Best Tent Camping near Lathrop, MO

Tent campsites near Lathrop, Missouri include several basic, primitive options for campers seeking a natural experience. Hamilton City Lake offers free dispersed tent sites in a shaded area adjacent to the water, while Bonanza Conservation Area provides designated tent camping zones with minimal amenities. Agency Conservation Area also features primitive tent camping, though space is limited to a small gravel pullout area.

Most tent camping locations around Lathrop are minimalist with few amenities. Bonanza Conservation Area restricts camping to gravelly parking areas only, and campers have received citations for setting up tents elsewhere. Agency Conservation Area has specific hours, closing between 10 PM and 4 AM according to posted regulations. Hamilton City Lake provides more flexibility with shaded sites right next to the water, but lacks facilities. Campers should bring all necessary supplies including drinking water, as most areas do not provide potable water sources or toilet facilities. Fires are permitted at Bonanza and Hamilton City Lake, though fire rings may not be provided.

Tent campers at Hamilton City Lake benefit from the peaceful atmosphere and fishing opportunities directly from their campsites. The lake supports bluegill, crappie, and bass fishing, with minimal crowding even during peak seasons. Highway noise can occasionally be heard from nearby routes, but most visitors find the tranquility compensates for this minor disturbance. Bonanza Conservation Area becomes particularly busy during hunting seasons, requiring extra caution from tent campers. A visitor noted that Hamilton City Lake offers "plenty of room to spread out without worrying about noisy neighbors," and they were "the only campers overnight" during their stay. For those seeking more amenities, Honey Grove Campground provides tent sites with drinking water, electric hookups, showers, and toilets for a fee.

Best Tent Sites Near Lathrop, Missouri (6)

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Recent Tent Camping Photos near Lathrop, MO

5 Photos of 6 Lathrop Campgrounds


Tent Camping Reviews near Lathrop, MO

402 Reviews of 6 Lathrop Campgrounds


  • Sarah H.
    Sep. 18, 2016

    Wallace State Park Campground

    Popular Park Tucked Away In The Hills

    My husband and I tent camped overnight at Wallace State Park. Woodsy tent camping sites were spacious and private. Large camping pads are lined with wood chips and are comfortable enough to sleep on without an air mattress. Covered picnic tables have an extra shelf for storage convenience. Even after setting up the tent and camping chairs there was still enough room for lawn games or for little ones to run around.

    Wildlife was abundant in the evening. We saw many deer, frogs and squirrels. At dark, nature sounds were unbelievable with songs of bullfrogs, owls, and flying creatures of all sorts. Be sure to bring bug repellant.

    Campground 1 had clean vault toilets, but the bath house near Campground 2 was even better. Showers were clean and in their own stalls with locking doors, shelves and ample hooks. The water got nice and hot and the shower heads were even and held good pressure. This bath house was seriously the best one we have ever visited and we have used dozens.

    For entertainment, there was a bustling playground, winding nature trails, horseshoes, lake swimming, and fishing. There was also a well kept laundry house with a dishwashing sink attached. Campground hosts and park rangers were friendly and busy keeping the park in great shape. Overall, this is a really nice place to camp!

    Gear Review: Lighthouse 250 Lantern and USB Power Hub We decided to try out our GoalZero lantern instead of our usual larger lantern. The lantern is compact enough to fit in a small bag with other electronics and is very light in weight. This saved us a little extra room which is a bonus since we take all of our camping trips in a tiny little Prius C. The Lighthouse 250 would be a good contender for bringing along on a backpacking trip, but you would want to pad it with some kind of protection as it seems that some parts might not hold up to a lot of banging around.

    We used the lantern 2 nights in a row without charging it and the battery life indicator still had over 1/4 of its power left. On this same charge, wee tested the phone charger by hooking up an iPhone 4 to charge for 10 minutes with the light on full turbo. The 10 minute charge boosted the phone's battery 12%. The hand crank charger was a little awkward, but would be sufficient in a pinch. Had we needed more power, we could have easily plugged the attached USB cord into our car charger. We don't usually pony up for electric sites, so on extended excursions, the Nomad 7 Solar Panel is a gadget we would consider purchasing.

    The directional lighting feature of the lantern came in handy for having dimmer light closer to sleeping times and brighter light for reading/boardgames in the tent. In the end, we will definitely bring the Lighthouse 250 lantern with us on future trips, and will leave our bulky older lantern at home.

  • Leni K.
    Jun. 6, 2022

    Wallace State Park Campground

    Good Weekend Getaway

    Campground 1 is the ideal tent grounds. Heavily wooded some with better coverage than others. Campground 2 is the most spaces RV site. Campground 3 had five total sites in an open area. No privacy at all. Campground 4 was a tighter RV set up. All campgrounds share one very updated showerhouse, which did lead to some lines at the showers Sunday, but the trade off for quality bathroom is appreciated. All campgrounds and day use areas are also connected by a series of trails, so you're not far off from getting to a hike at any point. Campground 1 has four walkins that range from 80 to 300 yards in, starting with 28 closest and 31 farthest out. We stayed at 31, and whole remote, during the day picked up sounds clearly from other sites and at night the highway was pretty clear. Overall though the seclusion tradeoff was nice and it was an easy adjustment for us as car campers. We had a raccoon visitor who is a frequent flyer, while he got away with some hotdogs, we adjusted and ensured he didn't get additional treats. The main showerhouse was closer than the vault toilet on 1, which was still really well maintained. Overall crowds here seemed very respectful of quiet hours, space on trails and made for an improved stay. Camp hosts were always available and polite and friendly. Trails were maintained. Definitely would return again, to a similar site as a walk in.

  • Whitney L.
    Jun. 6, 2022

    Bluffwoods Conservation Area

    lovely, quiet camping near St. Joe’s MO

    Love this little area for camping! It’s well maintained, quiet, easy to access, has lots of grass for the dogs to play and we always see wildlife. People often leave trash so be sure to leave no trace so it stays nice for all to enjoy <3

  • Leni K.
    May. 24, 2021

    Weston Bend State Park Campground

    Okay Campground for Tenting

    Campground is great overall, with a walkable trail just past the showers, clean restrooms and easy to access sites. There are only 3 basic tent sites, making it hard to nab. #4 had a decent amount of privacy, however most other electric sites do not. As an electric site, there was not a lot of ground space for tents, we settled on gravel with reflectix to buffer the ground. Check in was easy, and in walking distance. Site was pretty noisy, even after hours, a few kids running around with speakers on blast definitely were less than optimal.

  • Lady Phyre  ☆.The Dyrt PRO User
    Jul. 4, 2025

    Pony Express Lake Conservation Area

    Pony Express is amazing!

    You can camp in one of several little inlets and nooks. It's a Fish & Game preserve with camping and fishing spots all around the lake. Many with picnic tables and most with vault toilets. It's on my top 10 list of best primitive/dispersed camping locations. Only con is the vault toilet at the inlet I camped in. It was unusable with fetus nearly to the top. I think some unscrupulous person put trash in it then other used it probably without knowing. Very bad etiquette! Be sure to bring your own camping toilet and/or check the vault toilet before setting up. I didn't see very many RVs but several vans, trucks, and cars were there. The wildlife is predominantly water fowl.

  • R
    Aug. 3, 2016

    Wallace State Park Campground

    Wallace State Park in Cameron, MO

    There are mixed RV and tent camping sites, including primitive and walk in sites. You can get water and electric at most sites. Each campground has an iron fire ring with a grill attached.

    There are nice hiking trails. Trails are well marked. There three levels to choose from based on distance.

    There is also a small lake to fish or swim in. The lake for it's size, had some nice fish.

    The community shower and bathroom houses are not air conditioned. The floors are slab cement, but the park staff clean them daily.

    Overall, I think that campgrounds are decent.

  • P
    Oct. 23, 2018

    Pony Express Lake Conservation Area

    Small campground, free, on the lake.

    It's in the Conservation Area of Missouri on Pony Express Lake. Easy to get to. Gravel road to the camp areas. Very small. Only 7 or 8 sites. We had a van. There was an RV there and a tenter. Picnic table and fire ring. There is a boat landing further down the gravel road past the campground, different finger of the lake. Fishing. Pit toilet, no water or hook ups for RVs. Very quiet place and of course, you can't beat free!

  • J
    Jul. 15, 2020

    Crow's Creek Campground

    One of the best!

    We camped here in June 2020.  We had a nice RV site with electric.  The best part is the view of and access to the lake! So beautiful and relaxing.  We had a nice gravel site with fire ring and picnic table. We could walk right down a grassy hill to the trail along the lake.  We had lots of grassy space around us to set up and play yard games. Trails and roads within the campsite are paved, so it's great for bikes and scooters.  Grounds are well maintained and grassy areas feel fine to walk through and play in.  Nearby area beaches to play at, a playground, and a short drive to stores to get anything we forgot! We love this beautiful place and will return!

    Cons: the full hookup sites don't have a view of the lake. This is why we chose an electric only site and used a spigot in the campsite to fill our tank.

  • Amanda M.
    Sep. 14, 2020

    Camp Branch Campground

    good pricing, great location, awful website

    We booked a site along with a couple of family members and the website for this park is ancient. Couldn't get anything booked online because the website wouldn't cooperate, save yourself time and just call the campground once you've looked at the map and chosen where in general you want to camp at. 

    Tent sites are okay sized, and many are close to the water. Not a lot of trees for shade, so bring a shelter for some relief from the sun. 

    The camp store sells wood and everyone was extremely friendly. There's a swimming beach nearby that you will have to drive to but it is included in the stay! No alcohol is allowed at the beach.


Guide to Lathrop

Tent campsites near Lathrop, Missouri include several primitive options in north-central Missouri's rolling hills and farmland region. The area experiences hot, humid summers with temperatures averaging 85-90°F and cold winters with occasional snow. Camping conditions vary seasonally, with spring often bringing muddy access roads to conservation areas, while fall offers more stable ground conditions and cooler temperatures.

What to do

Fishing opportunities: Hamilton City Lake provides direct lakeside camping with excellent fishing access. One visitor reported, "We were able to fish right from our spot and caught some bluegill and a big crappie. Another visitor reeled in a bass. We also saw several turtles swimming around, which was a nice bonus."

Hunting seasons: Bonanza Conservation Area becomes particularly active during hunting seasons. A reviewer warned, "Deer hunting camp. Lots of city hunters with NO CONCEPT of safety during hunting." Visitors should wear high-visibility clothing during hunting seasons and be aware of increased activity.

Stargazing: The minimal light pollution at rural conservation areas creates good night sky viewing conditions. At Honey Grove Campground, one camper noted, "The stars and beautiful weather seriously enhanced it like none other! The campground really felt comfortable and my whole family really enjoyed our stay!"

What campers like

Privacy and solitude: Many camping areas around Lathrop offer uncrowded conditions. As one visitor to Hamilton City Lake mentioned, "We had plenty of room to spread out without worrying about noisy neighbors—it wasn't crowded at all, and we were the only campers overnight."

Cost-free options: Several conservation areas provide no-fee camping opportunities. Bonanza Conservation Area receives praise for this aspect, with a camper noting, "Awesome free camping in Northern Missouri... Multiple campsites available along the highway, but the marked site is one of the best, right by a great fishing lake."

Natural settings: Agency Conservation Area offers shaded areas, though limited in size. A visitor described, "This area has a small (~1/8 of an acre maybe) gravel pullout off the dirt road where the iconic brown fish and wildlife area guidelines and regulation signage are posted... it did have tree coverage for shade!"

What you should know

Limited space at some locations: Agency Conservation Area has minimal camping space. A reviewer reported, "Super small gravel parking lot. Moving to different site." Arrive early during peak seasons to secure a spot.

Designated camping areas only: Bonanza Conservation Area strictly enforces camping location rules. One camper warned, "It is against their rules to camp anywhere but on a gravelly parking lot. We camped just off the road and got a citation. It's not really disbursed camping."

Operating hours: Some conservation areas have restricted hours. At Agency Conservation Area, a visitor discovered, "I guess the area is closed 10pm to 4 am." Check regulations posted at entrances before setting up camp.

Road access considerations: Many sites remain accessible without four-wheel drive most of the year. A camper at Agency Conservation Area stated, "Getting here was easy (Jeep Wrangler + square back pull behind) and the roads leading to the CA were well maintained and not muddy even after a ton of rain earlier in the week."

Tips for camping with families

Campfire opportunities: Tent Sites at Milo Farm provides designated fire rings and sells firewood on site, eliminating the need to bring your own supplies. This setup makes evening campfires more convenient for families with children.

Weather preparation: Summer months bring high humidity and temperatures frequently exceeding 85°F. Pack extra water and portable fans for tent camping during June through August.

Wildlife awareness: Conservation areas contain various wildlife including ticks and snakes. One Agency Conservation Area visitor advised, "We didn't feel safe exploring it to see if there was any potential back there (its tick and snake season here right now)." Bring insect repellent containing DEET and check children regularly for ticks.

Tips from RVers

Size limitations: Most tent campgrounds near Lathrop cannot accommodate large RVs. Riverfront Camping Club provides smaller RV sites with 30-amp electric hookups and water access for modest-sized campers, though sites fill quickly during summer weekends.

Limited services: No full-hookup options exist in the immediate Lathrop area. RVers should arrive with full water tanks and empty waste tanks, as dump stations are not available at most conservation areas.

Seasonal access: Spring rains often create muddy conditions on conservation area access roads. Consider camping between late May and October for more stable ground conditions if bringing a camper or small trailer.

Frequently Asked Questions

Which is the most popular tent campsite near Lathrop, MO?

According to TheDyrt.com, the most popular tent campground near Lathrop, MO is Bonanza Conservation Area with a 3.7-star rating from 3 reviews.

What is the best site to find tent camping near Lathrop, MO?

TheDyrt.com has all 6 tent camping locations near Lathrop, MO, with real photos and reviews from campers.