Campsite Review: Goodman State Fishing Lake - Ness City, KS
Stayed here on 11/11/20. Goodman Lake is a great place to stop off for a free night if you’re traveling I70. The lake is about 40 minutes south of the interstate and just a few miles past Ness City. Do not expect to find much in the way of supplies in Ness City, it’s a town that got left behind. Most storefronts in town looked to have last been busy during prohibition. As a result, the town much like the campsite seems to have served the people as a stopover before bigger and better things west. I still would stop here again for a free night in transit, but I don’t think I would call this place a destination.
In terms of a quiet spot to rest for a night, this site has everything you’d want. There are nice big fire pits, and there’s enough fallen wood to get yourself a nice blaze going. Some sites have picnic benches too, but those are the sites that sit on top of the hill rather than right on the water. My advice is to get up on the hill if you can, there were critters running around by the water’s edge. Plus, staying up on the hill gives you the full 360 panoramas for sunset. If you get the right conditions, expect a stunning sunset typical of the midwestern plains. The overwhelming amount of flat land lets you see warm and cool colors projected for miles, making any trip down here worth your time.
My guess is this place stays pretty empty other than an odd warm weekend. That was the case for us, and we loved it. You’re miles from any main travel roads, so you shouldn’t hear anything the whole time. The complete silence was broken by an unexplained visitor at midnight. I don’t see a lot of cops in Nissans so it’s tough to think of a reason someone would stop by at midnight on a Wednesday. After they left, along with the feeling that I might be murdered, the rest of the night was spent peacefully resting before hitting the road again.
Access: 4.5/5
Roads in are lightly maintained gravel. Not much to be wary of besides occasional washout.
Campsite Quality: 4/5
Picnic tables, fire rings, grills. Primitive, but the grounds are maintained. Not much exciting around.
Location: 2/5
Not so much a destination, a great quiet stop off for a night.
Solitude: 5/5
I was the only one down this road camping. Only noises were the occasional semi.
Directions
38.387305, -99.853801
(From Ness City, KS) Take US-283 South
After driving ~5 miles on US-283, turn left onto E 80 Road
Follow E 80 until you see the sign for Goodman Lake
Make a left onto the unnamed road that leads back to Goodman Lake and pick your spot
