Best Dog-Friendly Camping near Hannibal, MO

Campground Review:

Mark Twain state Park is an absolute blast. approximately 30 minutes from Hannibal MO this park sits on Mark Twain Lake. Several hiking trails in the area will get you in touch with nature and an abundance of deer. Large playgrounds in the camping area's as well as visitor center areas. All loops in this park have electric and basic sites. No water hookups aside from host sites. Best part is all shower houses fairly new. We never located any vault toilets but found all three loops had their own shower house.

Park has a boat ramp with ample parking and if you have better luck than I did a fish cleaning station. While having a boat ramp close may be a deterrent it was rare to have much boat noise with the tall trees surrounding these large private sites. 

We stayed in site 76 in puma loop which was a sloping site but it was massive. The lots on either side of ours were similar in layout but much more level. 76 also has a path to the waterfront which we utilized daily.

It rained on us for most of our stay we found Mark twain state park to be well worth the trip. 

Product Review:

As a Ranger for The Dyrt, I get products to test from time to time- today I am testing the GCI Outdoors Master Cook Station. 

While looking at GCIOutdoors.com for the right item for my family to try out we were amazed at the function of their site.  We were able to compare multiple items flawlessly and despite  much debate locate an item we believed may reduce our overall need to pack everything including the kitchen sink. The cook station didn't immediately jump off the page for my wife. She had her heart set on a new rocker chair of which GCI Outdoors has an amazing selection. However, I was able to win her over after pointing out the endless options the Master Cook Station (AKA My Kitchen) Offers.

My Kitchen provides functionality as a table, a cook top, a drying rack, food storage, and does so taking up the same amount of space as a folding chair. Our first night in camp the dreaded dinner bell began ringing and my loving wife walked over to our new kitchen. After cooking, plating, and eating from this beast she looked at me and said, "Never again will I doubt your decision making about anything." (or at least thats how I remember it.) She actual was really impressed how this cook station had taking the stress out of meal time. With a built in sink we were able to cook, eat, and clean from a singular location and when done we could either fold it up and tuck it away or use it for evening activities. 

As a pop up camper space is always limited and at a premium. The GCI Outdoor Master Cook Station not only met our expectations it surpassed them. This swiss army table will be a must have among all of our friends and the high quality of this product tells me that we will get to show it off for quite some time.

Stayed here for 2 nights, was a very peaceful and quite area to sleep. No disturbances. Right on the lake, plenty of fish. Bathrooms are fairly disgusting and full of spiders and there is a stray cat that stalks your food.

The campground is quit and peacefully. Just a short walk from the Mississippi River and downtown Hannibal. They have two caves you can tour along with a winery on site. Both attractions are at the front of the campground so they are an easy walk from your campsite but your site is also secluded away from the tourist their during the day for just the caves and winery. Staff was friendly and helpful. The caves make the whole stay that much more amazing for the kids.

Wakonda state park, located about 30 miles north of Hannibal. The park has a several lakes to fish and boat with multiple trails ranging from 1 to 5 miles. The sites are a little tight but at the time of our visit the park was empty. The showerhouse is a little dated but adequate. The basic sites site right on the edge of a small lake and is a wonderful sight waking up to. My only complaint is the highway a little close and it can be loud.

The rain was a pain but didn't ruin Mark Twain! Though I grew up outside of St. Louis, I'd never been to this campground or to Mark Twain Lake.  Really enjoyed exploring the area and the campground was nice.  Showers were a short walk and campsites had a decent amount of privacy.  The Loop we were on was really better suited to motor homes and we were tent camping.  We had two tents and had to set them up in kind of a odd location near the loop road. Some sites were better then others but I wouldn't come back to this exact site to pitch a tent. If you have a camper though, its great. 

You are right on the lake here, though it's a bluff so when you get to the edge, there is a steep drop off. It's very pretty and my kids are 9 and 11 so I wasn't worried but if there were much younger I'd be concerned about letting them wander toward the lake as they could slip and fall in.  Since part of the reason I take the kids camping is to be able to let them explore, I'd go to another area with younger kiddos. 

That being said, there was a trail that you could take for about 10 minutes that took you down to water level and is decent for swimming.

We took a day trip to Hannibal, which is a fun little town. Took in the Mark Twain Museum and took a riverboat cruise. On another day, we rented a pontoon boat to explore the lake, which I'd recommend as well. 

Once you get the to the campground, you are at least 30 minutes from any store, gas station, etc, to stock up.  

We were there mostly during the week and it was very quiet.  As it got closer to the weekend, it started to really fill up and get more lively. Mostly families and such so didn't mind but just a heads up. 

In the end, lovely area, really well maintained campground and would recommend.

I’ve been going to this campground since I was a child, it’s one of my favorite places to camp. A popular place, during the summer it’s always full and kids running around, people walking and running and riding bikes, walking dogs. Great trails too, ranging from half a mile to 3 miles. Nice lakes, kayaking rentals available, and a swimming beach too.

The lady we booked with was super nice. She met us in the rain and got us to our sites. The spots we had were very close together. Would not have enjoyed that if we were there longer. I think there are other spots with more room, but not 100% sure? We had full hook ups. They looked to be working on a bathroom/shower house that will be really nice when done! They have a pool, kids area and a putt putt area. Nice grass area for the dogs too.

This site was so much better than what I was expecting! My friend, Kari, her 3 Doodles, my Beagle, and I camped out the first night in the group section, because there's hardly anyone there and we got there too late in the day to actually start hiking. In the morning, we loaded up our packs, put the little packs on the dogs (they have to carry their own food and water), and headed up the Red Oak Backpacking Trail. I don't know if we started at the beginning or not, but we parked by a little wooden bridge and the hill to start off our adventure kinda kicked my ass a little bit. After we made it up the initial incline, the landscape was beautiful and varied from flat areas to valleys and some creeks (which I was very thankful for after a few hours in 90° and 25 lbs on my back). We ended up setting up camp at a spot we thought was nice just before it got dark, because we didn't know where or how much further the primitive hike-in campsites were. The next day, we figured it out, but we wouldn't have made it there before dark. Towards the end, there were stairs built into the earth that were way too difficult to manage when your legs are jelly and your pack is heavy, so it was almost easier trying to take the side of the stairs and make your own little path, so just a heads up there. We had so much fun the whole time and I can't wait to go back for some snow camping later this year (they are open year round)!!!

Another cool find in Missouri. Lake in Conservation Area. Doesn't offer much but it was a bit out of the way. Campground was free. Sites are close together. Some spots more shaded than others. They had rowboats and canoes you could paddle around in. You just needed your own life jacket. The boats were free. There was a shelter with picnic tables by the lake. I like hiking and wished there was a trail that went all around the lake but was only able to go a partial, short way. Still a nice place to stay. Quiet. Looked like there was a ranger station there and fish hatchery but it was closed the two days we were there. So I don't know what all was in the building. Clean pit toilets. Lots of ducks on the lake.

First thing, the new owners have some work pending that I trust will make a huge difference to the traveling campers soon. However, we didn’t get to enjoy those improvements.

The good: The reservation process was friendly and they accommodated our after hours arrival. The electrical connections were great with 50/30/20 amp receptacles. Location was convenient and easy to access.

The not so great: The date was in late December so we expected some winterizing. So the water was off at the site. It was also off at the bath house. No water for bathing, washing hands, toilets or washing dishes. The sewer connection was missing a cap and thus covered by a rock. It took us a while to even find it. The dumpster was overly full and needed dumped. The site seemed to be a storage for various materials, not if they where project related or not.

There were a few full hook-ups. Most people are permanent residents. The google photos must be from years ago and it has really gone downhill since. There is little to no up keep. There is no place to check in.

Our site was a good ways away from the road, and they're pretty generous with their firewood. Their bathrooms are pretty old though. All in all we enjoyed our stay.

We stayed here for just 1 night to visit the Mark Twain cave and some of the sights in town. The sites were gravel, and lots of greenery and trees around. We didn't have a site by the stream - I would try to get one of those next time. Super convenient to walk over to the cave or winery. The winery wasn't open because we went just before Memorial Day.