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Coeur d'Alene Campground is situated on Melvern Lake on the eastern edge of the Flint Hills of Kansas. Visitors come for the area's wide range of recreational activities, including boating, fishing, hiking and hunting.
Melvern Lake impounds nearly 7,000 acres of water on the upper reaches of the Marais des Cygnes River Valley. Boating and swimming are popular activities on the lake. Anglers fish for walleye, crappie, channel and flathead catfish, black bass, white bass, striped and smallmouth bass. The 18,000 acres of land surrounding Melvern Lake provide plentiful hiking and hunting opportunities. The two trails that join the campground are the Breakwater Trail and the 4 mile Tall Grass Heritage Trail which connects Coeur d' Alene Campground to Arrow Rock Campground. Hunters may find deer, quail, turkeys, ducks, rabbits and squirrels throughout the area.
The campground offers 47 campsites, 33 of which have electric hookups. Site 1 is an accessible site with 50-amp electric, water and sewer hookups. Sites 2-8, 34-43, 50 and 55 have 30-amp electric with water hookups. Sites 44-49, 51-54 and 56-60 are basic 30-amp electric. Two group day-use picnic shelters with electric hookups are available as well. Several family picnic sites can be used on a first come, first served basis.
Amenities include flush and vault toilets, showers, drinking water and a dump station. A boat ramp, dock, marina and fish cleaning station are located on-site, as are an overlook, two nature trails, three playgrounds and a swim beach.
The Flint Hills represent America's last expanse of intact tallgrass prairie, made up mainly of big bluestem, switchgrass and Indian grass. The rolling hills on the south side of the lake are somewhat wooded, but trees and shade are sparse within the campground.
From US-75, take the Melvern Exit and travel 2 miles south on Melvern Lake Parkway, then 1 mile northwest on Coeur d'Alene Parkway (campground road).
Melvern Lake enforces the national no-show policy. If you do not check in with the park attendant within 24 hours of your reservation check-in time, you will be listed as a no-show, your site will be released and you will be charged $20 plus the first night's fee.
Nice quiet area. Very clean. A lot of mowed grass areas. Great place to walk. Especially this time of year.
