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Established Camping

Watkins Mill State Park Campground

Watkins Mill State Park Campground, near Lawson, Missouri, is a peaceful retreat that offers a blend of nature and comfort. With spacious sites featuring picnic tables and fire pits, it’s perfect for gathering around the fire and enjoying the great outdoors.

The campground boasts clean facilities, including well-maintained showers and restrooms, which visitors appreciate after a day of exploring. One camper noted, “The sites are not right on top of each other,” allowing for a more private experience. The paved roads throughout the park make it easy to walk or bike around, enhancing your stay.

For those looking to stretch their legs, the surrounding area offers beautiful wooded trails and a lovely lake for fishing or kayaking. Plus, there’s a charming country store nearby where you can grab some biscuits and gravy to fuel your adventures. Many campers have highlighted the friendly staff, who go out of their way to ensure a pleasant stay, even checking in guests after hours.

While the campground can fill up quickly on weekends, especially from spring to mid-October, the serene atmosphere and natural beauty make it a worthwhile destination for a weekend getaway or a longer stay. Whether you’re camping in a tent, RV, or cabin, Watkins Mill State Park Campground has something for everyone to enjoy.

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Location

Watkins Mill State Park Campground is located in Missouri

Detail location of campground

Address

26600 Park Rd North
Lawson, MO 64062

Coordinates

39.39170001 N
94.26051167 W

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Access

  • Drive-In
    Park next to your site
  • Walk-In
    Park in a lot, walk to your site.
  • Hike-In
    Backcountry sites.
  • Boat-In
    Sites accessible by watercraft.

Stay Connected

  • WiFi
    Unknown
  • Verizon
    Good
  • AT&T
    Unknown
  • T-Mobile
    Good

Site Types

  • Tent Sites
  • RV Sites
  • Standard (Tent/RV)
  • Group
  • Cabins
  • Tent Cabin
  • Equestrian

Features

For Campers

  • ADA Access
  • Trash
  • Picnic Table
  • Firewood Available
  • Phone Service
  • Reservable
  • WiFi
  • Showers
  • Drinking Water
  • Electric Hookups
  • Toilets
  • Alcohol
  • Pets
  • Fires

For Vehicles

  • Sanitary Dump
  • Sewer Hookups
  • Water Hookups
  • Big Rig Friendly

Contact

General Info


Reviews

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4.5

out of 5

34 Reviews

Reviewed Oct. 18, 2023

Peaceful

We stayed Sunday-Wednesday and it was very peaceful. Sites are not right on top of each other and it looks like they all have a fire pit and picnic table. There are only a handful of paved spots and you will need leveling blocks on the gravel. Showers and bathrooms are clean and the hosts are very nice. New asphalt roads throughout the park; nice for walking, biking, etc. Be sure to get biscuits & gravy at “The General Store” just down the road from the park entrance.

Site77
Month of VisitOctober
Reviewed Dec. 12, 2021

Beautiful park and super helpful staff

We arrived about 15 minutes after the office closed. One of the staff members went back inside to check us in amd thennled us to our camp site before leaving to go home. We were there off season so we only had electric and the shower house was closed but there was fresh water at the dump station close by. It was a beautifully wooded park with a lake, very peaceful....and at a great price.

Sitedont remember for sure
Month of VisitDecember
  • Review photo of Watkins Mill State Park Campground by gary H., December 12, 2021
  • Review photo of Watkins Mill State Park Campground by gary H., December 12, 2021
Reviewed Aug. 7, 2021

Great close getaway

This place offers peace and quiet outside of a small town with close by amenities. Clean and helpful staff

Site42
Month of VisitJune
Reviewed Jul. 26, 2021

Wonderful

This is a close by great campground. Up the road is history of the mill. Has a nice lake for fishing or kayaking. Paddle boarding. Sites are clean. Hosts are great. Bathrooms and showers are clean. Most weekends feom spring to mid October are typically full.

Site42
Month of VisitJune
Reviewed Jul. 13, 2021

Nice place, ruined by Robocop parks officer

Ive camped all over and never had an issue parking our 2 very small teardrop campers in a camping spot. Park ranger wouldn’t allow both of them for no real reason, other than somewhere in a rule book it said so. Lake was alright, very small and flooding made it a bit dirty. Running trails and beach were also closed.

Site008
Month of VisitJuly
  • Review photo of Watkins Mill State Park Campground by Tanner P., July 13, 2021
  • Review photo of Watkins Mill State Park Campground by Tanner P., July 13, 2021
  • Review photo of Watkins Mill State Park Campground by Tanner P., July 13, 2021
  • (5) View All
Reviewed May. 31, 2021

Small Campground, Fun

There are not a lot of campsites, which is nice. Makes it easy to get around without traffic. Very clean place. Hosts spend a lot of time cleaning campsites between each visitor. We had a ton of fun walking around the old mill and visiting with the historian working the visitor center. There are live chickens and sheep. Only negative was it was a pretty chilly weekend and the shower house near our campsite had barely lukewarm water. No full hookups. Electric only.

Site77
Month of VisitMay
  • Review photo of Watkins Mill State Park Campground by Hailey L., May 31, 2021
  • Review photo of Watkins Mill State Park Campground by Hailey L., May 31, 2021
  • Review photo of Watkins Mill State Park Campground by Hailey L., May 31, 2021
  • (7) View All
Reviewed Sep. 20, 2020

Great Camping

Stayed here for three nights. All spots have plenty of shade when we walked around. Shower house and bathrooms were clean and nice. Lots of things to do such as boating, kayaking, paddle boarding, fishing and swimming. Fire pits were even nice with an attached grill grate.

Site11
Month of VisitSeptember
  • Review photo of Watkins Mill State Park Campground by Lance F., September 20, 2020
  • Review photo of Watkins Mill State Park Campground by Lance F., September 20, 2020
  • Review photo of Watkins Mill State Park Campground by Lance F., September 20, 2020
  • (4) View All
Reviewed Aug. 30, 2020

Nicely shaded spots.

We stayed for two days in spot #92. Many of the spots have a good amount of room, but there are some that looked tricky to level. 92 was fine for leveling. 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. Bathhouses were clean and there is a great 3.75 mile paved loop around the lake if you have dogs that enjoy long walks.

  • Review photo of Watkins Mill State Park Campground by Meaghan S., August 30, 2020
  • Review photo of Watkins Mill State Park Campground by Meaghan S., August 30, 2020
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Reviewed Jul. 11, 2020

Wooded / shaded

Nice place to camp, all spots are shaded, but all are also back in, but no big deal. Nice quiet camp ground with newer bathroom/ showers. Has nice blacktopped walking trail around Lake around four miles long, great for bikes also. TV reception good, and wifi at 4g

Reviewed Aug. 24, 2019

Good state park

Camp ground is great. There are 2 shower houses, 1 new one torwards the front and one in the farthest loop. There is a small lake great for kayaking and fishing boats. The swim beach has been closed because of excesive vegetation growth. The trail wraps the lake and connects to the edge of the campground. There is a couple historic sites not far on the side of the lake, quick little drive.

  • Review photo of Watkins Mill State Park Campground by Jason C., August 24, 2019
  • Review photo of Watkins Mill State Park Campground by Jason C., August 24, 2019
  • Review photo of Watkins Mill State Park Campground by Jason C., August 24, 2019
Reviewed Jul. 19, 2019

Campground

Very clean and safe place. Lots of shaded campsites, a lot with electric hookups. Clean bathrooms and shower houses. Can bring your kayaks at no extra cost! We will definitely be back!

  • Review photo of Watkins Mill State Park Campground by Amber B., July 19, 2019
  • Review photo of Watkins Mill State Park Campground by Amber B., July 19, 2019
  • Review photo of Watkins Mill State Park Campground by Amber B., July 19, 2019
  • (7) View All
Reviewed Nov. 20, 2018

Quiet fun

Watkins Mill offers easy access, level sites. The Mill is a great place to tour while getting some exercise. The small lake seems to not attract a lot of boaters, but has a fishing dock.

Reviewed Oct. 29, 2018

Nice quiet primitive site loop

We stayed in primitive site #3 - fairly close to neighbors, but with some berms/hills between it still felt relatively private. Site didn’t have a ton of level tent sites, but was otherwise in good shape.

Fall foliage was gorgeous this past weekend, and we thoroughly enjoyed the woolen mill tour at the adjacent state historic site.

Shower and restroom facilities seemed adequate, though more dated than other similar state parks in the area. Serviceable but not immaculately clean.

  • Review photo of Watkins Mill State Park Campground by Jim S., October 29, 2018
  • Review photo of Watkins Mill State Park Campground by Jim S., October 29, 2018
  • Review photo of Watkins Mill State Park Campground by Jim S., October 29, 2018
  • (4) View All
Reviewed Oct. 10, 2018

Great park!

This state park is super pretty! Has a paved path that goes all the way around the lake, path is bumpy even though it’s paved but the views are amazing! Nice picnic areas also!

Reviewed Sep. 19, 2018

8/24/18

I can't say enough good things about this campground. Nice stay!! We will be back.

  • Review photo of Watkins Mill State Park Campground by Lauri C., September 19, 2018
Reviewed Jul. 17, 2018

Great campsite! We enjoyed our stay.

Clean bathroom and shower facilities. The park and campsite are gorgeous. There's a lake but it's not anything to brag about, and the swimming beach is closed often due to bacteria in the lake.

It's a short drive from Kansas City and one of my favorite weekenders when the weather is nice. We've always had a great time on our stays.

Month of VisitJuly
Reviewed Jul. 11, 2018

peaceful

very family oriented! lots of great spaces. fishing and walking trail with in a short walk!

Reviewed Jun. 13, 2018

Secluded, but less than an hour from KC

Large shaded campsites. The bathrooms and showers are the best we’ve had at a campground. The big king trail is very family friendly. The mill was a great side trip, I would highly recommend.

Month of VisitMay
  • Review photo of Watkins Mill State Park Campground by Suzie L., June 13, 2018
  • Review photo of Watkins Mill State Park Campground by Suzie L., June 13, 2018
  • Review photo of Watkins Mill State Park Campground by Suzie L., June 13, 2018
Reviewed Jun. 6, 2018

Amazing trails!

beautiful park, with some awesome paved trails, a nice playground for the kids too.

Reviewed Jun. 1, 2018

Remote and Lush

This campground has many sites available, including rustic and RV hook ups. The drive out to the park appears to be in the middle of no where, but it's worth he drive. They offer water access to a lake, trails, historical information sites, and guided tours of the Watkins Woolen Mill. If you enjoy animals as well, the park also has chickens and sheep to view as you're visiting the mill. The facilities at the park are also VERY clean and they have showers and laundry available. Definitely a place to camp if you're bringing your family as the hosts are super friendly and helpful and there will be plenty of activities to keep everyone busy.

Month of VisitMay
  • Review photo of Watkins Mill State Park Campground by Lani B., June 1, 2018
  • Review photo of Watkins Mill State Park Campground by Lani B., June 1, 2018
Reviewed May. 22, 2018

Lots of campsites, quiet, small lake

Watkins Mill SP is located near Excelsior Springs, MO. It’s a bigger state park and it’s heavily shaded. Lots of campsites and hiking! The lake is “ok” but left little to be desired. The lake is often closed to swimming due to e-coli due to the large goose population. It’s also smallish for kayaking but doable. Nice park for camping and quiet!

Month of VisitJuly

Frequently Asked Questions

  • How much does it cost to camp at Watkins Mill State Park Campground?

    Camping at Watkins Mill State Park Campground can cost between $12.00 and $42.00 depending on the site.

  • Does Watkins Mill State Park Campground have RV hookups?

    According to TheDyrt.com, Watkins Mill State Park Campground has water hookups and sewer hookups.

  • Are fires allowed at Watkins Mill State Park Campground?

    Yes, according to campers on TheDyrt.com, fires are allowed at Watkins Mill State Park Campground, although make sure to check current fire restrictions in the area.

  • Does Watkins Mill State Park Campground have wifi?

    Yes, according to campers on TheDyrt.com, Watkins Mill State Park Campground does have wifi.

  • Is there cell phone reception at Watkins Mill State Park Campground?

    According to campers on TheDyrt.com, Verizon signal is good, AT&T is unknown, and T-Mobile is good.