Colby Rest Area Westbound

Thank you KDOT for providing thus overnight spot for weary campers! The overnight loop for campers is past the restrooms and truck parking. Look for signs. You can park on either side of the wide paved road. No problems leveling or pushing out slides on both sides of rig. Expect noise from I-70. I tuned out the traffic and tuned n the birds! Overall a pleasant stay.

What a gem. When you pull in, it doesn't seem like much. Continue to the west end and there you'll find a loop with a RV dump and rinse water. There are potable hydrants in the center of the circle near the lightpole ( and on the dump side just past the dump (blue hydrants in the middle of the lawn). Well off of the interstate and I felt comfortable letting my dogs take an off leash run near the corn fields.

Arrived a few hours before dark which provided ample time to set up and take a walk around the grass park like setting of the place. The rest area includes a paved one way RV loop which may be hard to see if you are arriving after dark. Just drive past the truck parking area and you will see it. The paved road is wide enough to allow RVs to park on each side of the road. I choose the left side to accommodate my drivers side slides. If parking is available, move to the far North side which will get you further away from I70 and road noise. As you drive around the loop you must be careful because there is one low hanging tree on the right side of the road. For a rest area, I was very pleased. Here are the positives. “Camping” is allowed for one night. Level asphalt loop. Park like setting with grass and trees. BBQ grills and fire pits. Multiple water faucets where one could get fresh water with a hose. Sewer dump. Mostly clean bathrooms. Negatives: One low tree on loop. Water at sewer dump barely functioned. Drain grate over sewer dump hole which caught all the solids. I was surprised to only see one other RV and they parked over by the truck lanes not taking advantage of the loop. Definitely will stop again! An excellent rest area stop!

I stopped here for the night on 2021-06-30, expecting to have to sleep in my Prius since this is an interstate rest area. However, upon going up to the restrooms I found a sign (picture attached) stating that "Overnight parking *or camping* is allowed for one night only." I took this to mean it was legal to sleep outside my vehicle and put up my hammock between two trees in the area farthest from the highway. Nobody bothered me, though I'm not sure anybody noticed I was there. Very pleasant surprise since sleeping outside a vehicle usually is not allowed at rest areas in my experience.

There is a big loop off on the west side of the rest area where you can stay in your RV. There are water taps for filling larger water containers, and the restrooms are well-maintained. There's also a large lawn area for walking dogs and whatnot. Overall one of my better rest area experiences, and highly recommended given the otherwise limited options in western Kansas!