Looking for the best campgrounds near Watson, MO? There are tons of hikes and other fun activities to partake in. Experience some of the most stunning views that Missouri camping has to offer. Search nearby campsites and find top-rated spots from other campers.
Indian Cave State Park offers campers Electric Plus, Electric, Basic and Equestrian Basic campsites. Hackberry Hollow campground has 32 Electric Plus and 15 Electric pad sites. Campers will enjoy an array of amenities including showers, modern restrooms, laundry facility and a dump and fill station, as well as picnic tables and grills.
$15 - $30 / night
Indian Cave State Park offers campers Electric Plus, Electric, Basic and Equestrian Basic campsites. Ash Grove campground has 51 Electric Plus and 36 Electric campsites. Campers will enjoy an array of amenities including showers, modern restrooms, laundry facility and a dump and fill station, as well as picnic tables and grills.
$15 - $30 / night
As a site on the Lewis and Clark Historic Trail, Waubonsie State Park in southwest Iowa is known for its exceptional vistas of Iowa’s unique Loess Hills and the Nebraska plains. Its extensive trail system offers something for the avid mountain biker, equestrians looking for a relaxing ride, or anyone eager to hike amongst the tranquil surroundings of the park’s ridgetop prairies and shaded woodland valleys. With nearly 2,000 acres of recreational opportunity and quiet beauty, Waubonsie State Park is an Iowa gem waiting to be explored.
Stay overnight in one of eight cabins at Waubonsie, some featuring fireplaces and year-round accommodations. The park also contains a modern campground with non-electric and electric campsites, modern showers, restrooms, and a sanitary dump station. The more primitive equestrian campground contains non-electric sites with hitching rails, pens, and pit vault toilets. Cabin and campsite reservations can be made through the online reservation system for Waubonsie State Park.
Opened in the spring of 2018, Duck Creek Recreation Area is the District’s fifth public recreation area featuring a 62-acre lake approximately 5 miles northwest of Peru, Nebraska, in Nemaha County. The park encompasses about 200 acres.
Camping: (no reservations; all first-come, first-served) Tent camping (no fee)
RV camping 28 pads w/electrical hookups @ $16/night, cash or check only (all pads have 50 amp service)-first come, first served
"Reserving" campsites is prohibited Only RVs/campers allowed on campsites; must be attended (see rules for more information) No dump station or water hookups Drinking water (hydrants)
$27 / night
Platte River State Park is nestled halfway between Nebraska’s two largest cities – and makes a great place for camping near Omaha. Before it was a state park it was two separate camps – Harriet Harding Campfire Girls Camp and Camp Esther K. Newman – and a tract of woodlands. The charming, vintage cabins that once housed campers today provide cozy accommodations while the gorgeous new glamping cabins offer a luxurious yet nature-immersive experience. Other popular draws are the park’s picturesque waterfall, spray park, scenic hiking and biking trails and two observation towers that allow those who climb to the top a spectacular view of the Platte River Basin.
$10 - $165 / night
Encompassing 192 acres, Louisville State Recreation Area boasts five sandpit lakes with approximately 50 surface acres of water. Surrounded by towering cottonwood trees, this inviting area offers picnicking, swimming, fishing, non-power boating, canoe access to the Platte River and a brand new floating playground. Paddle board, water bike and kayak rentals are also available. These amenities, along with the area’s close proximity to Platte River, Mahoney state parks and Schramm Park State Recreation Area and Education Center, have made Louisville SRA a favorite spot among outdoor enthusiasts in the eastern part of the state.
Camping reservations are available on half of Louisville SRA campsites.
Louisville State Recreation Area offers campers Electric Plus, Electric and Basic campsites and is very popular with campers with 223 camping pads with 20-, 30- and 50-amp electrical hookups, as well as Basic campsites without electricity. Other amenities include shower facility and modern restrooms. Campers also have access to drinking water and a dump and fill station and a playground for children.
Lousiville State Recreation Area offers canoe access to the Platte River, as well as a special canoe campsite on the river.
$10 - $35 / night
Indian Cave State Park offers campers Electric Plus, Electric, Basic and Equestrian Basic campsites. Hackberry Hollow campground has 32 Electric Plus and 15 Electric pad sites. Campers will enjoy an array of amenities including showers, modern restrooms, laundry facility and a dump and fill station, as well as picnic tables and grills.
$15 - $30 / night
Indian Cave State Park offers campers Electric Plus, Electric, Basic and Equestrian Basic campsites. Ash Grove campground has 51 Electric Plus and 36 Electric campsites. Campers will enjoy an array of amenities including showers, modern restrooms, laundry facility and a dump and fill station, as well as picnic tables and grills.
$15 - $30 / night
As a site on the Lewis and Clark Historic Trail, Waubonsie State Park in southwest Iowa is known for its exceptional vistas of Iowa’s unique Loess Hills and the Nebraska plains. Its extensive trail system offers something for the avid mountain biker, equestrians looking for a relaxing ride, or anyone eager to hike amongst the tranquil surroundings of the park’s ridgetop prairies and shaded woodland valleys. With nearly 2,000 acres of recreational opportunity and quiet beauty, Waubonsie State Park is an Iowa gem waiting to be explored.
Stay overnight in one of eight cabins at Waubonsie, some featuring fireplaces and year-round accommodations. The park also contains a modern campground with non-electric and electric campsites, modern showers, restrooms, and a sanitary dump station. The more primitive equestrian campground contains non-electric sites with hitching rails, pens, and pit vault toilets. Cabin and campsite reservations can be made through the online reservation system for Waubonsie State Park.
Traveler
Had a great night here, the area is beautiful. Had to stop to admire the corn fields in the sunrise on the way out. Owner is lovely and kind. Electrical amenities are prime for anyone with an RV, but as a tent camper, I enjoyed our stay!
Traveler
We stayed here so that we would be within walking distance of Brownville. It took a while to figure out how to make a reservation (you call the River Inn Resort). When I made the reservation, I was told there is no electricity, which is fine since we have solar. However, we were not told there are no tables, or fire rings... there pretty much isn't anything other than land. The land that is there is pretty rough as well. There were very large burs of some sort throughout the grassy areas, which made it difficult for our dog to go anywhere during our trip. There were also an unbelievable amount of gnats, but that is probably due to the proximity to the river. The people at the River Inn Resort, where you check in, were friendly and helpful. However, we would not stay here again.
Scout
We stayed the first week in October. We were the only campers in the campground. We found 30 and 50 amp power pedestals. We stayed beside a pavilion with a water hydrant. The pavilion has several picnic tables and 20 amp outlets. It's in a treed area with a nice playground. The whole area is very flat. Leveling was a breeze. The entrance was a little bit confusing. There is a pay box at the edge of the parking box. The bathrooms were locked, but being self contained, we wouldn't have used them. I'm sure we will be staying here again.
Scout
Call me when you get on Hwy 67. You’ll be 4 miles from us. We arrived in the area, and she greets us with a smile and welcomes us to “R U LOST- RV lots. She shows us our campsite, lets us set-up then we pay for our nights. Then we talk about the rules, talk about the under ground shelter, vegetable garden looks delicious and “you can have as much as you want, just leave me one!” The flower (prayer) garden smells so beautiful, the colors are amazing and it lights up at night. This year is an Outage shut down so the Campsite and others around the plant is very minimal. You need to call if anything is open for your stay. The outage (Nuclear shut down) happens every two years. Right now all campsites except (Indian Cave state park) should be open, but call them to check. Very pleasant place! Shade! Very nice place!!
Scout
It seems like a bad place to park for the night; sign says area closed 10pm-4am, so camping of any kind seems unallowed.
Guide
I believe I counted 4 total campsites at this place, I was the only one here towards the end of September on a Thursday night.
It is close to the highway and you can certainly hear it but it didn’t bother me, it’s kinda handy to have a place close to the highway when you’re just stopping for the night.
Single vault style toilet. There is a dumpster also.
Traveler
We didn’t get to see the camp area as it was closed for hunting season.
Scout
If you don’t mind lugging your stuff to your tent spot, it’s primitive, no frills camping at its finest! We chose the closest spot to the vault toilets. There are only 4. It’s a bit off the beaten path but we got to enjoy the beautiful horses. Bonus!
Legend
Stayed one night on Sept 4. Camped at site 35 in the non-equestrian campground; non-electric fee $15. Parked van on the grass at this site. Like nearly all of the sites in this campground, this site was close to the campground road. Overall, I felt that the campsites were all bunched together - offering no privacy and spacing between sites. The shower house was closed during our visit. Water was also turned off at the wayer pumps in the campground. There was one single vault toilet available for all of the campers; it was reasonably clean. Wayne, the campground host, was nice & helpful. There is a self-serve firewood station in the campground; cost is either $5 or $10, depending on the amount of wood you purchase. The campsites have a picnic table & metal fire ring. I wasn't too pleased with this campground, but I was very happy with the nearby hiking trails within the park. It's a pretty state park with hills & lush forest. The day use areas looked great. I recommend those traveling along I-29 to stop at this park - not necessarily for the camping, but for the hiking. Had some T-Mobile 4G service.
TravelerThis park was a great place to head to and unplug for a weekend. We camped in the area without hookups, so we pretty much had that area to ourselves. The area with hookups was somewhat crowded. The bathrooms and shower were clean. Water is easily accessible. The park is small, and we didn't find much to do other than a few hikes.
There are signs in the bathrooms warning of the raccoons. These signs are not exaggerating. We had a raccoon at our campsite trying to steal our food while we were there, like the raccoon was less than 10 feet from humans during mid-day.
Traveler
Great view, large spot, dog friendly and owners were great
Scout
We arrived later in the day finding our spot was easy. The camp ground staff were very nice and friendly. The grounds were beautifully groomed. They amenities such as showers and bathrooms were clean and decorated cute. It was quiet and relaxing. We were able to get a good nights rest before hitting the road again. We would highly recommend.
Guide
Good for families or a solo cowboy. Well maintained, water is a available, and clean bathrooms that smell good. Nice picnic areas. Primitive tent sites and RV sites with electrical hookups. First come, first serve.
Guide
I saw that their hiking trails were challenging. I got two dogs and love a challenge. The views the scenory made you feel like you got away from civilization.
A place where their is things to see and do. A must go.
Scout
Do not pay Dyrt to use this campground. They are not affiliated.
GuideI work close to this park and watched as the town was making progress in restoring it to a nice campsite. With some covered picnic benches, leveled and mowed campsites, etc….
Unfortunately, the river has flooded it out as of June 28, 2024 and it will likely be unusable for at least the remainder of this season. There also are a number of large pieces of industrial equipment that are staged in part of the park that will likely not be moved until fall.
It’s a shame as the remediation from the 2019 flooding was just recently completed.
GuideVery pleasant spot with a few camp sites as options. Beautiful lake. Bathroom was rough, hole in the ground style with a gate for a door. But over all the site was worth it
Scout
Did not stop to Camp!!, only dumped my tanks and filled up water. Wish I would’ve stayed. Looks like a very well done out-of-the-way and quaint park. $20 for dumping, or camping and dumping, seven dollars for tent campers.
GuideThe campground is pretty well-kept. Multiple playgrounds and shower houses throughout. Firewood for sale. A giant raccoon tried to get into my cooler 10 minutes after we turned out our lights for the night. Lookout for ticks. The cave was a little smaller than anticipated and near the tables on bank, the river unfortunately had a couple large patches of garbage. Still a fun place to camp out and hike around a bit.
ScoutThere are truly electrical hookups just about everywhere and there are no marked sites that I could find. We just pulled off the road to an electrical station and plugged in. Sadly, the 30A plug I plugged into kept tripping the breaker, but I always have a backup 20-30A converter, I just don't get to use my AC (cool night, didn't matter). It would be great if there was some brochure or site map at the location so you didn't feel like your were gonna ruin their well maintained lawn.
Legend
Getting there: A winding drive through Nebraska City to the River’s Edge.
Check in and staff: None
Amenities: Few Bathrooms: clean, well kept
Sites: Mostly open, very little shade. Campground is right on the banks of the Missouri River.
Legend
Jake from the Dyrt here! We're excited to have this campground on the Dyrt and ready for you to book, check them out and make sure to leave a review!
GuideVictorian Acres was fine for one night. Not a lot to say about it. It backs up to the highway, but after a long day of driving we slept through the noise. There weren’t any fire pits because “it was too cold”. That’s exactly why we wanted one. The bathhouse was ok. The women’s bathroom was fine, even large for the size of the campground. Unfortunately, both toilets in the men’s bathroom were backed up and broken, huge bummer! 💩 There was a small dog park , we didn’t get to use it since we got in late and left early so I cannot comment on the condition. We were on site 55, easy to access and leave from. It was sort of level, but we still felt like we were tipping sideways a bit in the van. There were 30amp electric and water hookups.
Guide
Came out to camp one night with my 5 year old. We stated on a friday night in October and the campground was not too busy at all.. maybe only 5 other groups there. Showers and bathroom were all fine, campsite was clean and well maintained. Loved that the tent camping sites were actually surrounded by trees, I see way to many tent campsites that are basically just in the middle of a grass field. There are walking paths and a couple of playgrounds around the lake close enough to walk to but far enough away they wont ever be a bother. Also if you like disc golf than this is the place to go, there is a brand new 18 hole course right next to the camp!
Legend
Ashley here with The Dyrt. We're happy to have Bartlett Shores on our platform. Check them out and come back here to leave your review!
ScoutCamping in the teepee was hands down our worst camping experience ever. The teepee was hot, dirty and falling apart. We stayed in the“big chief” teepee and it was on a horrible slope with tons of ruts on nothing but bare uneven dirt. There was no privacy as the other two teepees beyond this one were set up so other campers were constantly walking by your camp. Even the door placement to the teepees were bad. There was a more well placed teepee they save for first come first serve camping, not reserved camping. That makes no sense. The worst teepee should be reserved for unreserved campers. There are also bike trails directly around the teepees so in daylight, meaning early and late, you will hear groups of bikers riding around a technical course and lots of whooping and cheering as well as hard landings. To make things worse, they didn’t tell us about an ROTC event they were hosting in the park where groups of ROTC young people were constantly walking by our camp from early morning to afternoon, looking for markers for a kind of seek out practice for them. This was highly disturbing. Zero calm and privacy. The teepee was shabby and the indoor outdoor carpet was dirty and old, and you got the feeling you were sleeping and living over everyone else’s ick. Also, right over the teepee there were loads of huge dead oak branches. With the high winds, we were pretty scared a branch might fall on us. It’s just a matter of time before someone gets hurt, or worse. There were many loud people in cabins with dogs, even dogs barking and crazy dogs running loose the whole time we were there. There was also a lot of trash and littered personal items scattered around in the woods and on the campground area. In the end, it is a very poorly planned campground for comfort, beauty, safety and privacy. We would have been better off to stay home. Like many things now, Platte River State Park feels overrun with activity and under preserved. The exact opposite of why one wants to get away from the city and camp in nature. Waste of time and money.
Scouta great place
Camping near Watson, Missouri, offers a mix of beautiful scenery and fun activities for everyone. Whether you're looking for a peaceful retreat or an adventure-filled getaway, there are several campgrounds nearby that cater to different tastes.
Camping near Watson, Missouri, has something for everyone, from families to solo adventurers. With a variety of campgrounds to choose from, you're sure to find the perfect spot for your next outdoor adventure!
Frequently Asked Questions
What camping is available near Watson, MO?
According to TheDyrt.com, Watson, MO offers a wide range of camping options, with 67 campgrounds and RV parks near Watson, MO and 2 free dispersed camping spots.
Which is the most popular campground near Watson, MO?
According to TheDyrt.com, the most popular campground near Watson, MO is Hackberry Hollow Campground — Indian Cave State Park with a 4.6-star rating from 24 reviews.
Where can I find free dispersed camping near Watson, MO?
According to TheDyrt.com, there are 2 free dispersed camping spots near Watson, MO.
What parks are near Watson, MO?
According to TheDyrt.com, there are 13 parks near Watson, MO that allow camping, notably Conestoga Lake and Perry Lake.
