Army Corps of Engineers · Elk City Lake · Cherryvale, KS

Card Creek

There are 15 electric campsites and 5 primitive campsites. There is one shower building restroom and one vault toilet. There is a boat ramp and a dump station. Card Creek Campground is located 5 miles west of Independence Kansas.

Reservable · Recreation.gov 20 sites 89 ft max Electric hookupsPets okFires ok

More like this: electric hookups in Kansas · reservable in Kansas · big rigs in Kansas · pets allowed in Kansas · group sites in Kansas

Check availability on Recreation.gov ↗

Photos courtesy of BJB, bjb · Recreation.gov

Site mix

Standard with electric		15
Standard, no hookups		4
group shelter electric		1

Most sites here open on Recreation.gov six months ahead, at 10 a.m. Eastern. Sold out is not final: cancellations come back into the pool, most of them two to three days out. How to catch one

Site guide

20 sites. Tap a filter to narrow the list; the map follows.

Site	Type	Entry	Surface	Power	Water / sewer	People / vehicles	Fires
1	Electric	Back-in	Gravel	30 amp	No / –	10 / –	Yes
2	Electric	Back-in	Gravel	30 amp	Yes / –	10 / –	Yes
3	Electric	Back-in	Gravel	30 amp	Yes / –	10 / –	Yes
4	Electric	Back-in	Gravel	30 amp	Yes / –	10 / –	Yes
5	Electric	Back-in	Gravel	30 amp	Yes / –	10 / –	Yes
6	Electric	Back-in	Gravel	30 amp	Yes / –	10 / –	Yes
7	Electric	Back-in	Gravel	30 amp	Yes / –	10 / –	Yes
8	Electric	Back-in	Gravel	30 amp	Yes / –	10 / –	Yes
9	Electric	Back-in	Gravel	30 amp	No / –	10 / –	Yes
10	Electric	Back-in	Gravel	30 amp	No / –	10 / –	Yes

Per-site records as published by the managing agency on Recreation.gov. Blank cells mean the agency listed nothing for that site. Check-in 03:00 PM, checkout 03:00 PM.

Campground map of Card Creek — Campground map published by Army Corps of Engineers on Recreation.gov, credited to TSW. Open the image for full size.

Amenities & rules

Hookups	Electric, water
Max vehicle length	89 ft
Equipment	RVs & trailers, Tents
Pets	Allowed
Campfires	Allowed, subject to restrictions
Fees	Card Creek only accepts credit/debit cards via Recreation.gov.

There are 15 electric campsites and 5 primitive campsites. There is one shower building restroom and one vault toilet. There is a boat ramp and a dump station.

Individual sites vary. Confirm on Recreation.gov or with the managing office.

Weather by month

NOAA climate normals →

The line is the average temperature and the bars are average precipitation at Independence, 6 miles from the recreation area point at 805 feet, station USC00143954 in the NOAA monthly climate normals for 1991 to 2020. Precipitation totals about 45 inches a year. The dotted line is average snowfall, about 7 inches a year on the same inches scale.

Getting there

From Independence follow Highway 160 west to brown directional sign and follow the blacktop to the park.

Nearest town	Cherryvale, Kansas
Area	Recreation.gov lists no exact point for this campground. The recreation area is at 37.28° N, 95.79° W. Call the office before you drive.

Explore

Natural features

Card Creek Campground is located along Card Creek which flows into Elk City Lake.

Recreation

There is very good fishing at Card Creek and there is a hiking trail adjacent to the campground. Camping is available year round. It is located near the Kansas Department of Wildlife, Parks and Tourism hunting areas.

Nearby

The City of Independence is located 5 miles east of the park.

Guidebooks for Kansas and camping across the country

We earn a small commission if you buy through these links. It does not change what we list.

Kansas Trail Guide
Jonathan M. Conard and Kristin M. Conard, 2015
Find at Bookshop.org
Frommer's Exploring America by RV
Harry Basch and Shirley Slater, 2012
Find at Bookshop.org

Titles come from Open Library's catalog, matched by subject heading or by title.

Reference

Questions people ask

Do I need a reservation at Card Creek?

Sites at Card Creek are reservable on Recreation.gov. Any walk-up sites are listed on the booking page.

Source: Recreation.gov

How much does it cost to camp at Card Creek?

Card Creek only accepts credit/debit cards via Recreation.gov.

Source: Recreation.gov

What time is check-in at Card Creek?

Check-in 03:00 PM, checkout 03:00 PM.

Source: Recreation.gov

How many sites does Card Creek have?

20 sites, including 15 standard sites with power, 4 standard sites without power, and 1 group shelter electric.

Source: Recreation.gov

Will my RV fit at Card Creek?

Recreation.gov lists no practical vehicle capacity limit for the largest site here, which usually means pull-through or open parking. The sidebar tool checks a trailer or motorhome length against every site.

Source: Will my RV fit

Does Card Creek have hookups?

Yes, electric and water hookups at some sites.

Source: Recreation.gov

Are there showers or a dump station at Card Creek?

There is one shower building restroom and one vault toilet.

Source: Recreation.gov

Are pets allowed at Card Creek?

Yes, pets are allowed at Card Creek. Leash rules apply.

Source: Recreation.gov

Can I have a campfire at Card Creek?

Fires are allowed in the provided rings under normal conditions.

Source: Recreation.gov

What is there to do at Card Creek?

There is very good fishing at Card Creek and there is a hiking trail adjacent to the campground. The Recreation section on this page has the rest.

Source: Recreation

What is the nearest town to Card Creek?

Cherryvale, Kansas. The City of Independence is located 5 miles east of the park.

Source: Getting there