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Dog-Friendly Camping near Forest City, MO

54 campgrounds · Check availability for any dates.

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    SUMMARY PRESENTED BYT-Mobile

    Big Lake State Park Campground welcomes pets throughout its lakeside camping areas, offering both electric and basic tent sites with fire pits and picnic tables. Dogs must be kept on leashes no longer than 10 feet within the park boundaries. The campsites are well-maintained with level gravel pads and convenient pull-through access. Several pet-friendly accommodation options include cabins for those seeking more comfortable lodging. AOK Campground & RV Park provides additional pet-friendly sites with full hookups, while H.F. Thurnau Conservation Area offers free dispersed camping for visitors with dogs. Most sites remain clean and tidy with minimal debris, making it difficult to find small sticks for kindling.

    Brown State Fishing Lake provides primitive camping with pit toilets for budget-conscious travelers camping with dogs. Honey Creek Conservation Area features several camping areas with differing levels of seclusion, including riverside sites deep in the woods. The conservation area contains multiple access points with gravel, graded spots close to main roads for convenient town access. Campers should note that GPS directions sometimes route through closed access roads, requiring alternate approaches to reach camping areas. Most campgrounds in the region maintain pet waste disposal areas, though amenities vary significantly between established sites and conservation areas. The riverfront sites offer pets water access, while wooded areas provide shade during hot summer months when bug spray becomes essential.

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    Best Dog-Friendly Campgrounds near Forest City (54)

      1. Honey Creek Conservation Area

      4.1(7)12mi from Forest CityRVs, Tents

      "A Missouri conservation area, a mile off the road. a gravel road gives you access to many multi use trails. see map attached. there were 5 or so nice camping spots with picnic tables and fire rings along"

      "It was a little close to the highway so got a little highway noise, but not bad. No trains😊 Only one other camper so plenty of room.

      Pit toilet, no water."

      2. Big Lakes Turtle Cove Campground

      4.5(4)12mi from Forest City1 siteRVs

      "Great view, large spot, dog friendly and owners were great"

      from $39 / night

      Check Availability

      3. AOK Campground & RV Park

      4.4(15)21mi from Forest CityRVs, Tents, Cabins

      "There is a lake/ river at the edge of the property with fish, plenty of frogs and I even saw a beaver or otter swimming across it. You can fish but it is catch and release."

      "Our dog enjoyed the fenced in dog park with is on the property. The campground has ponds. Other campers were friendly and respectful."

      4. Hackberry Hollow Campground — Indian Cave State Park

      4.6(25)28mi from Forest City42 sitesRVs, Tents

      "Just car tent camped here with my fiancé and dog over the weekend. We had many camp sites to choose from because it’s back to school time in NE (timing, timing, timing)!"

      "I saw that their hiking trails were challenging. I got two dogs and love a challenge. The views the scenory made you feel like you got away from civilization."

      from $25 - $30 / night

      Check Availability

      5. Ash Grove Campground — Indian Cave State Park

      4.2(24)28mi from Forest City21 sitesRVs, Tents

      "The Missouri River is right there, you can take trails to get there or drink be. The Indian Cave is along the river. Not my belief it’s a real cave but there is a historical aspect to it."

      "The camping spots that are the walk up sites are amazing - you can do sites surrounded by trees and private, or ones near the playground. All great sizes and partially shaded."

      from $30 / night

      Check Availability

      6. Brown State Fishing Lake

      3.0(1)13mi from Forest CityRVs, Tents

      7. H.F. Thurnau Conservation Area

      4.5(2)19mi from Forest CityRVs, Tents

      "Great location close to the main road with easy access to town. There are about four gravel, graded spots to choose from."

      "But there are actually two locations to camp there are multiple camp spots near the entrance, and also more if you drive down to the boat ramp, there are a few around there also."

      8. Stanton Lake Park

      4.4(5)23mi from Forest CityRVs, Tents

      "They have a little fishing lake, disc golf, volleyball courts, a playground, and a dog park. They do offer camping for rvs as well as tents and at a very affordable price."

      "There is a nice playground away from the sites along with a fenced in sand volleyball court. The park also has a frisbee golf course."

      9. Sharp RV Park

      3.8(4)22mi from Forest CityRVs, Tents, Glamping

      "This camp is easy in and out, close to St Joseph, some concrete pads, some gravel. We will stay here again next year"

      10. Garden Inn RV Park

      Be the first to review7mi from Forest CityRVs

      from $35 / night

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    Dog-Friendly Camping Reviews near Forest City, MO

    277 Reviews of 54 Forest City Campgrounds


    • MickandKarla W.The Dyrt PRO User
      Aug. 1, 2024

      Love's RV Hookup-St. Joseph MO 235

      Not the Best Option

      This Love’s RV Hook Up is right off I-29. We’ve enjoyed several stays at these new Love’s campgrounds(CG) and they are normally away from the main car and truck fueling areas. After cruising around the truck area, we found that we needed to go to the car area as the CG is literally off the auto-side fuel pumps/parking lot. There is a lane that we could have driven through from the truck area and this would've put us in the right position to back into our site. However, there was a Love's fuel truck parked there the whole time of our stay. There are six back-in sites with water and electric. They give you a code if you want to use the dump station. We reserved site 1 with water and electric(50/30/20 AMP). It still could have been an easy back-in but there was a big U-Haul truck parked outside of the formal parking areas in our path. We were still able to maneuver around and get in our site. After parking, we checked in online to activate our utilities. We quickly found out when we auto-leveled that site 1 was not a level site as our passenger side tires were off the ground. And whoever designed these sites thought boulders between sites was a good idea? We had to position our rig to avoid a boulder on the pad, so that we could open our basement slide drawer. The utilities are at the far backside of the pad and based on our rig’s configuration with the wet bay towards the front, we needed 25’ or more of hose and electric cord. The water pressure here is good. The WiFi is also for general public use and not very fast. We got 3 bars on Verizon and used our MiFi for internet as we were not comfortable putting out Starlink in this general public area. We were next to Love’s two-sided dog park, which if not for dog poop on the inside and around the outside would have been a great convenience. Concerning the uncomfortable comment, two stealth campers in cars were in parking spaces adjacent to our site for the night. We shared the CG with a Scottish Rugby cycling team traversing the USA raising AHS awareness. We did not know that starting around 6:00 AM the sprinklers came on and all of their gear got wet. The sprinklers also make mud puddles at the dog park entrance. Loves should gravel the small and large dog entrances. There should also be signs to let campers know about the sprinklers. The other Love’s RV Stops we stayed in had restroom and shower facilities, here you go in the main building and pay to use the trucker showers. The dump station is hard to get into with a large rig. Wrapping up this unpleasant stay, this Love’s was one up on a Walmart parking lot as it had water and electric.

    • S
      Jul. 26, 2023

      Weston Bend State Park Campground

      Peaceful

      Pros:

      - so peacefully quiet, seriously even with the kids

      - dog park with 3 separate areas- close to KC

      - a hose at the dump station that you can actually hook up to your black tank flush

      - both AT&T and Verizon worked great 

      Cons:

      - I honestly have none from here!

    • MickandKarla W.The Dyrt PRO User
      Oct. 31, 2022

      Weston Bend State Park Campground

      Enjoyable Stay

      Getting to the state park off I 29 and through the countryside was easy as the route had Weston Bend SP signage. We followed the SP signs to the campground(CG) where the gate was not manned so we headed to get water, but someone was sitting in the dump station waiting for another person to arrive so we went around this one-loop CG to see if there was a convenient spigot. There are spigots but with a larger rig, you will block the road, and/or you will be on a hill. We went back around and the person moved so we could get water. After that, we headed to pull through site 28 with electric(50/30/20 AMP) only. The site is long but has a 1/4 moon turn so we had to pull back around to get better positioned on the pad so we could disconnect our 39’ 5th wheel and F450 for our 3-night stay. There were tree branches overhead that we could not avoid. RVers next to us in site 30 had just arrived as well and were having trouble getting their travel trailer unhitched and leveled due to the pad’s slight incline and unlevel asphalt. They got their trailer positioned so they could get somewhat level. We got a solid two bars on both Verizon and T-Mobile. Due to our proximity to Kansas City, we got a lot of OTA channels. A satellite connection would be iffy in most sites here due to the number of mature trees. The trees in a lot of sites would also scrape the top of larger rigs. There’s a variety of sites with most being good for regular trailers versus tall rigs, and tent sites. They have a nice shower house with 1 washer and 1 dryer both for$1.50. There are also vaulted toilets here and there. There’s a 1.7-acre fenced dog park that includes one large area for large dogs and two other areas with one dedicated to smaller dogs. The dog area is at the front park entrance away from the campground and it would be a long walk to get there, so we drove up. There are a lot of hiking trails here plus an old tobacco barn that’s worth a look.

    • hThe Dyrt PRO User
      Jul. 25, 2023

      Weston Bend State Park Campground

      Great, quite large camp sites

      Great please to camp, not to crowded. Got busier on the weekends, empty on the week. Nice showers and toilets, laundry. Campsites were large, many had a good footprint enough to set up a large tent. We have a 20’ round yurt and had plenty of room. Lots of hiking trails in this park, some paved. Nice lookout point. Dog park was nice, well gated and taken care of, had water station for thirsty dogs. We spent 25$ a night for a 30amp electric site. Campground was well maintained. Only minutes from the historic town of Westin, amazing parks, lots of pubs and little restaurants. Nice place to walk around. I would camp here again.

    • SThe Dyrt PRO User
      Jul. 12, 2023

      AOK Campground & RV Park

      Great place to stay

      We called ahead so they were expecting us and the staff knew who we were when we pulled up. Very friendly and helpful staff. Beautifully kept grounds with lots of lush grass. There is a lake/ river at the edge of the property with fish, plenty of frogs and I even saw a beaver or otter swimming across it. You can fish but it is catch and release. Surprisingly not buggy at all for being right by the water. The playground is great and they have lawn games and a large dog park. Nice clean bathrooms with hot showers and great water pressure. They even have a pool which I didn’t end up taking advantage of but would have had we stayed longer. They had the cutest little benches to sit on and look out over the water and at the stars. We also had so much fun chasing fireflies.

      We camped in a tent with our 2 dogs and young toddler and had a great stay.

      It is close to the highway and we could hear traffic but it was easy to tune out. The cicadas and bullfrogs are loud at night but we really enjoyed that.

    • Fred S.The Dyrt PRO User
      May. 20, 2024

      AOK Campground & RV Park

      Well Maintained, Clean Facilities

      Camped here on Oct 5, 2023. RV parks are not our preferred place to camp. Prefer to camp with our campervan in dispersed or primitive campsites. That being said, this campground was really good for an overnight stay during our trip north to Minnesota. The owners were very welcoming and helpful. The property and restrooms/showers were very, very clean and well maintained. Our dog enjoyed the fenced in dog park with is on the property. The campground has ponds. Other campers were friendly and respectful.

    • B
      Jul. 10, 2025

      AOK Campground & RV Park

      Lovely overnight stop!

      We were traveling and was looking for an overnight stop. This was very easy off the interstate but once there you felt like you were miles out in the country. Yes.. if you were listening for it you could hear some road noise. But it really wasn’t invasive at all. The sites appear mostly all level and gravel. We had a pull through and it was perfect for overnight. Full hook up and shade. We travel with a dog and so much lush green grass to explore and walk was a plus for us. There is a dog park but I didn’t look for it so can’t comment on it. Didn’t use the bath house either. Owners were great and met us even after hours when we arrived to make sure we were in the spot correctly. Would definitely recommend. They have a few tent sites that looked very nice. Site A was really tucked into the back and had lots of vegetation and privacy. The pool was small but was clean and fenced.

    • Tony B.
      Aug. 30, 2020

      Stanton Lake Park

      Looks like a great city park

      Let me start out by saying this is an absolute beautiful city park. They have a little fishing lake, disc golf, volleyball courts, a playground, and a dog park. They do offer camping for rvs as well as tents and at a very affordable price. If you are like me and feel kind of funny about camping in the middle of a city. This place may still get you out of a pinch while traveling, and yes they have showers and very clean bathrooms. Don't knock it til you try it.

    • RThe Dyrt PRO User
      Jun. 21, 2025

      Atchison State Fishing Lake

      Massive Hill, but doable. 7 day stay limit.

      I took my skoolie there, and I thought we were supposed to park near the cabin, however, it's the part to the left of the cabin that we are supposed to camp at. The website actually forbids anybody camping around the cabin, so you need to use the campsites directly to the west, where there's a bunch of piers, sites, and bathrooms. We drove down 322nd Rd. to get to our site near the bathrooms across from the maintenance building. That road is gradual enough that I was able to get my short bus down it safely without tipping over.

      The management guy here is pretty cool and he let me know that it's a 7 day stay not 14 hung out and pet my dog and talked to me for a little bit. That was pretty nice.


    Guide to Forest City

    Camping near Forest City, Missouri offers riverside settings and conservation areas with variable terrain. Sites range from developed state parks to free dispersed camping on public lands. Summer temperatures reach the 90s with high humidity, requiring insect protection at forest sites near water sources.

    What to do

    Fishing in stocked waters: At Big Lake State Park Campground, visitors enjoy fishing in the oxbow lake. "Nice lake, campground was good, there are basic sites up against the lake and the rest are electric. You can kayak, canoe, jet ski, and boat. Its olny 30ft at the deepest point," notes Jason C.

    Hiking wooded trails: Honey Creek Conservation Area offers varied hiking options. "Beautiful area. Wish we could've explored it a bit. Just spent the night here on our drive through to KY. Seems there are lots of things you can do while here, besides camping: fishing, birding, hiking & horseback riding," writes Linette G.

    Explore historical sites: Indian Cave State Park contains numerous historical markers and petroglyphs. "This place was such a fun place to just go and hike, many of the trails had placards that tell you little details about certain events in history," reports Jill R. from Ash Grove Campground.

    What campers like

    Lakeside camping: Campers appreciate direct water access at Big Lake State Park. "Very relaxing time. Perfect view of the water," says Devon F. The park maintains spots directly on the shoreline for both basic tent sites and electric hookups.

    Peace and quiet: H.F. Thurnau Conservation Area offers uncrowded camping. "Great location close to the main road with easy access to town. There are about four gravel, graded spots to choose from," notes Nicholas.

    Clean facilities: AOK Campground & RV Park maintains excellent amenities. "Very, very clean bathrooms and laundry. Hosts present and helpful. Would stay again without hesitation," says Katy M. The campground includes full hookups and recreational facilities.

    What you should know

    Flooding concerns: The region experiences periodic flooding, particularly at lowland sites. "So, decent state park (when it's not flooded), on a small (not that big) oxbow lake, which about 3/4 of is privately owned… so there are boats," reports Grant M. about Big Lake State Park.

    Navigation challenges: Conservation area access can be complicated. "One problem I did find was that GPS directions wanted us to take access roads through the conservation area to get to the spot but some of them were closed so we had to take an alternate route in," explains Sayler O. from Honey Creek.

    Limited amenities at free sites: Brown State Fishing Lake offers basic facilities. "Nice size lake. Free dispersed camping. 2 pit toilets," says Vic D. Campers should bring all necessary supplies.

    Tips for camping with families

    Playground access: Multiple campgrounds feature play areas for children. "Great playground area for the kids," notes Jolie C. about Big Lake State Park. "They have a nice playground away from the sites along with a fenced in sand volleyball court," adds Shannon G. about Stanton Lake Park.

    Kid-friendly activities: Seasonal events add appeal for families. "Events not to miss... the Expo in the spring with Morel Mushroom hunting contest, the Haunted Hollow with haunted hay rack ride & campers decorated giving out trick or treats," says Shauna G. from Indian Cave State Park.

    Flat biking routes: Some parks offer easy cycling for children. "Lots of flat roads for biking though," notes Carissa H. about Big Lake State Park, making it accessible for younger riders.

    Tips from RVers

    Pull-through site availability: Many campgrounds offer convenient access. "Basic sites are large and some of the electric are also. The majority are pull through sites. Everything is fairly level," explains Jason C. about Big Lake State Park.

    Hookup options: Big Lakes Turtle Cove Campground provides full services. "Wonderful sites. 30/50/20 amp power at every spot including water and sewer," says Susan P., which is ideal for longer stays.

    Level sites with shade: Dog friendly campgrounds near Forest City typically offer level parking. "The sites were nice, level gravel sites. The dogs enjoyed all the extra room, grassy areas, and small trail to explore," notes Soren B. about AOK Campground. Most pet-friendly locations near Forest City provide level sites with at least partial shade.

    Frequently Asked Questions

    Which is the most popular dog-friendly campsite near Forest City, MO?

    According to TheDyrt.com, the most popular dog-friendly campground near Forest City, MO is Honey Creek Conservation Area with a 4.1-star rating from 7 reviews.

    What is the best site to find dog-friendly camping near Forest City, MO?

    TheDyrt.com has all 54 dog-friendly camping locations near Forest City, MO, with real photos and reviews from campers.