Best Dog-Friendly Camping near Lawson, MO

Watkins Mill State Park Campground provides a wooded, pet-friendly environment with spacious campsites that include fire pits with attached grill grates. The park features electric hookups at all sites, clean shower facilities, and designated pet areas throughout the grounds. Multiple campground loops accommodate tents, RVs, and glamping setups with sufficient shade at most sites. All campsites include picnic tables and fire rings, with pets allowed throughout the camping areas when properly leashed. The paved 3.75-mile walking trail around the lake offers excellent opportunities for exercising dogs. Campground hosts maintain clean facilities and are helpful with pet-related questions. The bathrooms and shower houses are well-maintained with warm water available.

Dogs enjoy access to the lakeside areas and paved pathways throughout the park, though pets must remain on leashes no longer than six feet at all times. The park's proximity to Kansas City (about 30 minutes north via I-35) makes it convenient for weekend trips with pets. While swimming in the lake is occasionally restricted due to bacteria levels, dogs can still enjoy shoreline access in designated areas. Nearby Crooked River Conservation Area offers more primitive camping with fewer restrictions for pets that prefer exploring natural settings. The park's historical features, including the woolen mill with live chickens and sheep, add interest for campers, though pets are not permitted inside historical buildings. Park staff enforce pet policies to ensure all visitors have a positive experience, with quiet hours helping manage barking and other noise issues.

Best Dog-Friendly Sites Near Lawson, Missouri (58)

    1. Watkins Mill State Park Campground

    34 Reviews
    Excelsior Springs, MO
    4 miles
    Website
    +1 (816) 580-3387

    $12 - $42 / night

    "The only downside is that the spots, while larger, are fairly open (in the area around 92). I prefer a spot that has a tucked away fire pit and table, but this worked OK for us."

    "Watkins mill SP is located a short distance from Kansas City off I-35 near Kearney. The park has a large lake that you can fish and boat as well as multiple hiking options."

    2. Wallace State Park Campground

    33 Reviews
    Cameron, MO
    16 miles
    Website
    +1 (816) 632-3745

    "Great MO state park, close to the city with easy access to 35 N. Trails, lakes, camping, great spot! If you don’t want/need electric, try campground 1, the spots are tucked into the trees."

    "Not far off of RT 36 going East through Missouri. Cost only $13 with hot showers. Nice campsite with table and fire pit. The night of our stay the ranger did a naturalist talk about stream life."

    3. Crooked River Conservation Area

    3 Reviews
    Lawson, MO
    8 miles
    Website
    +1 (660) 646-6122

    4. Blue Springs Lake Campground

    46 Reviews
    Blue Springs, MO
    30 miles
    Website
    +1 (816) 503-4805

    $33 - $48 / night

    "The sites were well situated such that you felt you had plenty of privacy."

    "If you’re wanting to camp where you are close to city amenities, this is the spot for you. My husband, our dog and I camped in one of the tent spots, but there were mostly RV’s around us."

    5. Lakeview Campground and RV Park

    1 Review
    Lawson, MO
    1 mile
    Website
    +1 (816) 848-4018

    $10 - $40 / night

    6. Campus RV Park

    14 Reviews
    Independence, MO
    27 miles
    Website
    +1 (816) 254-1815

    $35 - $55 / night

    "Friendly greeter cat"

    "The RV park is really close to downtown Independence, Missouri and has everything we needed for the night."

    7. Weston Bend State Park Campground

    36 Reviews
    Weston, MO
    35 miles
    Website
    +1 (816) 640-5443

    $12 - $48 / night

    "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."

    "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"

    8. Worlds of Fun Village

    8 Reviews
    Randolph, MO
    23 miles
    Website
    +1 (816) 454-4545

    $300 / night

    "Easy walk to Worlds of Fun and Oceans of Fun, with some back-in sites offering tremendous views of downtown KC. "

    "Built on a hillside adjacent to the amusement and water park. The camp ground pool is huge and fun for the kids on non park days."

    9. Kansas City East-Oak Grove KOA

    20 Reviews
    Oak Grove, MO
    29 miles
    Website
    +1 (816) 690-6660

    $45 - $130 / night

    "Easy access to Interstate and pull through sites were long enough for our truck and 32’ trailer without having to unhitch. Stayed just one night as we passed through."

    "Decent KOA off the highway in a neighborhood. Sites are close together with some shaded."

    10. Pony Express Lake Conservation Area

    13 Reviews
    Cameron, MO
    27 miles
    Website
    +1 (816) 675-2205

    "We ran into a local and he told us about a spot on the east side of the lake. An old boy scout camp. It wasn’t maintained but there was nobody there."

    "It's a Fish & Game preserve with camping and fishing spots all around the lake. Many with picnic tables and most with vault toilets."

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Dog-Friendly Camping Reviews near Lawson, MO

456 Reviews of 58 Lawson Campgrounds


  • MThe Dyrt PRO User
    Aug. 12, 2024

    Great Escape RV Park & Campground

    Nice for overnight

    Just stopped for one night on our way east. Friendly host checked us in. Nice dog park with bench and shade. All sites are FHU. They offered to move us to a pull thru, but I picked our site based on proximity to the dog park, so I declined the move. We were in site 38, back-in 30 amp. Sites are a bit tight but no one next door so ok. I recommend for a stopover. Less fancy but nicer for dogs imo than Owl Creek which is one exit away. There is a pond for fishing (no license required) and a swimming pool.

  • 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.

  • Roy T.
    Sep. 28, 2018

    Kansas City East-Oak Grove KOA

    Great overnight

    Easy access to Interstate and pull through sites were long enough for our truck and 32’ trailer without having to unhitch. Stayed just one night as we passed through. Looked like it would be a good place to stay for multiple nights.

    Clean campground. Nice grounds. Two good fenced dog parks.

    Only negatives were our hookups were literally in the next site next to their table, and their fire ring was very close to our trailer.

  • Joel R.The Dyrt PRO User
    Oct. 16, 2018

    Kansas City East-Oak Grove KOA

    Ok for a stopover

    Stayed one night at the KOA in Oak Grove, just east of Kansas City. The sites were all sunny and since it was 100 degrees, it was hot. But the pool was nice and they had a nice dog park which was ok in the evening after it cooled off. Close to KC so we could drive in for BBQ.

  • 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.

  • 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!

  • 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.

  • Cher C.
    Jun. 20, 2022

    Owl Creek Market and RV Park

    Great Spot

    This campground has immaculate ground. All sites are pretty much gravel, but 'new' gravel & level. Pool very clean. Laundry 24/7 CLEAN!! SHOWERS EVEN CLEANER!! They have a Dutch Mkt here as well in front at ck-in that's awesome!! Everything you could imagine. 100 different cheeses even! I'd stay here again for sure. Dog Park; Trash P/U too!


Guide to Lawson

Watkins Mill State Park Campground accommodates pets throughout its shaded, wooded campsites where all spots have fire pits and picnic tables. Crooked River Conservation Area offers free dispersed camping for pet owners seeking a more primitive experience, while Wallace State Park and Weston Bend State Park maintain pet-friendly policies with electric hookups and reservable sites. Most campgrounds require pets to remain leashed when outside vehicles or tents. Both tent campers and RV travelers find suitable pet-friendly options, with several parks offering showers and clean restroom facilities that park hosts maintain regularly between visitors. The Lakeview Campground and RV Park provides water views alongside their pet-friendly sites, though campground reviews note the sites are positioned quite close together.

The 3.75-mile paved trail circling Watkins Mill Lake provides ideal dog walking opportunities with lake views throughout. Trails remain accessible year-round, though summer visitors should monitor lake conditions as swimming areas occasionally close due to bacteria levels. Most camping areas provide trash receptacles for proper disposal of pet waste. When temperatures rise in summer months, the abundant shade at Watkins Mill and Wallace State Park offers protection for pets. The Worlds of Fun Village offers pet-friendly cabin options for those seeking alternatives to tent or RV camping. Nearby Pony Express Lake Conservation Area provides additional pet-friendly sites with free camping options. The campgrounds closest to Lawson maintain clean shower facilities and restrooms, important for longer stays with pets during warmer weather.

Frequently Asked Questions

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

According to TheDyrt.com, the most popular dog-friendly campground near Lawson, MO is Watkins Mill State Park Campground with a 4.5-star rating from 34 reviews.

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

TheDyrt.com has all 58 dog-friendly camping locations near Lawson, MO, with real photos and reviews from campers.