between Cottonwood Falls & Strong City which are only open on weekends. But... Bison! And quiet nights parked in your rig for $15. We were one of 2 rigs here, so we weren't feeling crammed in.

Verizon is a bit rough (without enhancement): 2.2mbpsDOWN, 0.0UP
AT&T is awesome: 44mbpsDOWN/8.50UP

Only 6 sites in the park. They have electric and water. The sites are pull thru and large enough for big rigs. The spacing between rigs is a little tight but often you are the only one there. There is a dump station. There are single restrooms nearby that contain a commode and shower. You will find these camping sites amidst park facilities: Swimming pool, ball diamond, livestock show barns, a frisby course, and children playgrounds. The park is located just at the edge of this small historic town and county seat of Chase County. This area of the Flinthills is prairie land and famous for cattle grazing. A drive thru the countryside is quite scenic. Nearby is the flint hills national grassland and ranch, a must see if you are here. We camp here primarily for the park, the town, and the area.