Best Equestrian Camping near Nelson, MO

First off there is camping here!!!! This Missouri Conservation area is a Swiss Army knife of rugged of the path camping. Rivers, Lakes, Gun range, Horses and hiking can all be enjoyed here. First come first serve basic camp area on the river. It has 1 fire ring in a gravel turnaround. Don’t let this fool you. This area has an abundance of wildlife equestrian trails and hiking. Getting too hot paddle on the lake located on the left Forck after entering. The area has a handgun, and rifle range with vault toilets. The pictures speak for themselves. Love this spot and will be planning another trip soon.

A rainy weekend didn't deter campers from spending the holiday weekend here at Finger Lakes State Park. I was lucky enough to get a site for a single night when rain was in the forecast. The campground is laid out in a series of small loops, with some loops in open grassy areas and others tucked into the trees. I had my pick between a site in either situation and so I picked the trees to get some shade. Sites are fairly close together, so you will get to know your neighbors. There is one nice and modern bathhouse with showers on one side and bathrooms on the other. It was very clean and well maintained, and they are in the process of putting in an additional concrete walkway. Over in the grassy loop there was an additional basic bathroom. 

There is lots to do in this park if you are into canoeing/kayaking or ORVing as there are several marked trails for both. If you are a hiker, welllllll, not as much available here. There is a nice mountain biking and hiking trail, but you can still hear all of the ORV's running the many trails specific to ORVing. There is also a Motocross track with nice stands if you like to watch. Canoes and kayaks are available for rent (stop by and see the rangers near the entrance) and there are a couple of marked trails to take you from lake to lake.

This was a good stopover site on our journey. The campground reps were kind and great to work with. The registration online was seamless. We submitted an inquiry online, they replied within a day with the invoice to confirm our site and sent us confirmation details via email. Checkin was simple. The lots felt a bit tight but no big deal since it was just a stopover. It appeared there may be permanent residents who stay so if you’re looking for that, it might be an option based on the setups and work trucks parked at a few. Everyone was friendly, quiet and seemed to keep to themselves. Nice pond onsite that you can fish. We didn’t explore the grounds much but apparently we could’ve walked and seen the horses by the resort. The only thing I didn’t love was the gravel road all the way in. Our truck and camper was covered with gravel dust. So if you had anything exposed, it’ll get a bit dusty. But again overall a nice stopover and the employees were great to work with.

Knob Noster State Park is close to Whiteman AFB and towns nearby for amenities. The park is clean and quiet. Weekends often mean a nearly full campground so make sure to reserve ahead! Weekdays there are few campers. The park is well shaded and it includes primitive and electric sites with water pumps within easy access to all sites. There are two sets of campground bathrooms—one is near the front and is brand new (2018); the other bathrooms are half way to the back of the campground. A dump station is at the front of the campground with a pull through drive. Ice, small grocery items and items are all available for purchase from the camp host. You can also rent kayaks either hourly or by the half or full day. There are lots of great trails for hiking, weekend park programs at the campground amphitheater, a playground and basketball courts. There is no WiFi in this park yet but I hear it’s coming soon. This is a great little park!!