Best Dog-Friendly Camping near Smithville, MO

Weston Bend State Park Campground welcomes dogs throughout its shaded camping area with sites spaced generously apart for privacy. Dogs must remain leashed in camping areas but can run freely in the park's dedicated dog park featuring three separate fenced sections with water stations for thirsty pets. Watkins Mill State Park Campground and Basswood Country RV Resort also accommodate pets with designated pet-friendly tent sites, RV hookups, and cabins. Campground hosts at these locations ensure pet owners maintain clean facilities by properly disposing of waste. Sites at Weston Bend feature blacktop pads and clean shower facilities, while Basswood provides lake access where dogs can cool off during summer months. Campsites remain exceptionally clean at these locations, with park hosts regularly checking in with pet owners to ensure compliance with pet policies.

Hiking trails throughout these campgrounds provide excellent exercise opportunities for dogs, with Weston Bend offering scenic overlook trails and paths leading down to the river where leashed pets can explore. During summer months when temperatures reach 90-100 degrees, shaded campsites become essential for preventing pet overheating, and early morning or evening walks are recommended. Both campgrounds maintain quiet hours that apply to barking dogs. Nearby towns provide emergency veterinary services, with Weston's historic downtown just minutes away offering pet-friendly outdoor dining options. The campgrounds' proximity to Kansas City (approximately 20 miles) makes these locations convenient weekend getaways for urban dog owners seeking nature without lengthy travel. Campground sites typically cost $15-25 per night depending on hookup options, with no additional pet fees mentioned at state park locations.

2025 Detourist Giveaway

Review Campgrounds. Win Prizes.

Enter to Win

Best Dog-Friendly Sites Near Smithville, Missouri (66)

    1. Weston Bend State Park Campground

    34 Reviews
    Weston, MO
    15 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"

    2. Watkins Mill State Park Campground

    34 Reviews
    Excelsior Springs, MO
    17 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."

    3. Basswood Country RV Resort

    12 Reviews
    Platte City, MO
    7 miles
    Website
    +1 (816) 858-5556

    $56 - $59 / night

    "It's located 20 miles north of Kansas City and had full hookups, and even wifi and cable. It was beautiful and well kept. We were lucky enough to get a site across from one of its 5 small lakes."

    "The only two things I wasn’t expecting were: 1. it’s pretty close to the airport, but you don’t notice the planes except when you’re outside; 2. the sites (except premium ones) are pretty close together"

    4. Worlds of Fun Village

    8 Reviews
    Randolph, MO
    16 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."

    5. Wallace State Park Campground

    33 Reviews
    Cameron, MO
    27 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."

    6. Blue Springs Lake Campground

    44 Reviews
    Blue Springs, MO
    29 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."

    7. Campus RV Park

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

    $37 - $48 / night

    "Friendly greeter cat"

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

    8. Millers Kampark

    2 Reviews
    Liberty, MO
    12 miles
    Website
    +1 (816) 781-7724

    "The sites aren't very big but there's tons to do around here. Seems safe and no riff raff. You are behind a lowes that's blocked by tree line but you hear the loud speaker."

    9. Riverfront Park Campground

    5 Reviews
    Leavenworth, KS
    18 miles
    Website
    +1 (913) 290-0034

    $15 / night

    "The lakeside spots are definitely the way to go at this campground, bathrooms were very clean aswell"

    "You have to cross train tracks to get there and the campsites are right next to it. The train came through 3 times through the night and 5 more times while making breakfast."

    10. Walnut Grove RV Park

    14 Reviews
    Mission, KS
    27 miles
    Website
    +1 (913) 262-3023

    $62 - $131 / night

    "We made a last minute decision and decided to stay somewhere near KC after a long cross country trip."

    "Pet friendly and close to KC shops and stores"

Show More
Showing results 1-10 of 66 campgrounds

2025 Detourist Giveaway

Review Campgrounds. Win Prizes.

Enter to Win


Dog-Friendly Camping Reviews near Smithville, MO

498 Reviews of 66 Smithville Campgrounds


  • J
    Mar. 28, 2021

    Smiths Fork Recreation Area Camping

    Closed.....

    After going around for almost 1.5 hrs from Smithville due to all the road closures, we finally got to the lake but all the campsites were out of commission to include the visitor's center and the roads were closed. We had to turn back unfortunately.

  • J
    Mar. 28, 2021

    Crow's Creek Campground

    Not open

    After going around for almost 1.5 hrs from Smithville due to all the road closures, we finally got to the lake but all the campsites were out of commission to include the visitor's center and the roads were closed. We had to turn back unfortunately.

  • 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.

  • 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!

  • 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.

  • 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.

  • 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.


Guide to Smithville

Discover the best spots for pets-allowed camping near Smithville, Missouri, where you and your furry friends can enjoy the great outdoors together.

Tips for camping with dogs near Smithville

  • Ensure your pet is comfortable with the camping environment by bringing familiar items like their bed or favorite toys.
  • Keep your dog leashed at all times, especially in campgrounds like Watkins Mill State Park Campground, which welcomes pets and offers spacious sites.
  • Always clean up after your pet to maintain the cleanliness of the campground, a practice appreciated by fellow campers at Weston Bend State Park Campground.

Pet-friendly campgrounds include

Dog-friendly activities while camping near Smithville

Frequently Asked Questions

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

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

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

TheDyrt.com has all 66 dog-friendly camping locations near Smithville, MO, with real photos and reviews from campers.