Hawn State Park Campground

We camped at site 39 over the weekend. The park was very clean and family friendly. There are several hiking trails and an overlook. The restrooms and showers are still closed for the season, but there are primitive vault toilets. The sites are very close together, so there is not much privacy. Also, some have electricity and some not. The firewood was wet und would not burn. The landscape around the park was very nice. We camped here to visit the Gateway National Park and Mastodon Natural Site.

The sites are in close proximity to one another so it gets crowded during Holiday weekends. Aside from that, the park is peaceful, very clean, and full of surprises.

Took the youngest kids for their first camping trip, and it could not have been better. Plenty of space, site was level for our tents and had a nice, soft carpet of pine needles, facilities in great shape (didn't use the showers, but they looked decent and were fairly popular), nice sink in the laundry room we used to fill our dish-washing tubs, good neighbors, nobody too noisy and folks generally kind and friendly. Really enjoyed being on the tents-only side of the campground--allowed for a clear, wide view of the landscape and the fall colors. Hiking is some of the best in Missouri.

I will say that the "walk-in" sites didn't seem to have much privacy and weren't very far from the parking lot, if that matters to you.

All in all, you can't get much better for tent camping.

Hawn is my favorite campground close to St. Louis. We always stay in the walk-in sites; 47 has been our favorite so far. 48 is a little weird - it’s longer than it is wide, so I think it would be hard to have two tents. 50 is the biggest. There’s great hiking in the area and you can get right up on Pickle Creek near the walk-in sites. The facilities have always been clean and well maintained. It’s a little smaller than, say, Meramec, and I think because of that it’s pretty quiet.

One warning though: they only sell firewood between 9-10am and 6-7pm. We got to our site one time at 7pm and had to get a bundle of wood from a neighbor.

Beautiful camp site with plenty of shade. I was right next to creek. It was quiet and peaceful. Clean bathrooms.

Great park, awesome trails and wooded areas. Amazing tall pines cover the area. Camping is great, rv sites, no water at site.

Loved the trails, facilities and beautiful surrounding area. Just a solo one nighter so can’t really add more.

Great state park to get away from everything for a while. We only were able to stay one night while passing through but would definitely stop here when in this area again. There is not really mobile service here though. We had great signal up by the dump station but down where the campsites are we only had one bar of AT&T and nothing for T-Mobile. Even with our signal booster turned on we didn't have very great signal strength so we had to drive up the hill to get some work done. Coming down into the area with the campsites the road is a fairly steep grade but there were plenty of both small and big rigs camping here.

Hawn State Park is a park like no other. Nowhere else in the state of Missouri have I been able to camp and feel like I'm in the middle of the Rocky Mountains.  The car camping area is nestled in the middle of a pine filled valley.  There's nothing more refreshing than sitting in the evening and hearing the wind whistle through the pines.  The trails are amazing with big boulders and beautiful creeks.  If you're car camping take the extra walk to the walk-in camping sites. It's like a micro backpacking trip. And if you like backpacking, Hawn state park is the place to do it!

This place is awesome! It was our second overnight backpacking trip we did! We started on beautiful pickle creek trail which is rock scramble right beside a awesome clear water creek bumbling over big rocks! Then we hit whispering pines trail and stayed at campsite 5! It is about 5-6 miles in. Perfect campsite a creek on each side with waterfalls on each one!! We finished the trail the next day right at 12 miles! Be sure to arrive early as the parking lots and campsites fill up fast!! Absolutely stunning trail for Missouri!!

Love this small campground and the creekside campsites, but spots are very hard to get in the warmer months. We went the other day for a hike and wrote down our favorite numbers, so hopefully we can plan a little more in advance and get a good one. Hawn overall has excellent hiking and is a good family day trip or overnight. It's also fairly close to Farmington should you need anything. Ice and firewood is available at the campground.

We camped here a couple of years ago and while the campsites themselves and the campground are clean and quiet the campground host gave us the wrong gate access code and in order to be able to get to our campsite that night we had to hike all the way down the road and wake the campground host up so that he could let us in which was over a 1 mile hike in the middle of the night. Like I said the actual campground is nice and clean and quiet but other than hiking there really isn’t much in the form of any activities. And unfortunately because of our bad experience that night we will probably not ever camp here again.

This is a small park and hard to get a reservation because of how nice it is. There was a creek that ran not far from the campground. My kids played in the creek all day. We caught cray fish/crawdads and cooked them up for dinner. My kids still talk about going back there as teenagers and they were little kids when we went.

Favorite park in Missouri for backpacking.

This campground is nature at its best. It is close to the creek where you could put your chair in the water and sit and chill out all day long. Great for kids fishing swimming and just relaxing

The big camp is beautiful and has electricity and water. On the trail there are several marked and unmarked campsites for backpacking. Absolutely gorgeous hikes. Just be careful of the raccoons; they are super smart.

We packed in and stayed at one of the backpacking sites. We highly recommend the Pickle Creek section for a good variety. Trail includes tough climbs and rocky downhills. Included is a photo from one of the amazing overlooks.

We visited in October and were able to hike several great trails in the park and surrounding area. The campsites are nothing special. They are closely grouped and all central sites in the loop are treeless. Sites on the exterior of the loop back to woods. Ice and wood are available at ranger station check in. I will say the the bathhouse/showers are the best I have encountered while camping. They are clean, large, and free. We did not get cell service at our site, but did get it up near the campground entrance so we could check in periodically.

Hawn has a large variety of campgrounds. Whether you have a trailer, a tent, or you want to hike into a remote site, they have options for you. On top of great clean sites, Hawn also has one of the best trails in Missouri, Whispering Pines.

You should reserve ahead of time for minimal confusion once you get there. Seems like a popular campsite but with a fair amount of grounds per reserved campsite spot. Regular checkups are made by ranger personnel to ensure maximum safety, cleanliness, of the area. There is a large moderately clean facility accessible on site with bathrooms, showers, and sinks. You are required to purchase firewood from the grounds unless you bring your own. There are several trails in varying lengths at Hawn State Park and they are all incredible. It was so enjoyable to sleep at the campground and hear the creek nearby and the night wildlife and to wake up in the morning to the morning sun and head out for an early start on the trails.

If you are looking for a not-so-wild experience this is the perfect place. It is so peaceful and enjoyable and the trails are beautiful with incredible high-point lookouts, creeks, a river, beautiful botany, birds etc.

I have been to Hawn State Park many times! It is a very clean campground with a newer shower house. The campground is smaller and has amazing views. I love electric site 17 best because it has the perfect view of the cliffs. There is 3 trails with the longest having two loop options with connectors from the other two trails. There are also walk in sites here and hike in sites. This park will not disappoint. It is also close to Ste. Genevieve which is a great town to visit for a history lesson on the settlement of Missouri. Pickle Springs Nature Area is also a few minutes away which is another fantastic area to hike. It is beautiful any season but I love the views in autumn best!

Bbeautiful. Quiet. Relaxing. No place to swim. Only think yo do is hike or relax

Hawn State Park is gorgeous. The campground is small and quiet. It's tough to grab a site, so plan ahead. We've had lots of trouble getting a site here in the past. When you visit Hawn, be sure to hit the trails. There are plenty of trails and each one is unique. Backpacking is allowed on some trails, as well. Our favorite has always been Pickle Creek Trail, crossing over onto Whispering Pines. The bathrooms are well maintained and there are plenty of outhouses throughout the park. If you're lucky enough to snag the campsites closest to Pickle Creek, you can literally hear the creek running. What a peaceful way to wake up in the morning!

Hawn State Park shows its natural beauty surrounded by Pine Trees. The campground is very well kept and spacious.

There are a three trails accessible from the park. Two trails are overnight hikes and one is a short hike. I was able to hike the Pickle Creek Loop trail which is rated moderate and only an hour to two hour hike, depending on how much you stop. I definitely recommend going on this beautiful hike if you’re camping.

Tip: I have the All Trails app which was very helpful with locating trails near you and even shows you your location while on the trail.

This is a small but great place to camp. Clean and space enough to relax. Great hiking and fun for the young family. Quiet and relaxing and a great place to be. The camp site could use some rock around the living pads to cut down the dirt on gear but a little gem for sure.

This is my favorite camp ground in the world! Hawn has the most beautiful views I've ever scene, hiking trails are amazing, the creek is perfect and babbles right near my favorite plot, and the best part is its never crowded- at least during the fall and winter when we go. Please, visit here and take care of it, this is truly a hidden gem. ❤❤❤❤❤

Small park as far as the amount of campsites, but this makes it peaceful and secluded. Great restrooms/showers. Great hikes.

We did a one night in and out. Hot on the way in and raining on the way out. Lots of trees down across trail. Sorry the picture is upside down but as you can see lots of room at the campsite. I'm standing in the middle of it when I took this shot. You have to cross a small stream to get to it from the trail. Fairly level. One possible widow maker, so look up before choosing where to place your tent. Beautiful pine trees.

Campground Review Hawn State Park is beautiful! It is one of my favorite state parks. It offers a variety of hiking trails, a nice play ground, plentiful picnic tables, and is some of the best scenery in Missouri. The pine trees that surround the parking lot give you a sense of the grandeur of this place before you ever leave your car. Then you walk to the beginning of the Whispering Pines trail and see the creek flowing, and know this place is going to be worth it. Don't get me wrong, this trail is rated as rugged, and they aren't joking around with that. If you are backpacking give yourself plenty of time to make it to camp, there are some big hills involved. Big, rocky hills. Once you get to one of the three established backcountry sites you find a generally flat area to sleep, a good amount of cleared land for activities, and a fire ring (although techincally no fires are allowed in the backcountry there). The camping is serene. I stayed at campsite 2 this time and got to listen to the trickle of a small waterfall near my site all evening, I mean, until it started raining. The hike is always worth it. This is an extremely popular trail in Missouri because of its beauty and promiximty to St. Louis (about 1.25hrs), so expect to make some new friends at your campsite. All backcountry sites are first come, first serve and free! No permit is needed, just sign in at the trail head. If you are not a fan of ruffin’ it, there are basic ($13/night) and electric ($21-23/night) drive up campsites with a showerhouse nearby. These are reservable in advanced for an additional fee. I would recommend advanced reservation on weekends in peak season. The campground is well maintained with fire rings, parking pads, and picnic tables at each site. Outside of the shower house, all other restrooms are vault toilets in the front country area (no privies in the backcountry, bring your shovel). This campground is worth a stay and hike around, even if it is on one of the shorter, easier trails.

Product Review I’ve always wanted to be a Park Ranger, exploring the wilderness for a living. I guess being a Dyrt Ranger is a pretty good substitute, especially since I got the opportunity to review the Gregory Maven Backpack recently. I have to admit, I was a little reticent to try out a new backpack. My my current pack was trusty, familiar and had been with me on so many adventures. It had seen me through my longest hikes, to the most interesting places, and mostly, it was my first. It was going to take a pretty amazing pack to get me to forsake my good ol, patch-covered Kelty. I can safely say I will never use that Kelty again. Not only is the Gregory about 100xs lighter (obviously that's a literal, scientific calculation), but it has so many features that set it apart. The first I noticed and loved was the horizontal water bottle holder. Trying to reach behind you and pull a bottle upward while walking is on par with an Olympic event, especially after you've spent 10 sweaty hours out on the trail. This pocket makes it so much easier and less of a gymnastics routine to get a drink. This alone would sell me on the pack. But let me sing more of its praises. The sunglasses wrangler on the shoulder strap is so flipping handy, I can't believe I haven't seen one before! The water bladder holder doubles as a day pack, which I love because, duh, it'll hold your water when you go off on an adventure. The material on the pack all seemed nice and durable. The padding was comfortable and it was so easy to adjust to fit me. The pockets on the hip belt are always welcome! I had to hand-craft one for my old pack, I was glad to see them on this pack ready to go. The only thing with them is if you are a little bigger in the hips, you do have to use awkward t-rex arms to reach over/back to zip them up. Also some of the label on the adjustment tab for one started coming off. Not that it's the end of the world, you just expect new things to stay new for a little while. The included rain cover was PHENOMENAL! Normally when a pack comes with a rain cover it will only cover your pack. Anything you have attached to the outside is screwed. This cover was spacious! My camp shoes, ground pad, etc. did not have to worry about the rain. Things I do miss from my old pack: A few more pockets so that it's easier to keep your gear organized and find items in a hurry. I understand this lack of pockets helps keep the pack weight down and I would rather have my pack lighter than pocket-y. I also missed my front zipper so I didn't have to pull everything out of my pack to find something. A few other less awesome things: The sizing on the website was a little confusing, it was hard to know if the sx/sm, sm/md sizes were for the hip belt or back panel. Honestly, I'm still not sure, but I'm leaning toward back panel. I did view this through a mobile platform, so it may be better on PC. Also, the bigger volume size packs are only offered in blue or gray. The colors are nice looking, but I wish an aqua, pink, or purple was available too. I can hike long distances and be feminine too, but maybe I'm the only one that feels that way though. These misses are small and I'm honestly thinking of using this pack as my luggage for vacation in a few weeks. If I do, I'll post pictures. And I will definitely be using it on future trips.

https://backcountrymara.wordpress.com/2018/03/29/gregory-maven-backpack/

Hawn is a smallish state park in the eastern part of Missouri. The hiking in this state park is fantastic. The campground is small but well maintained. The eco-system is something to marvel and we would have loved to see it in the summer.