Best Tent Camping near Liberty, MO

Tent campsites near Liberty, Missouri offer several basic options for outdoor recreation. Hamilton City Lake provides free dispersed camping with shaded sites directly adjacent to the water. Bonanza Conservation Area and Agency Conservation Area also offer primitive tent camping opportunities within driving distance of Liberty, though amenities are minimal at these locations.

Tent camping in this region typically involves gravel parking areas designated for overnight use. At Agency Conservation Area, camping is restricted to a small gravel pullout area with regulations posted on standard conservation area signage. According to one visitor, "This area has a small gravel pullout off the dirt road where the iconic brown fish and wildlife area guidelines are posted." Most conservation areas enforce quiet hours, with Agency Conservation Area closed between 10 pm and 4 am. Campers should note that many locations prohibit camping beyond designated areas, as one camper at Bonanza Conservation Area received a citation for setting up just off the road.

The tent camping experience varies across locations. Hamilton City Lake offers peaceful waterfront sites with good fishing opportunities and natural shade. A camper noted that "there are two known dispersed sites, and while they're basic, they're free and offer a great natural setting." The lake provides fishing for bluegill, crappie, and bass directly from campsites. Bonanza Conservation Area features multiple campsites along the highway with access to a fishing lake, though the area becomes busy during hunting seasons. Walk-in tent sites at Milo Farm provide an alternative to conservation area camping, with 22 designated tent sites and amenities including drinking water, picnic tables, and permission for campfires, though these sites are not free.

Best Tent Sites Near Liberty, Missouri (7)

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Recent Tent Camping Photos near Liberty, MO

5 Photos of 7 Liberty Campgrounds


Tent Camping Reviews near Liberty, MO

445 Reviews of 7 Liberty 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

  • 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.

  • 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.

  • 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 Liberty

Tent campsites near Liberty, Missouri provide access to the rolling hills and woodland areas of northwest Missouri. The camping areas encompass small conservation properties with varied terrain and seasonal water levels. Several locations maintain specific regulations about designated camping areas and time restrictions that campers must follow.

What to do

**Fishing opportunities: Hamilton City Lake offers direct waterfront access with multiple fish species. According to one camper, "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."

**Seasonal hunting: Bonanza Conservation Area becomes particularly active during deer season. A visitor notes, "Deer hunting camp. Lots of city hunters with NO CONCEPT of safety during hunting."

**Nature observation: Conservation areas near Liberty feature diverse wildlife habitats. A camper at Agency Conservation Area mentioned, "The surrounding area of the conservation plot looked to have some trails and some creek features but no prime camping spots."

What campers like

**Quiet atmosphere: Secluded spots away from crowds appeal to many visitors. One camper at Hamilton City Lake reported, "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."

**Free accommodations: Conservation areas provide no-cost camping options. At Bonanza Conservation Area, a visitor appreciated the "Awesome free camping in Northern Missouri" and noted there are "Multiple campsites available along the highway, but the marked site is one of the best, right by a great fishing lake."

**Natural shade: Tree cover makes summer camping more comfortable. A Hamilton City Lake visitor mentioned, "The site is shaded with lots of trees, which helped keep things cool, and it's right next to the lake."

What you should know

**Designated areas only: Conservation areas strictly enforce camping boundaries. A Bonanza Conservation Area 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."

**Limited facilities: Most locations offer minimal amenities. At Agency Conservation Area, a reviewer observed, "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 per ushe in Missouri."

**Site availability: Tent Sites at Milo Farm provides 22 designated tent sites with more structured camping compared to conservation areas, including permitted fires and picnic tables.

Tips for camping with families

**Road noise considerations: Some sites have proximity to highways. A Hamilton City Lake visitor noted, "The site is fairly close to Highway 36, so you can hear some road noise. Still, the tranquility of the spot overall and the lack of campground crowding more than made up for it."

**Limited space awareness: Plan accordingly for small camping areas. At Agency Conservation Area, a camper advised, "I'd recommend this site for someone passing through just looking for a free, quiet spot to boondock for the night safely because the gravel parking lot is all you get."

**Time restrictions: Check operating hours before arriving. A visitor to Riverfront Camping Club mentioned they provide more structured camping with drinking water and electric hookups if conservation area hours prove challenging.

Tips from RVers

**Access conditions: Some conservation areas have rugged entry points. An Agency Conservation Area visitor shared, "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."

**Seasonal consideration: Hunting seasons affect campground atmosphere. A Bonanza Conservation Area camper advised, "Used to stay here as a kid during deer season, recently came back to it to explore some more."

**Alternative options: For RVers needing hookups, Rabbit Ridge Primitive Campground in nearby Kansas offers electric, water, and sewer connections for those willing to drive further from Liberty.

Frequently Asked Questions

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

According to TheDyrt.com, the most popular tent campground near Liberty, MO is Tent Sites at Milo Farm with a 0-star rating from 0 reviews.

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

TheDyrt.com has all 7 tent camping locations near Liberty, MO, with real photos and reviews from campers.