Old Town
- Right now
- Taking bookingsSites offered on 30 of the next 30 nights read 16:16 UTC
- A night
- $12–$19Across the site types the agency prices
- Sites
- 39All of them booked ahead
The place
the agency’s own description · what’s there · 4 notices
In the agency’s own words
Overview ***WATER WILL NOT BE AVAILABLE DURING THE NON-PEAK SEASON. WATER AT ALL CAMPSITES, SHOWER BUILDINGS AND DUMPSTATIONS WILL BE TURNED OFF. VAULT RESTROOMS WILL BE AVAILBLE IN BOTH THE CAMPGROUND AND THE BOATRAMP.*** DUE TO FLOODING DAMAGES, OLD TOWN PARK WILL BE PARTIALLY CLOSED. PLEASE CHECK BACK FOR UPDATES. Old Town Campground is situated near the north end of Perry Lake. The campground is popular with those who enjoy fishing and peaceful, quiet camping. CAMPGROUND GATE POLICY--Park entrance gates will be closed from 10pm-6am Friday/Saturday nights and the entirety of holiday weekends. An exit lane is provided with one way traffic only. No late entrance will be allowed and only Park Staff or Emergency Personnel will be permitted through the gate after 10pm. Keep reading
Recreation
Perry lake has a reputation for being one of the best sailing lakes in the region; however, boaters of all types will enjoy the many opportunities offered here, whether it's sailing, power boating or canoeing. Perry Lake offers excellent fishing: White crappie, flathead catfish, walleye, white bass, channel catfish and sauger are in abundance throughout the lake. In addition to the vast lake, the area has approximately 27,000 acres of public land dedicated to wildlife management: turkey, deer, quail, pheasant, rabbit, squirrel, duck and geese are all found on these federal lands.
Facilities
Old Town Campground features grassy, wide-open spaces along the shoreline. The non-electric sites are located in these areas, and additional electric sites are located in a shady loop, set back from the lake. There are 37 total campsites available, Only 4 site are primitive sites. A large reserveable group picnic shelter and playground make the area ideal for large parties or family functions.
Natural Features
Perry Lake Dam was completed in 1969 to help with flood control for the Missouri and Mississippi Rivers. Today, the lake boasts 159 miles of shoreline and 12,000 surface acres of water, creating countless recreational activities for visitors, and earning it the nickname "paradise on the plains." The campground is surrounded by the lake on two sides, making it ideal for those looking for easy access to the water. Contact Info For facility specific information, please call (785) 597-5144.
Nearby Attractions
For hikers, the nearby 29-mile Perry Lake loop trail offers a range of terrain and difficulty from easy, gentle slopes in the south to rugged, varying elevation changes in the north. Perry Lake is also a short drive from Lawrence, Topeka, and Kansas City--each offering their own array of unique shopping, dining, and attractions.
What the agency tells you
Perry Lake Basic Campground Rules We need your help to protect the natural resources so that future trips to Perry Lake are as rewarding as today’s. In order to make your camping experience more enjoyable, we ask that you observe the following basic campground rules. 1. Park entrance gates will be closed and locked Friday and Saturday from 10pm to 6am, and Sundays on Holiday weekends. One-way tire spikes allow traffic to exit but not enter. 2. Quiet hours are from 10:00 p.m. to 6:00 a.m. This includes turning off radios and generators at 10:00 p.m. All visitors not staying overnight at the campsite must leave the park by 10:00 p.m. Park gates will be closed Friday and Saturday from 10pm to 6am. One-way exit lane only. 3. All pets must be kept on a 6 foot leash at all times or otherwise restrained (cable/chain). 4. Campsite occupancy/capacities are restricted to the following: • One wheeled unit and 1 tent OR 2 tents maximum per site • 3 vehicles maximum per site • 10 people maximum per site 5. All vehicles must remain on paved or graveled surfaces. Parking vehicles on the grass is prohibited, extra parking is available at restroom facilities. Boat trailers (loaded or unloaded) may be parked on the grass adjacent to your campsite. 6. At the end of your stay please dispose of all trash in the dumpsters located in the park. 7. Vehicles must be operated in accordance with applicable state laws. Only licensed vehicles operated by a licensed driver can be used within a public use area. Park roads are for ingress and egress only. Absolutely No ATV’s, Golf Carts, or other battery operated vehicles can be operated in the park. 8. All waste water (gray and black water) must be disposed of at the sanitary dump stations. 9. Dead and downed wood may be used for firewood, cutting of standing trees, limbs, or bushes is prohibited. Operation of a chainsaw is prohibited, hand tools are allowed. 10. Fires must be confined to fire rings provided by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers. 11. Checkout is 4:00 p.m., Please contact our office or visit the park attendant at the booth if you have any questions. 12. Camping is limited to 14 days on a site, campers must vacate the site for 24 hours prior to returning. Campers may move to a different loop in the campground during that time. 13. Camping facilities are for campers only, no day use is allowed within the campgrounds.
Due to the spread of invasive insects like the Emerald Ash Borer, firewood from outside the area is not permitted. Visitors to Perry Lake may only bring and burn firewood originating from Jefferson County, Kansas. For more information please contact the Perry Lake Project Office at 785-597-5144.
Don't Move Firewood: Protect your forests from tree-killing pests by buying your firewood locally and burning it on-site. Visit Dontmovefirewood.org for further information.
Everything else this campground posts · 1
CAMPGROUND GATE POLICY --Park entrance gates will be closed from 10pm-6am. An exit lane is provided with one way traffic only. No late entrance will be allowed and only Park Staff or Emergency Personnel will be permitted through the gate after 10pm.
Tents and rigs
- Sites
- 39
- Hookups
- 32 electric
- Longest rig
- 96 ft
- Accessible sites
- None listed
- Pets
- Allowed
- Campfires
- Allowed, barring fire bans
Facilities
- Toilets
- Vault Toilets
- “…AND DUMPSTATIONS WILL BE TURNED OFF. VAULT RESTROOMS WILL BE AVAILBLE IN BOTH THE CAMPGROUND AND THE…”
- Playground
- Yes
- Stay limit
- 14 nights
- recreation.gov facility rule maxStay
Around the campground
- On the water
- Lake, River, Beach
- Biking
- Boating
- Fishing
- Hiking
- Night sky · 47th darkest of 57 in KS
- Bortle 4
36 of 78 site-nights open this Friday and Saturdayread 16:16 UTC
Every site here is reservable, and the record lists none held back for anyone who drives up.
OpenBooked
Watch for a cancellation
Full? Watch it.
One email when a night opens, plus More Than Just Parks dispatches. Unsubscribe any time.
We read recreation.gov once an hour, at 40 minutes past, and write the first time a site in your window is free for the nights you asked for.
Scanners that check every few minutes exist, and most of them charge. This one is free, it reads the same calendar, and it won’t always be first.
Tell me when the season opens
Watch for the season to open
One email when the season goes on sale, plus More Than Just Parks dispatches. Unsubscribe any time.
We check once an hour, at 40 minutes past, and write the first time the agency has that season on sale.
Scanners that check every few minutes exist, and most of them charge. This one is free, it reads the same calendar, and it won’t always be first.
We make nothing when you book. The link goes straight to the government.
Every line of the receipt · 16
What you actually pay
Derived by CAMPANAC: the agency’s published rates for this season, $12–$19 a night, plus one $8 recreation.gov reservation fee for the booking. A weekend here means Friday and Saturday night, booked once. Optional charges (an extra vehicle, a second tent, a dump-station fee) are listed separately and aren’t in this total.
Who keeps the booking fee
The agency’s own policy text says the reservation fee and the cancellation processing fee are “retained by the reservation service contractor”, and that a campground concessionaire will decline to refund them because “they did not receive these fees”. Recreation.gov is run under contract by Booz Allen Hamilton. What share of your booking fee the contractor keeps isn’t published in any federal dataset we can read, so we print no number for it. Our reporting on the contract →
How we know this receipt · 5
recreation.gov availability, read 16:16 UTC · rules read Sep 9, 2026 · rates Oct 1, 2026 · How we know all this
The sites
40 records · which ones have room · the site map
The sites, ranked
from 37 mapped sitesAll 40 records
Toilet distances are OpenStreetMap’s, measured for 38 of the 40 sites listed. A site with no reading is unknown, never far.
The price is derived by CAMPANAC, not published per site: the per-night rate this campground publishes for each site’s own site type. 38 of the 40 sites listed carry one, and a site whose type has no published rate sits out of the price rather than being called free.
| A | A01 | standard electric | 50 ft | 52 ft | 407 ft | 700 ft | $14–$19 |
| A | A02 | standard electric | 54 ft | 52 ft | 457 ft | 656 ft | $14–$19 |
| A | A03 | standard electric | 58 ft | 58 ft | 512 ft | 610 ft | $14–$19 |
| A | A04 | standard electric | 42 ft | 61 ft | 509 ft | 656 ft | $14–$19 |
| A | A05 | standard electric | 47 ft | 42 ft | 578 ft | 558 ft | $14–$19 |
| A | A06 | standard electric | 54 ft | 46 ft | 570 ft | 616 ft | $14–$19 |
| A | A07 | standard electric | 48 ft | 42 ft | 619 ft | 529 ft | $14–$19 |
| A | A08 | standard electric | 50 ft | 46 ft | 614 ft | 595 ft | $14–$19 |
| A | A09 | standard electric | 96 ft | 51 ft | 602 ft | 648 ft | $14–$19 |
| A | A10 | standard electric | 54 ft | 51 ft | 554 ft | 689 ft | $14–$19 |
| A | A11 | type not stated | 57 ft | 513 ft | 715 ft | ||
| A | A12 | standard electric | 37 ft | 62 ft | 593 ftPerry Lake | 489 ft | $14–$19 |
| A | A13 | standard electric | 38 ft | 44 ft | 530 ftPerry Lake | 445 ft | $14–$19 |
| A | A14 | standard electric | 40 ft | 44 ft | 543 ftPerry Lake | 485 ft | $14–$19 |
| A | A15 | standard electric | 45 ft | 57 ft | 562 ft | 547 ft | $14–$19 |
| A | A16 | standard electric | 47 ft | 64 ft | 557 ft | 542 ft | $14–$19 |
| A | A17 | standard electric | 41 ft | 57 ft | 510 ft | 594 ft | $14–$19 |
| A | A18 | standard electric | 82 ft | 80 ft | 485 ft | 615 ft | $14–$19 |
| B | B01 | standard nonelectric | 53 ft | 70 ft | 553 ftPerry Lake | 535 ft | $12–$14 |
| B | B02 | standard nonelectric | 60 ft | 88 ft | 549 ftPerry Lake | 459 ft | $12–$14 |
| B | B03 | standard nonelectric | 64 ft | 70 ft | 483 ftPerry Lake | 498 ft | $12–$14 |
| B | B04 | standard nonelectric | 54 ft | 97 ft | 451 ftPerry Lake | 401 ft | $12–$14 |
| B | B05 | standard nonelectric | 54 ft | $12–$14 | |||
| B | B06 | standard nonelectric | 54 ft | $12–$14 | |||
| E | E01 | standard electric | 66 ft | 44 ft | 251 ft | 897 ft | $14–$19 |
| E | E02 | standard electric | 44 ft | 44 ft | 230 ft | 938 ft | $14–$19 |
| E | E03 | standard electric | 54 ft | 62 ft | 395 ft | 810 ft | $14–$19 |
| E | E04 | standard electric | 45 ft | 41 ft | 309 ft | 902 ft | $14–$19 |
| E | E05 | standard electric | 50 ft | 62 ft | 400 ft | 856 ft | $14–$19 |
| E | E06 | standard electric | 57 ft | 41 ft | 315 ft | 930 ft | $14–$19 |
| E | E07 | standard electric | 48 ft | 61 ft | 349 ft | 959 ft | $14–$19 |
| E | E08 | standard electric | 50 ft | 56 ft | 417 ft | 969 ft | $14–$19 |
| E | E09 | standard electric | 45 ft | 55 ft | 472 ft | 970 ft | $14–$19 |
| E | E10 | standard electric | 62 ft | 71 ft | 455 ft | 869 ft | $14–$19 |
| E | E11 | standard electric | 70 ft | 45 ft | 459 ftPerry Lake | 937 ft | $14–$19 |
| E | E12 | standard electric | 50 ft | 41 ft | 418 ftPerry Lake | 929 ft | $14–$19 |
| E | E13 | standard electric | 46 ft | 50 ft | 411 ftPerry Lake | 850 ft | $14–$19 |
| E | E14 | standard electric | 38 ft | 50 ft | 370 ftPerry Lake | 858 ft | $14–$19 |
| E | E15 | standard electric | 67 ft | 41 ft | 380 ftPerry Lake | 924 ft | $14–$19 |
| OTOW | Shelter | day use | 311 ft | 233 ft | 996 ft | $30 |
The agency files 1 more record here that isn’t a site for the night. It files it as day use. It’s in the table above, marked for what it is, and it isn’t counted as a site.
25 of 40 listed
Getting there
the map and the coordinate · the agency’s directions · the phone number
Where it is
Longview2.8 mi
Slough Creek6.2 mi
Rock Creek (KS)7.2 mi
Perry7.3 mi
Bloomington West21 mi
Bloomington Beach21 miFrom Ozawkie, Kansas, travel 1.5 miles east on KS-92 and follow signs to the campground.
The weather
the next four days · the thirty-year normal
Next four days, and the thirty-year normal
Forecast
NWS forecast for Ozawkie, KS
Typical weather
Typical October night 45°F, day 70°F.
Coldest month of the year: typical January night 18°F, below freezing. Bring a bag rated colder than that, and expect ice in the water bottle.
Daily high and lowDays with 0.10 in or more
A normal is the 1991-2020 average for the month, not a forecast: about half of all Julys are colder than the July line. The seven-day forecast above answers the other question.
The land, and who answers for it
who answers for it
Who answers for this land
Old Town is in Kansas’s 1st congressional district. Its representative, Tracey Mann (R), votes on the laws that decide what happens to this land. Public-lands grade so far: F. See every public-lands vote →