Introduction
Sitting on the south shore of the 4,000-acre Pomona Lake, the 490-acre Pomona State Park features abundant wildlife amidst picturesque natural beauty. Located 30 miles south of Topeka, on State Highway 368, Vassar, Kansas, this state park is ideal for RV holidays with its shady campsites and great family atmosphere for camping and outdoor activities. The setting of Pomona State Park is in a transition zone from prairie to eastern woodlands, an area with a historical connection to the Santa Fe Trail.
Opportunities for recreation in Pomona State Park include birding, wildlife viewing, picnicking, fishing, boating, hiking, swimming, and other activities. Furthermore, a pleasing mixture of plant life in the park is found in prairie grassland, woodland, and lake-side environments, where enthusiasts can enjoy a variety of wildlife. Pomona Lake is popular among RV campers who love water skiing and angling. Campers catch fish species like crappie, catfish, white bass, and wiper.
In terms of amenities and facilities, Pomona State Park offers more than 200 primitive campsites and 142 utility sites. Most of the campsites in the park are on first-come, first-served basis. Horseshoe pits are found in most campgrounds, besides the volleyball courts, basketball courts, three playgrounds, and a nine-hole disc golf course. The park also features Southwind Shelter House, a group facility available for picnics and other occasions. The shelter house is equipped with restrooms, a full-kitchen, a large multi-purpose room, and attractive porch area.
Camping Accommodations
RV Rentals in Pomona State Park
Transportation in Pomona State Park
Located on State Highway 368, Vassar, Kansas, 30 miles south of Topeka, Pomona State Park is easily accessible by RVs, trailers, and other motorized vehicles, since it is an easy drive-in park. Within the park, there are local paved roads and gravel roads that lead to campgrounds and various sites, making it easy for you to find wherever you want to go without navigation issues. There are no driving restrictions within the park.
Pomona State Park has numerous parking options for RVs and trailers, since the park has at least 25 parking lots distributed around the campgrounds in the park. You’ll find various parking areas for your rig at the Waucondah Campground, Waucondah Primitive Campground, Heart Stays Campground, Red Oak Campground, Four Winds Campground, Osage Campground, Kansa Campground, and Kansa primitive Campground. Parking is restricted to designated parking areas only.
There are no public transportation facilities available at Pomona State Park.
Campgrounds and parking in Pomona State Park
Campsites in Pomona State Park
Burning Heart Campground
Burning Heart Campground in Pomona State Park features 34 standard pet-friendly campsites available for RVs and tents. All the campsites in Burning Heart campground are equipped with full hookup options (electric, water, and sewer hookups) for RVs. RV length limit at the campground is 140 feet. Amenities at the campground include playground, ADA accessible trailer dump station with potable water and trash receptacles, and access to the Buckbrush trailhead. Quiet hours are from 11:00 pm to 6:00 am. Fires are allowed only in fire rings and grills. Any alcohol that is greater than 3.2% alcohol by volume is prohibited. All camping units are limited to a stay of not more than 14 consecutive days.
Kansa Campground
Kansa Campground in Pomona State Park consists of 26 standard pet-friendly campsites available for RVs and tents. Full RV hookups (electric, water and sewer hookups) are available in 7 of the campsites in the campground, while the remaining 19 are equipped with electric and water hookups only. RV length limit at the campground is 60 feet. Amenities at the campground include a playground, concessions, shower and toilet, shelter, parking areas, and Lighthouse Bay Marina. Quiet hours are from 11:00 pm to 6:00 am. Fires are allowed only in fire rings and grills. Any alcohol that is greater than 3.2% alcohol by volume is prohibited. All camping units are limited to a stay of not more than 14 consecutive days.
Big Bear Campground
Big Bear Campground in Pomona State Park features 14 standard pet-friendly campsites available for RVs and tents. The campsites in the campground are equipped with electric and water hookups for RVs. RV length limit at the campground is 45 feet. Access to the 1.1-mile-long Hedge-wood trailhead is available at the campground. A comfort station is available at the campground. Quiet hours are from 11:00 pm to 6:00 am. Fires are allowed only in fire rings and grills. Any alcohol that is greater than 3.2% alcohol by volume is prohibited. All camping units are limited to a stay of not more than 14 consecutive days.
Waucondah Campground
Waucondah Campground in Pomona State Park consists of 10 standard pet-friendly campsites and 10 primitive campsites available or RVs and tents. Electric and water hookups are available for RVs in the campground. RV length limit at the campground is 70 feet. Amenities at Waucondah campground include cabins, picnic areas, disc golf course, shower and toilet, sand volleyball court and horseshoe pits. Quiet hours are from 11:00 pm to 6:00 am. Fires are allowed only in fire rings and grills. Any alcohol that is greater than 3.2% alcohol by volume is prohibited. All camping units are limited to a stay of not more than 14 consecutive days.
Heart Stays Campground
Heart Stays Campground in Pomona State Park features 10 primitive pet-friendly campsites available for RVs and tents. No hookups for RVs are available at the campground. RV length limit at the campground is 50 feet. Amenities available at Heart Stays campground include showers and toilets. Quiet hours are from 11:00 pm to 6:00 am. Fires are allowed only in fire rings and grills. Any alcohol that is greater than 3.2% alcohol by volume is prohibited. All camping units are limited to a stay of not more than 14 consecutive days.
Osage Campground
Osage Campground in Pomona State Park consists of 12 standard pet-friendly campsites available for RVs and tents. The campsites are equipped with electric and water hookups for RVs. RV length limit at the campground is 45 feet. Amenities at the campground include restrooms and showers, playground with basketball courts, dump station, and a parking lot. Quiet hours are from 11:00 pm to 6:00 am. Fires are allowed only in fire rings and grills. Any alcohol that is greater than 3.2% alcohol by volume is prohibited. All camping units are limited to a stay of not more than 14 consecutive days.
Red Oak Campground
Red Oak Campground in Pomona State Park features 21 pet-friendly primitive campsites available for RVs and tents. No hookups are available for RVs in the campground. RV length limit at the campground is 45 feet. Amenities at the campground include restrooms and showers, as well as parking lot. Quiet hours are from 11:00 pm to 6:00 am. Fires are allowed only in fire rings and grills. Any alcohol that is greater than 3.2% alcohol by volume is prohibited. All camping units are limited to a stay of not more than 14 consecutive days.
Four Winds Campground
Four Winds Campground in Pomona State Park consists of 20 standard pet-friendly campsites available for RVs and tents. Electric and water hookups are available for RVs in the campground. RV length limit at the campground is 50 feet. Amenities at the campground include restrooms and showers, as well as parking lot. Quiet hours are from 11:00 pm to 6:00 am. Fires are allowed only in fire rings and grills. Any alcohol that is greater than 3.2% alcohol by volume is prohibited. All camping units are limited to a stay of not more than 14 consecutive days.
Cedar Wind Campground
Cedar Wind Campground in Pomona State Park consists of 20 standard pet-friendly campsites available for RVs and tents. Only two of the campsites are equipped with full hookup options (electric, water, sewer hookups) for RVs, while the remaining 18 campsites are equipped with electric and water hookups for RVs. RV length limit at the campground is 70 feet. Amenities include a playground, restroom and showers. Amenities at the campground include restrooms and showers, as well as parking lot. Quiet hours are from 11:00 pm to 6:00 am. Fires are allowed only in fire rings and grills. Any alcohol that is greater than 3.2% alcohol by volume is prohibited. All camping units are limited to a stay of not more than 14 consecutive days.
Seasonal activities in Pomona State Park
Hiking
Within Pomona State Park, there are three trails adding up to about three miles for RV campers to enjoy hiking on. The half-mile Rising Sun Trail, located at the eastern end of the park in the Ah Ke Ta picnic area, is the shortest of all three trails in the park. A shelter and modern toilet are located around the trail. The 0.8-mile Buckbrush Trail, located around the Burning Heart campground in the western part of the park is another cool trail to take a stroll. The one-mile Hedge-Wood Trail, designated as a “Healthy Kansas Trail”, is ADA accessible and starts from the Big Bear campground running all the way to the park entrance. It is the longest trail in the park and promotes outdoor activity by allowing visitors and RV campers gauge their fitness level.
Fishing
The Pomona Lake with a surface area of 4,000 acres and maximum depth of 50 feet offers some of the best fishing opportunities for RV campers at Pomona State Park. You’re guaranteed to find good population of fish species such as channel catfish, walleye, white bass/wipers, crappie (up to 12 inches), and largemouth bass. In recent time, State record catfish and wiper have been taken from Pomona Lake. What’s more, Lighthouse Marina, located near the Kansa campground offers fishing supplies to campers and visitors to make their fishing experience at the park unforgettable. The marina is always a good place to begin your fishing trip at the park.
Birding/Wildlife Viewing
If you’re a birdwatcher and/or lover of birds, Pomona State Park is the perfect place for your RV vacation. There are scores of songbirds in the park, with about 40 bluebird boxes. Birds you will see in the park include bellied woodpeckers, white-breasted nuthatches, black-capped chickadees, purple finches, and Carolina wrens. In winter, you can see bald eagles perched on tall lakeshore trees and rough-legged hawks over the prairie.
Some of the common animals you may see at the park include white-tailed deer, eastern cottontails, bobcats, coyotes, turkeys, raccoons, beavers, squirrels, foxes and rabbits.
Boating
With its four boat ramps, you are guaranteed to have an awesome boating experience on Pomona Lake in Pomona State Park. All the boat ramps have nearby vault toilets, and courtesy docks are also available. The two courtesy docks are, however, removed during winter. Water skiers, in particular, enjoy the lake’s generally calm waters. All campers and visitors with personal watercraft are required to load and unload them from the designated boat ramps. The Lighthouse Bay Marina in the park provides full services to boaters and skiers and rent out boat slips and ski equipment.
Picnicking
Pomona State Park is the perfect place to enjoy picnicking on your RV camping trip. With its picnic areas scattered across the park, you have many options to choose from to enjoy meals with your family and friends. What’s more, you can enjoy the view of the lake from picnic areas and even catch the beautiful sight of the sun as it sets in all its glamor.
Swimming
Get ready to enjoy swimming at Pomona State Park at the swimming beach located in the western part of the park, just across from the Southwind Shelter House. The swim beach, located in a picnic area, is open only during summer months and no lifeguards are on duty. For safety reason, swimming is not allowed around boat ramps and docks.