General Watkins Conservation Area

Rattlesnake Hill- is what the locals call this place. This conservation area is home to Missouri's largest venomous snake- the timber rattlesnake. This snake is known to reach 5 feet in this area and I have seen more than a few that reached that size.(I attached my pics of a massive rattlesnake on the loop trail.) Timber rattlesnakes move at night during the summer- so I wouldn't rush to camp here. Fishing is rough- as the watersnakes will chase you up the bank if they feel threatened. Insane amount of gnats, biting flies, and ticks. No water, no electricity, no trash cans. Hunters will be shooting nearby during hunting season.

We opted for this site on our way west as a stopover because it was free and not a parking lot. There are a couple of loop trails and we walked one of them. We arrived on a Sunday afternoon. The locals use the area for fishing and walking and it was somewhat busy in the afternoon. A couple of guys fished at night until about nine. There was only one other couple camping. Very quiet and peaceful. There was a portable toilet but we didn't investigate.

The cool thing was that the loop trail was forested by hundreds of paw paw trees. It must have been just past the season and we saw only a couple of decaying ones, but the entire trail smelled of apple cider vinegar and was quite pleasant.

If you consider this waypoint, two things:

1. The last mile is good, but very dusty, gravel road.

2. No cell coverage in the parking lot for T-Mobile, some coverage on loop trail.

We couldnt of picked a better place. The beach was clean and well kept. Our kids had a blast and played hard so they slept good. The people were very friendly and evetyone at the campsite was easy to get along with

The camp ground is small only 4 spots but it’s free also there is plenty of hiking and fishing available not a bad place I’ll definitely go again

This is a perfect spot for a pass though. 3 back in spots with fire pits and tables. Road coming into the camp ground can get a little rough depending on season, but it’s gravel. Spots are perfect for smaller rigs. Sites are only a few miles from our house, we use it to test out new gear (hammocks)

General Watkins has a good amount of ponds (great fishing) and has a few good walking/ small hiking trails.

This campground will always be packed for Missouri firearm deer season. Mid November. But normally has open spots rest of the time.

There are about 5 primitive sites. No water sewer or electric. There are multiple lakes in the area and hiking trails as well. It is very well kept and a nice get away.

We stayed here for a just a night, but felt lucky to have found a site. Not many sites here which made for a quiet evening. Camping was quite primitive. We arrived later in the day so didn't have much time to check out the park. It was a fine place to spend one night.