Pershing State Park protects 39 campsites in north-central Missouri's rare wetland prairie, ten miles south of the Iowa border near Laclede. The small campground earns a 4.6/5 rating for its quiet, well-spaced sites and friendly hosts. Twenty-seven sites offer 30-amp electric hookups. Reservations are strongly recommended.
The campground offers electric sites and basic/primitive sites; both RV and tent camping are used by visitors.
Historical Significance
The park sits adjacent to the Pershing Boyhood Home in Laclede, the childhood home of General John J. Pershing.Weather and SeasonsFall offers the best combination of comfortable weather, colorful scenery, and low crowds. Daytime highs run 50s to 70s°F with crisp nights in the 30s to 50s°F. The wetlands and bottomland forests show late-season foliage and migrating birds, making hiking, wildlife viewing, and fishing especially rewarding. With fewer mosquitoes and pleasant air, boardwalk walks and quiet campsites are at their peak. Mosquitoes can be voracious in summer. Water and shower facilities operate April 1 through October 31; the park remains open November through March for those who don't mind off-season amenities. Watch for state hunting days and follow park advisories in fall.
Natural Features and SceneryThe park sits along Locust Creek and four small lakes in a bottomland forest and wet prairie ecosystem that once covered much of northern Missouri. A scenic boardwalk winds through the wetlands where great blue herons stalk the shallows and migratory waterfowl stage in oxbow sloughs. Tall trees shade most campsites. The landscape transitions from dense forest to open prairie remnants, giving birders and wildlife watchers habitat diversity in a compact area. Five trails total about six miles one-way, threading through the woods and along the creek.
Scenic ViewsBoardwalk and trails through wet prairie and bottomland forest, views along the meandering stream/Locust Creek and across the park's small lakes and wetlands.