Rockhaven Park Campground and Equestrian Area
- Right now
- Taking bookingsSites offered on 30 of the next 30 nights read 16:49 UTC
- A night
- $14–$20Across the site types the agency prices
- Sites
- 24All of them booked ahead
The place
the agency’s own description · what’s there · 15 notices
In the agency’s own words
Rockhaven Park is located on the south side of Clinton Lake, west of the Dam on the Rock Creek Arm of the lake. Rockhaven Park is the trailhead for the South Shore Trails (equestrian and hiking trails on the south side of the lake) and is the only place where equestrians can camp overnight with their horses and mules. Keep reading
Recreation
Rockhaven Park, first of all, is an equestrian friendly campground. This is Clinton Lake's only campground that allows overnight camping with horses and mules but is open to all campers. There is a "day use only" parking lot for those who come to ride or hike for the day, but not stay overnight. Access to the South Shore Trails is located in Rockhaven Park. The main trailhead is on the north side of the campground, which is a short walk or ride from a campsite or the day use parking lot. In addition to campsites, Rockhaven offers a free first-come, first-serve group shelter, perfect for familiy gatherings and events Bloomington Beach is a short drive away located in Bloomington East Park. Bloomington Beach requires a day use fee, for non-campers, between May 1 and September 30. Bloomington East offers 4 sets of boat ramps with courtesy docks. Launching a Boat requires a day use fee, for non-campers, between April 1 and November 30. Rockhaven has horshoe pits and a playground within the campground. Clinton Lake offers opportunities for boating, fishing, canoeing, jet skiing, swimming and countless other water sports, however the best water access is a short drive away in Bloomington East Park The lake's fish and wildlife resources provide sightseers, fishermen, and hunters, ample opportunities for their sports, and Clinton Lake is well-stocked with crappie, walleye, channel catfish and white bass. Bloomington East Park has three boat ramps within a short driving distance of the campgrounds. These boat ramps (#5, 6 and 7) do require a day use fee, for non-campers, between April 1 and October 31. Visitors enjoy viewing bald eagles, white-tailed deer, Canada geese, wild turkey and other wildlife in abundance at Clinton Lake. Rockhaven offers easy access to the South Shore trail but lake offers 3 other trail systems (North Shore, Smokehouse, George Latham Trails) offering hiking and biking all located within a 20 minute drive.
Facilities
Rockhaven Park offers overnight camping for equestrian and non-equestrian campers. There are 24 campsites, 12 which have electrical service (13E-24E). A total of 19 campsites (#1-#4) and (#10-#24) include equestrian accommodations. All of the sites must be reserved through the Reservation Service. There will be no collections in the campground, all payments will be made through the reservation service. If a camper arrives without a reservation, she/he will need to contact the reservation service, ensure availability, then pay immediately with a credit card over the phone. Reservations can be made, up to six months in advance, over telephone or internet. Rockhaven Park amenities include a waterborne four stall shower/restroom building, a two stall vault toilet, horseshoe pits, picnic shelter, playground, manure bunkers, several corrals, hitching posts and trail access. There are several water hydrants located throughout the campground.
Natural Features
Congress authorized Clinton Lake in 1962, and the finished reservoir was filled in 1980. While the Dam and Reservoir were originally built for flood control, the area has now become a recreational oasis for millions of visitors to enjoy the beautiful green Kansas backdrop. Clinton Lake's beautiful setting of steep bluffs, wooded shoreline and clean water is unequaled among Kansas lakes. Shoreline development has been limited in an effort to preserve as much of the natural setting as possible.
Nearby Attractions
The Army Corps of Engineers Visitor Center, located on the northwest side of the dam, has several informative displays covering topics such as the history of the area, reasons for the dam and the wildlife in the area. The Clinton Lake Museum, located within the Bloomington East Park, has information on the history of the region and the Underground Railroad. The cities of Lawrence and Topeka are within a 30 minute drive.
What the agency tells you
Campsites are available to anyone. Sites 1-4 and 10-24 include equestrian accommodations for campers with horses or mules. Campsites 13E-24E have electrical services, all other sites are primitive.
Campsite Occupancy/Capacity: - Two vehicles per site - 8 people max per site - Two camping unites per site; either two tents or one tent and one RV/Trailer
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 ATVs, UTVs, Golf Carts, or other battery operated vehicles can be operated in the park. All vehicles must remain on paved or graveled surfaces. Parking vehicles on the grass is prohibited, please keep at least 2 tires on paved/graveled surfaces when parking vehicles and boat trailers (unloaded trailers may be parked in the grass adjacent to your site).
Everything else this campground posts · 12
DISCOUNT PASSES must be presented upon arrival and can only be used for ONE site where the cardholder is the REGISTERED camper. Fraudulent use of a discount pass may result in loss of pass and a mandatory appearance in court in accordance with Title 36 CFR 327.23 (d) RECREATION FEES.
All pets must be kept on a leash not more than 6 feet in length. Pets are not allowed in the shower building or restrooms. Pet waste needs to be picked up by pet owner.
Adverse trail conditions may result in temporary trail closures.
14 Day Policy: Camping or overnight occupancy in a campground by any person or group for more than 14 days within a 30-day period is prohibited. After 14 days campers will be required to change campgrounds and not return during that 30-day period. Consecutive reservations under different names that exceed 14 days are not authorized and are subject to eviction and/or the issuance of a citation in accordance with Title 36 CFR 327.7 (b).
Quiet hours are from 10:00 p.m. to 6:00 a.m and are strictly enforced. This includes turning off radios and generators at 10:00 p.m. All visitors not staying overnight at the campsite must also leave the park by 10:00 p.m. For late night problems, call the Douglas County Sheriff's Department at 785-843-0250.
Commercial operations are prohibited on USACE operated lands.
Fires must be confined to fire rings provided by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers. 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. Please do not dispose of trash in fire rings.
Please keep a clean campsite during your stay. Place all garbage in the dumpster. Two concrete compost pens have been provided for disposal of horse manure from campsites and horse corrals (Please clean site of manure before leaving).
Horses must not be tethered directly to or in trees, however, hitching rings and tie lines may be used.
All horse corrals are first-come first-serve, even horse carrols in close proximity to a campsite are first-come first-serve.
Electric fences are not allowed.
No firewood from outside Douglas or Shawnee counties, in Kansas, permitted. Please help us prevent the spread of the Emeral Ash Borer insect. For more information contact the Clinton Lake Project Office at (785) 843-7665. 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.
Tents and rigs
- Sites
- 24 · 19 equestrian
- Hookups
- 12 electric
- Longest rig
- 75 ft
- Accessible sites
- None listed
- Pets
- Allowed
- Campfires
- Allowed, barring fire bans
- Shade
- 22 of 24 sites
Facilities
- Toilets
- Vault Toilets
- “…shower/restroom building, a two stall vault toilet, horseshoe pits, picnic shelter, playground, manure…”
- Showers
- Yes, the record doesn’t say what kind
- “Rockhaven Park amenities include a waterborne four stall shower/restroom building, a two stall vault toilet, horseshoe pits, picnic shelter, playground, manure bunkers, several corrals, hitching posts and trail access.”
- Drinking water
- Yes
- “…and trail access. There are several water hydrants located throughout the campground. Natural Features…”
- Boat ramp
- Yes
- Playground
- Yes
- Camp host
- On site
- recreation.gov lists “Host”
- Stay limit
- 14 nights
- recreation.gov facility rule maxStay
Around the campground
- On the water
- Reservoir, Lake, Creek, Beach
- Birding
- Hiking
- Horse Camping
- Horseback riding
- Picnicking
- Night sky · 53rd darkest of 57 in KS
- Bortle 4
17 of 48 site-nights open this Friday and Saturdayread 16:49 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 · 14
What you actually pay
Derived by CAMPANAC: the agency’s published rates for this season, $14–$20 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 16:49 UTC · rules read Sep 9, 2026 · rates Sep 10, 2026 · How we know all this
The sites
24 sites · which ones have room · the site map
The sites, ranked
from 24 mapped sitesAll 24 sites
The price is derived by CAMPANAC, not published per site: the per-night rate this campground publishes for each site’s own site type. 24 of the 24 sites listed carry one, and a site whose type has no published rate sits out of the price rather than being called free.
| ROCKHAVEN PARK EQUESTRIAN CAMPGROUND | 1 | equestrian nonelectric | 64 ft | 104 ft | 1,133 ft | $14 | |
| ROCKHAVEN PARK EQUESTRIAN CAMPGROUND | 10 | equestrian nonelectric | 59 ft | 109 ft | 879 ft | $14 | |
| ROCKHAVEN PARK EQUESTRIAN CAMPGROUND | 11 | equestrian nonelectric | 62 ft | 89 ft | 991 ft | $14 | |
| ROCKHAVEN PARK EQUESTRIAN CAMPGROUND | 12 | equestrian nonelectric | 60 ft | 89 ft | 1,078 ft | $14 | |
| ROCKHAVEN PARK EQUESTRIAN CAMPGROUND | 13E | equestrian electric | 60 ft | 30 amp | 77 ft | 1,169 ft | $20 |
| ROCKHAVEN PARK EQUESTRIAN CAMPGROUND | 14E | equestrian electric | 62 ft | 30 amp | 73 ft | 1,246 ft | $20 |
| ROCKHAVEN PARK EQUESTRIAN CAMPGROUND | 15E | equestrian electric | 59 ft | 30 amp | 73 ft | 1,319 ft | $20 |
| ROCKHAVEN PARK EQUESTRIAN CAMPGROUND | 16E | equestrian electric | 59 ft | 30 amp | 84 ft | 1,401 ft | $20 |
| ROCKHAVEN PARK EQUESTRIAN CAMPGROUND | 17E | equestrian electric | 52 ft | 30 amp | 103 ft | 1,447 ft | $20 |
| ROCKHAVEN PARK EQUESTRIAN CAMPGROUND | 18E | equestrian electric | 53 ft | 30 amp | 41 ft | 1,388 ft | $20 |
| ROCKHAVEN PARK EQUESTRIAN CAMPGROUND | 19E | equestrian electric | 65 ft | 30 amp | 72 ft | 1,332 ft | $20 |
| ROCKHAVEN PARK EQUESTRIAN CAMPGROUND | 2 | equestrian nonelectric | 70 ft | 77 ft | 1,052 ft | $14 | |
| ROCKHAVEN PARK EQUESTRIAN CAMPGROUND | 20E | equestrian electric | 59 ft | 30 amp | 41 ft | 1,352 ft | $20 |
| ROCKHAVEN PARK EQUESTRIAN CAMPGROUND | 21E | equestrian electric | 59 ft | 30 amp | 41 ft | 1,321 ft | $20 |
| ROCKHAVEN PARK EQUESTRIAN CAMPGROUND | 22E | equestrian electric | 66 ft | 30 amp | 72 ft | 1,268 ft | $20 |
| ROCKHAVEN PARK EQUESTRIAN CAMPGROUND | 23E | equestrian electric | 64 ft | 30 amp | 42 ft | 1,288 ft | $20 |
| ROCKHAVEN PARK EQUESTRIAN CAMPGROUND | 24E | equestrian electric | 59 ft | 30 amp | 75 ft | 1,207 ft | $20 |
| ROCKHAVEN PARK EQUESTRIAN CAMPGROUND | 3 | equestrian nonelectric | 75 ft | 77 ft | 982 ft | $14 | |
| ROCKHAVEN PARK EQUESTRIAN CAMPGROUND | 4 | equestrian nonelectric | 75 ft | 157 ft | 862 ft | $14 | |
| ROCKHAVEN PARK EQUESTRIAN CAMPGROUND | 5 | standard nonelectric | 45 ft | 82 ft | 766 ft | $14 | |
| ROCKHAVEN PARK EQUESTRIAN CAMPGROUND | 6 | standard nonelectric | 50 ft | 82 ft | 847 ft | $14 | |
| ROCKHAVEN PARK EQUESTRIAN CAMPGROUND | 7 | standard nonelectric | 65 ft | 77 ft | 864 ft | $14 | |
| ROCKHAVEN PARK EQUESTRIAN CAMPGROUND | 8 | standard nonelectric | 52 ft | 70 ft | 863 ft | $14 | |
| ROCKHAVEN PARK EQUESTRIAN CAMPGROUND | 9 | standard nonelectric | 59 ft | 70 ft | 862 ft | $14 |
Getting there
the map and the coordinate · the agency’s directions · the phone number
Where it is
Bloomington East1.1 mi
Bloomington Beach1.9 mi
Woodridge Park1.9 mi
Bloomington West2.6 mi
Perry16 mi
Rock Creek (KS)16 miFrom 23rd St (Clinton Parkway) in Lawrence, KS, go south on 59 Highway (Iowa St.), approximately 2 1/3 miles. Turn onto westbound Douglas County 458, drive for about 8 1/2 miles, turn north (right) on E 700 road, about 3/4 of a mile to the Rockhaven Park entrance.
The weather
the next four days · the thirty-year normal
Next four days, and the thirty-year normal
Forecast
NWS forecast for Lawrence, KS
Typical weather
Typical October night 45°F, day 67°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
Rockhaven Park Campground and Equestrian Area is in Kansas’s 2nd congressional district. Its representative, Derek Schmidt (R), votes on the laws that decide what happens to this land. Public-lands grade so far: F. See every public-lands vote →