photo by: Chad Lawhorn/Journal-World

A camper arrives at Clinton State Park on Oct. 9, 2026.

A fee increase is coming for campers and others who like to visit Clinton State Park.

Like all other state parks across Kansas, Clinton State Park will have changes to its overnight camping, vehicle permit and other fees starting next month.

The fee changes will go into effect on Nov. 1, and according to the Kansas Department of Wildlife and Parks website, the reasoning behind the fee increases was to keep up with the rising costs to operate and maintain Kansas state parks.

For people visiting a Kansas state park for a single day, the vehicle entrance permit will increase from $5 to $7, while a discounted daily permit for seniors and people with disabilities will increase from $3.25 to $4.25.

The overnight camping fees will increase from $12.75 to $17.75 per night. The 14-night camping permit will increase from $112.50 to $165.50 – an increase of $53. Fees for campsites with utility hookups will also go up. Sites with one utility will increase from $9 to $11, those with two utilities will increase from $11 to $13, and sites with three utilities will increase from $12 to $15.

The annual vehicle permit will rise from $25 to $39, a $14 increase. For seniors and people with disabilities, the annual vehicle permit will increase from $13.75 to $30.50. The State Park Passport, which is available only when registering a vehicle at a county treasurer’s office, will increase from $15.50 to $30.50.

The decision to increase the park fees was made by the Kansas Wildlife and Parks Commission during their meeting on Aug. 27. By law, the revenue collected from the sale of state park permits can only be used for state parks.

Dakota Nipko, assistant park manager at Clinton State Park, told the Journal-World that a common misconception is that state parks in Kansas receive taxpayer dollars to operate and provide salaries to their employees.

photo by: Kansas Department of Wildlife and Parks

Clinton State Park fee changes will go into effect on Nov. 1.

“We’re park-fee funded,” Nipko said, aside from any grants they may receive for larger projects. ” … All of the everything we do is funded by the park fees, and it has been 10 years since we’ve had any increase in park fees.”

Anytime someone purchases a park permit or reserves a campsite or cabin, the money goes directly to the park. The revenue helps maintain trails, improve facilities, expand recreational opportunities and keep parks safe for all of its visitors each year.

“We were already kind of behind the curve,” Nipko said. “So it’s just getting to where things need to maintain what we do as parks.”

photo by: Chad Lawhorn/Journal-World

The visitors center at Clinton State Park is pictured on Oct. 9, 2026.

In addition to the fee increases, the Kansas Wildlife and Parks Commission eliminated the annual camping permit.

“Under the old structure, some visitors paid a single low annual fee but camped very frequently, which didn’t cover the true cost of maintaining campgrounds, utilities, roads, restrooms, and support services,” the KDWP’s website said.

There was also the issue of a small number of very frequent campers reserving sites for long stretches at a low annual cost, which would sometimes make it harder for other visitors to find open sites. According to the website, the new structure is expected to help distribute use more evenly while keeping camping accessible.

If people currently have an annual camping permit for the year, it will remain valid and can be used for unlimited camping through Dec. 31, 2026. However, since the permit has been discontinued, it will not be sold in 2027.

There have also been increases in other fees surrounding Clinton Lake this year. The U.S. Corps of Engineers – which manages the 7,000-acre Clinton Lake as well as 15,000 surrounding acres – started charging new fees and has decided to add fees to Woodridge campground at the lake that previously allowed people to camp for free, as the Journal-World reported.

Those changes were primarily due to a federal hiring freeze that is still in effect after the Trump administration initiated it in January 2025 to reduce the federal workforce. This is a different situation than why the Clinton State Park fees have increased, as the park is not operated by federal employees.

photo by: Chad Lawhorn/Journal-World

A pair of camping trailers are pictured at Clinton State Park on Oct. 9, 2026.