Watkins Woolen Mill State Park and State Historic Site encompasses “a 100-acre lake with a paved bicycle path around it, plentiful fishing, a picturesque campground and choice picnic spots make Watkins Mill State Park an ideal place for an afternoon or longer. Located near the Kansas City area, the park has ample fishing opportunities and an abundance of whitetailed deer and wild turkeys to watch. The park is adjacent to the Watkins Woolen Mill State Historic Site, a National Historic Landmark,” (Missouri DNR).

Campground’s website:  Watkins Woolen Mill State Park Campground

Campground’s location:  39.391733, -94.260418

1. Location. The park is located in Clay County, Missouri, about 30 miles northeast of downtown Kansas City.

2. Sites. “Watkins Mill has 96 campsites, 74 with electric hookups…Parking pads vary in length from 38 feet to 80 feet, with the electric sites having the longer pads,” (Missouri DNR).  We have stayed twice in Loop 2 in the electric sites.  All sites have shade and there is a decent amount of space between you and your neighbor.

Each site has a fire ring, picnic table, and lantern hook.  Some pads are paved and some are gravel.  The two times we stayed, the sites were fairly level left to right.  However, many sites are uneven front to back.  Some sites need some significant blocking to get level.

3. Facilities.  There are two bathroom/shower houses in the campground (see the picture above).  They are clean, but have some age on them.  There is a dump station with a fresh water fill.  There are two lanes (either direction) for the dump station, but only one pipe.  Also, the dump station is on an incline so I wasn’t sure I got everything out of the tanks on either of my trips.

4.  Amenities.  There is a nice playground, an approximately 3.5 mile trail around the lake, and the main attraction is the state historic site (which is the Watkins home and woolen mill.  A very nice tour).

Conclusion.  Watkins Woolen Mill State Park is a nice escape from the busy city.  The shady campground provides a great weekend trip or longer year round.

Would We Stay Again?  Yes!  We’ve stayed twice and I’m sure we’ll be back.