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.
$25 - $30 / night
"There are plenty of camping sites around the park no matter your style, even spots for horses! I prefer the hike in spots myself."
"The park is huge and takes you along an hour long historic trail that has old settlements, ruins of workshops and beautiful view-points of the Missouri river from the bluff edges."
$14 - $110 / night
"This also gave us time to really explore those trails I was drooling over. We took one of the more scenic trails and took us over the top of some of those beautiful Loess Hills."
"Not many amenities but the bathrooms are clean and the trails are fantastic. The view is great from the side bluff train. Close to Nebraska city. Tent sites are not too close together."
$25 - $330 / night
"It’s a bit off the beaten path but we got to enjoy the beautiful horses. Bonus!"
"Good hiking, horse rides, great hills for trail running."
$15 - $35 / night
"A HUGE campground with around 250 total sites, with options ranging from walk-in camping tent-only sites to RV areas. There is a 3 decent-size lakes spread evenly across the grounds."
"A HUGE campground with around 250 total sites, with options ranging from walk-in camping tent-only sites to RV areas. There is a 3 decent-size lakes spread evenly across the grounds."
$10 / night
"Pleasant quiet environment other then nearby train. Location has 2 other RV campgrounds around the corner . It's a city park next to the expo center nice and clean . Pull in next to any hook up."
"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."
"Lake Mozingo is near the College Town of Maryville, Missouri. My experience is limited, but I’d say it’s pretty nice here. And inexpensive."
"Nice sites close to the lake with electricity water and wifi."
"Hacklebarney is very close to home so it makes for a great quick camping trip destination. Has surprisingly nice shower room for the size of the park."
GuideTo be perfectly honest we camp at Nodaway often- but that because of its location - close to work and such. However there are limited activities at Nodaway.
The camp sites are nice and large- easy to get into and each one had its own water and electric. There are 11 on what we call the upper circle and 4 on the lower circle. The bath house is located at the far end so if you are on the lower circle or at the end it can be a walk. It isn't fancy by any means- a single sink, toilet, and shower in the same room- one for each sex. It gets the job done- but it is no frills. There is a dump station centrally located that you can easily pull up to on your way out.
The park is big- lots of trails for hiking and horses. They are usually very well maintained- they keep them mowed in nice wide paths and the trails range from nice and flat to a bit more steep.
There is a little pond but there are no fish in it and it could use some work- lots of moss and such.
There are several different picnic areas and a second bathroom away from the campgrounds. The playground is outdated but there is a large area where kids can play soccer or tag and while the equipment is old it is not in bad shape.
There is a beautiful look out area (away from the camprounds) that looks over Clarinda and is very nice to watch the annual 4th of July fireworks from the Clarinda A's baseball team.
We love Nodaway not because of the amenities but because we can all get together and be close to work/school/home. Camping here does require some yard games and activities for entertainment- but you are just a couple minutes from the store if you forget something!
LegendBe careful not to drive by Hucklebarney Woods, if you're not careful you will pass it by. There is a sign but it is not very visible and you may have to hit your brakes pretty hard, so be careful.
The first entrance to the park is an equestrian campground that was closed when I arrived. Don't stop there, keep driving another 300 yards and you will find the main entrance to the park.
For a county park with limited resources it meets expectations. The biggest detractor is all of the goose poop but I suppose you can live with that, especially if you are pulling a camper. You can't swim in the pond but the views are nice. I would honestly say that this is not where I would choose to camp but it is a great place to stop and have a picnic.
LegendStayed 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.
LegendThis is a great weekend spot not much to do around the park. The campsites are nice but close with not much space in between. There are 2 campgrounds, the one north of the highway is a horse campground but required. There are nice trails in this area. The campground on the south is more of a tent site. There are vault toliets, no showers. A lot of great trails o this side. All campsites include a picnic table and fire ring.
GuideI love Indian Cave for the Oak Woodlands! This is unlike any other campground in Nebraska. There are plenty of camping sites around the park no matter your style, even spots for horses! I prefer the hike in spots myself. There are many trails here with great views of the river as well as family activities for those looking for less walking. The actual cave is not much to write home about as sadly it has been vandalIzed for many years. My favorite spot within 2 hours of Omaha/Lincoln for sure!
ScoutIf 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!
TravelerGood hiking, horse rides, great hills for trail running.
LegendCampground Review
I stayed in this Louisville Rec area a few nights, moving around to three different areas of this HUGE campground are nestled in Nebraska. My plan was to spend a few days taking advantage of the many amenities and activity options this area appeared to have, and I since this is a popular destination option many are considering, I sought to provide a review of the grounds from the perspective of someone who is considering staying in the west, central, or east area of the grounds. This review is for the west area.
General Info on this overall campground
This is a state-funded park, so non-Nebraska plated cars have an additional fee. A HUGE campground with around 250 total sites, with options ranging from walk-in camping tent-only sites to RV areas. There is a 3 decent-size lakes spread evenly across the grounds. Near the central lake ("Lake 2") there is a small shop which has a market where basic kick knacks and firewood are available. This is also where you can rent boats like canoes, kayaks, and stand up paddleboards for hrs, half and daily rates. There is a trail in the woods running parallel to the North Platte River. The path is in a heavily wooded area, so no lakeside views, just a nice, quiet hike with the very occasional hummm of a mosquito. There is a swim area along the beach of Lake 2. There is canoe access at the far west side of the park. In summer, it was common to see people wading across the river as it was neither a fast moving current nor deep. This is a Rec area, so day use is also an option. There are numerous locations for picnics, including Grills, and for fishing in the lakes from some roof-covered docks. Coin-operated showers (takes quarters, change machines take $1 and $5 bills) and full-service, ADA-friendly bathrooms scatter the park as well. There is a play area in the center which has a basic jungle gym. Each site has at least a picnic table and a fire pit. All tent sites are park and walk. If you want to have your car next to your picnic table, you need a padded spot. Each area of the park has these options, as well as electrical, then RV. Most sites are reservable and there are some allocated for first come, first serve. Gates will close at 10pm so make sure your road trip stops before they do. Also, packing earplugs is a must, but it won't completely help you. There is a train that goes very near the grounds - the track basically borders the south side of the campgrounds - and it needs to use its horn while passing through, which happens A LOT.
Central location-specific Info
The harsh part of being located here is if you are looking for any kind of spot that accommodates a flat plot, like sites 206 - 236, you are butted up against the train tracks and that train is LOUD! You will have no chance of a solid night's sleep since the train uses its horn very often. I was in campsite 11 another night, literally as far away from the tracks as possible and wore ear plugs and there was no avoiding it - I was waking up at 5am no matter what. This is the place you want to camp if you are tent camping. The reserve sites or tucked away from a lot of the more family-friendly activities, so you'll get some reprieve from that energy, plus can have some spots that are very close to the N Platte river's edge.
Ranger Review
I was given a pair of the Midland X-TALKER TV1P3 Walkie Talkies to test out from Midland. Since they come with a hands-free option with a compatible accessory, I also got a pair of the AVPH3 Surveillance headsets.
These came in handy (pardon the pun) when I was biking with a friend and skiing. By hooking in the headset to the side of the radio it allowed me to leave the radio in the bag, run a wire and clip a little mic with a talk on/off button to my jacket, then put a little earpiece in around my ear that was out of the way of my helmet. This also protected the radio from debris, as water is easy to collect on electronics when skiing and dust when biking.
These radios aren't big, but they're packed with a lot of features. I personally love the weather scan capability. It locks into the NOAA weather broadcasts to deliver you a forecast. This is very useful while you are on a backpacking trip or in my case doing some kayaking because it helps me plan my routes and assess risk for my activities. They also charge through micro USB if you don't want to pack the included charging cradle (AC powered), so recharging them on the go is pretty simple since you already pack those cables and a portable USB power bank for other electronics.
The 28 mile range is a bit of a stretch (pardon the pun) but this is up to 28 miles. It worked fine for me over some densely forested lakes 2 miles away and even further over open water. I had these up at my cottage in Northern Ontario with me and I was able to get reception on these when I kayaked from one family friend's cottage from ours 8 miles away. It was getting crackly at that point but there is A LOT of interference over that distance so I was shocked they worked at all.
They have 22 channels and 38 privacy codes, so it's easy to create your own network and stay uninterrupted. I also got these working with another pair of radios I had, so they work with other brands. There are some other features, and the product support on their site is great. hey have a reference guide and a user manual to learn how to operate things like the quiet mode - if so inclined.
Overall Pros
Overall Cons
GuideThe park is huge and takes you along an hour long historic trail that has old settlements, ruins of workshops and beautiful view-points of the Missouri river from the bluff edges. It ends at the Indian cave (boardwalk/stairs to the cave are currently closed to all the visitors). You have neat family picnic shelters in between too. The campgrounds are a little cozy if not cramped and give you a good vibe of you love the campground aura. The sites on the bend of the loops (25 and 24) are more spacious and for people who want bigger areas. Most of the sites are shaded under large cottonwoods. The nearest gas station (actually any store) is a 15/20 minutes drive away and the park office/store was closed due to covid restrictions. So bring in everything except ice and firewood, yeah coffee too (we forgot). No water sport rentals nearby. Didn't see anyone kayaking either. I would stay here again if I wanted another relaxed/hike-only trip.
Horse camping in Missouri offers a unique opportunity to explore the great outdoors while enjoying the companionship of your equine friends. With a variety of well-reviewed locations, equestrian enthusiasts can find the perfect spot to set up camp.
Frequently Asked Questions
Which is the most popular equestrian campsite near Watson, MO?
According to TheDyrt.com, the most popular equestrian campground near Watson, MO is Hackberry Hollow Campground — Indian Cave State Park with a 4.6-star rating from 24 reviews.
What is the best site to find equestrian camping near Watson, MO?
TheDyrt.com has all 9 equestrian camping locations near Watson, MO, with real photos and reviews from campers.
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