Prairie Dog State Park
RV Guide

Considering it originally had basically no native fish population, Keith Sebelius Lake is a pretty good fishing spot. There are a number of very good angling opportunities here. Crappie tend to concentrate in sheltered areas, like underwater brush and fishing piers. Use jig bait and minnows to reel them in. In 2019, park rangers added about a half-million walleye to Lake Sebelius. To catch them, work the areas around the dam and Leota Cove with any kind of live bait. Catfish are fairly plentiful in the western part of the lake, if you use stink bait. Honorable mention goes to wiper and smallmouth bass. These fish are around, but they are not as plentiful. So don't forget your fishing gear in your campervan or trailer.

History buffs will love to stop their rig at this state park. The two vintage buildings at Prairie Dog State Park are very well-preserved and in very good shape. Outside, they give visitors a good idea about what it took to build structures like these essentially by hand. On the inside, they are more like living museums. There is a one-room prairie schoolhouse not far from the park office. That’s definitely something you do not see every day. An adobe house is nearby. It dates back to around 1890, so it’s one of the oldest private homes in Kansas. A well-maintained, all-weather road connects them, so it’s fun to hike in this area during winter.

The Norton Wildlife Preserve is southwest of Lake Sebelius. So, the western part of the park is the best part to see wildlife as they come to the lake for a drink. Look for whitetail deer, wild turkeys, and mule deer. In the skies overhead, look for pheasants, geese, and waterfowl. There are even more birds here during the spring and fall migratory seasons. To enhance the experience, look for the park’s waterfowl refuge areas and food plots.

The hot summer months are the best time to see prairie dogs. But even then, it’s a bit hit or miss. Sometimes, seemingly all 300 prairie dogs will be out frolicking around, and they are a sight to see. To reach this area, which is in the northwestern corner of the park, you can either drive there or hike there. However you travel, take a picnic lunch and get there early. One of the nicest, and smallest, sheltered picnic areas is just outside Prairie Dog Town. Most of these animals are pretty tame, so get ready to interact with them.

The swimming beach is located next to Prairie Dog Campground. This huge beach has plenty of room for all kinds of activities. Play near the water’s edge, relax on a beach blanket, or play a pickup beach volleyball game. Several large trees ring the swimming beach, so the wind is not too bad and there’s also some shade here and there. Several shaded picnic areas are available as well. Lots of people like to swim across part of the lake to another and smaller swimming beach. No lifeguard is on duty, but watch out for motorboats and the occasional lake riptide, and you should be fine.

There is a boat launch on either side of Leota Cove. The one on the west side is larger and designed for motorboats. It’s adjacent to a large paved parking area. The east side boat launch is more for unpowered craft, like canoes and paddleboards. It’s adjacent to a smaller unpaved parking area which may be inaccessible when the weather is bad. But if the weather is bad, you probably won’t want to go out on Lake Sebelius in a kayak anyway. So, it’s all good. Lake Sebelius is a very good boating lake. There’s lots of open water, and there are also lots of little coves and inlets to explore. The wind is usually pretty gusty but not overpowering.