Wilson Lake, U.S. Army Corps of Engineers

05/27/2026

Rolling Hills Electric will be installing new power lines to Minooka park today, May 27th 2026.

Electricity will be turned off until 3 or 4 pm today. Thank you for your understanding.

05/22/2026

05/01/2026

A big shoutout and thank you from the Wilson Lake - U.S Army Corps of Engineers to Sylvan - Lucas USD 299 high school students and their teachers, Ben Labertew and Bernie Hlad, for coming out to our public lands to paint and collect trash during their annual community work day.

These Mustangs are the gold standard of combining hardwork and teamwork!!

05/01/2026

From May 1st through September 30, at Wilson Lake, we charge a $5.00 per day, Day Use Fee to launch vessels at the Minooka-East and Spillway boat ramps. This transaction can be made using the QR code at these two boat ramp areas.

Other passes available are a $40.00 annual day use pass available at the Wilson Lake-U.S. Army Corps of Engineers office. America the Beautiful Senior Lifetime, Access and Military Lifetime passes are also accepted and available at our office.

A yellow Day Use hang tag is available at our campgrounds to current Wilson Lake, U.S Army Corps of Engineers campers. This is another acceptable pass for launching vessels at our boat ramps.

All physical passes must be clearly displayed from the rear view mirror of the boat trailer’s vehicle while parked in the boat ramp parking area. This includes overflow parking areas.

04/14/2026

📍 Campground Update – April 14, 2026
Minooka Park

🚱 Water Outage:
Water has been turned off in Loops D, E, and F due to a leak.

Please avoid Site E23 and the surrounding area.

Repairs are expected to be completed by the end of this week.

💧 Water Availability:

Water is still on in the rest of Minooka Park and Lucas Park.

Sylvan Park has water available year-round.

🏕️ Offseason Camping Info (Until May 14)
All Wilson Lake USACE parks remain open for offseason camping.

⚡ Electric / Electric + Water Sites:

$20/night

$10/night for America the Beautiful (ATB) Senior Lifetime & Access Pass holders

💳 Payment is made via Scan & Pay QR codes at park booths.

🌲 Primitive Campsites:

Free until May 14

🚻 Facilities
Minooka Park and Lucas Park:

Restrooms & shower houses are closed during offseason

Vault toilets available

Sylvan Park:

Restrooms & showers are open year-round

04/08/2026

We have a new Wilson Lake-U.S. Army Corps of Engineers digital brochure!

To access our brochure scan this QR code. This new brochure has links imbeded in it so you will be able to access camping reservations, fishing reports, boating regulations, local weather and our lake map.

This QR code will be posted in our campgrounds at our information bulletin boards.

Hard copy brochures will also be available.

03/24/2026

On March 18th and 19th, 2026 the Wilson Lake-U.S. Army Corps of Engineers staff along with an additional staff member from Harlan County Lake as well as one of our volunteers conducted two prescribed burns in the Lucas Hills and Rock Town trail area. Preparation for these controlled burns began last fall with comprehensive burn planning, logistics, safety and the construction of firebreaks.

Our goals are to reduce hazardous fuel loading that contribute to wildfire spread, invasive species control, and to return nutrients back to the soil to improve native praire health and contribute to improved wildlife habitat.

In total, 762 acres were successfully burned.

03/18/2026

Rock Town and the Rock Town Trail will be closed to all recreation activities on March 19, 2026 due to prescribed burn operations in this area.

03/06/2026

Over the winter, US Army Corps of Engineers-Wilson Lake employees, Kale Morris, Ben Kruse and Tyler Hlad designed, fabricated and installed this gate with it's signs for the bridge leading to our control tower.

03/06/2026

It’s that time of year again! March brings several seasonal highlights: setting our clocks ahead for Daylight Saving Time (Sunday, March 8 at 2 a.m.), NCAA March Madness basketball (March 15–April 6), St. Patrick’s Day (March 17) and the Vernal Equinox (March 20).

March is also an exceptional time to enjoy our public land and water at Wilson Lake. Camping, biking, boating, fishing, and wildlife viewing are just some of the many activities available in the Heart of Post Rock Country.

If you are putting your boat on the water for the first time this year, remember a few things before leaving home: bring warm clothing for being around or out on cold water, and run through this Kansas Department of Wildlife and Parks vessel equipment checklist: https://ksoutdoors.gov/Boating/Required-Equipment-Checklist.

Most importantly, always wear your life jacket—whether you are enjoying a walk along our shoreline, fishing from the shoreline, wade fishing, or out boating on the lake.

Be safe and have fun.