Windy Nights, Stunning Sunsets: A Camping Trip to Wilson Lake

Lights at Camp Site

Carrie, Erin, Greg, and I made a trip to Wilson Lake to camp June 27 - 29. We had been wanting to go to Wilson Lake to camp for a few years and we were finally able to do so. We had our spot reserved June 27 - 30, but looking at the weather for Sunday, we decided we would head back a day early.

We arrived early evening on June 27. A windy evening but we were all able to set up our tents, fix dinner, and enjoy the evening. It turned out to be the only night that we cooked with us having reservations for dinner Friday night in Wilson town. We cooked fried potatoes and Kielbasa on the Firedisc. However, the high winds of 20-25 mph made cooking a challenge. We had the wind protector on the Firedisc, but it was too much wind for the fire to work. We also thought about doing a fire Thursday night, but again, the wind was too much and thought better of it. 

Beautiful Sunset at Camp Site

Our first night camping, we had amazing views of the sunset. We were slightly blocked by trees, but the orange glow was incredible and lit up the whole sky. Credit to Greg for the picture to the left. The sunset was not as vivid Friday night but still a pretty night. 

The campsites at Wilson Lake are a little closer together than what we are accustom to at other sites. Thursday night there were not many people camping although by Friday night just about every spot was filled.

Hiking on the Dakota Trail

Saturday morning we had a slow morning. Ate cereal and drank orange juice before heading out of the day. We decided we would drive around the lake and find a spot to walk a trail. We chose the Dakota Trail which was listed as .70 miles. We were .3 miles into the hike when I said it aloud and everyone was shocked to hear we were not farther along than .3 miles. The Dakota Trail was overgrown and mainly uphill. It about kicked all of our rears. We finally made it to the peak but then the walk down was through overgrown vegitation with large steps. We were thankful to make it out of the Dakota Trail without falling or getting bit by a snake.

Following the hike, we wanted to find a beach so we could do some swimming before having lunch. We found a nice spot with another couple nearby that were kayaking. We swam for a while before getting out to make some sandwiches, chips, watermelon, and I had a few beers before we went back into the water. 

We had made reservations at The Sample Room Tavern which is at the Midland Railroad Hotel. Our dinner was good with me having pot roast, mashed potatoes, and gravy. Greg had the chicken fried steak with mashed potatoes, Carrie had spaghetti and meatballs. Erin had a Cesar salad with chicken. All very good! We had heard they were slow and were expecting slowness, but our drinks and food came out quickly. We were pleased with the food, service, and the restaurant. Following dinner, we went out to The Barn for a drink before heading back to our campsite.

Lake Wilson and Our Camp Site

We had a great time at Lake Wilson from the tent camping, sitting around the fire, enjoying drinks, to the dinner at The Sample Room Tavern, we enjoyed every part of our trip to western Kansas. The picture to the left is from our hiking on the Dakota Trail looking across the lake to our camp site. We did find some other camp sites we might like to get in the future.

I enjoy the whole process from sitting around relaxing at our site to hiking on trails that kick our butts. The whole process is fun and we started talking about other camping trips we will make this year. We are looking at a trip in September although nothing scheduled at this time.

Until next time, enjoy your Sunday. Have a great week! I hope to bring more camping adventures to you soon.