Trip thirteen found us at Arkalon Park in southwestern Kansas. Although owned by the city of Liberal, this park is situated on what was once the now-ghost town of Arkalon. Although there are still some dirt roads around to show what once was, the building material has since been recycled. While in transit to the next location, a two-night stay was had.
Grounds: The park is a few miles east of Liberal on US Highway 54. It's clearly marked from the highway, but will take a little bit of dirt road driving along with paved roads while crossing railroad tracks and a couple cattle guards. Freight trains do run nearby along a rail bridge. The city of Liberal is a good re-supply point. Be aware the park is seasonal, and only open from April to mid-October. In addition, the gates are locked between 10PM and 7AM.
Sites: Arkalon is a small city park with about 15 RV and 30 tent sites, along with day use. These may be reserved online, or paid with the camp host upon entering. The RV sites are electric and water only, with a single dump station available at the campground entrance. Tent sites are dry. RV sites are level concrete pads and a mix of pull-thru and back-in. There is a 14-day limit to stay, and the check-out time is a fairly late 4PM. Both 30 and 50 amp electric is offered, but there is an extra charge to use 50 amp.
Staff: There is a single camp host on site that has morning and evening hours, along with on-call. They are very friendly and accommodating for extenuating circumstances.
Amenities: Arkalon's amenities are minimal but available. There is a fishing pond for catch-and-release only, along with a sizable playground for the children. A couple of walking trails adorn the grounds. There is a bathhouse with metal toilets and push-button cold showers. Several pavilions, both near the playground and campsites, have picnic tables, fire pits, and grills. There are also several dumpsters around the grounds and, should the need arise, tornado shelters.
Atmosphere: Our visit to the park was around the beginning of the season, so it was fairly quiet with only a couple of campers, both tent and RV, around us. There are no quiet hours so a few events around the fire happened after the gates were closed, but otherwise uneventful. There was a children's event happening during the daytime and evening; they were quite respectful of the other campers.
Overall, Arkalon Park receives a 9 out a possible 10 rating. The price is one of the best for what is offered, and the city noticeably takes great pride in maintaining not only this park, but the entire city itself. This may not exactly be the best longer-term "destination", but if your Internal Compass takes you towards southwestern Kansas, make a few day stop in Liberal and Arkalon Park.
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