General Watkins Cemetery Road
Total Miles
0.2
Elevation
137.66 ft
Duration
0.25 Hours
Technical Rating
Best Time
Spring, Summer, Fall, Winter
Trail Overview
The General Watkins Cemetery Road is the farthest west entrance into the General Watkins Conservation Area off US Route 61. It is a gravel road that leads up a hillside to the ridge top where General Watkins' resting area is located, as well as a large parking area and the point where the 1.8-mile hiking trail called the Cemetery Ridge Trail starts and leads back to the General Watkins Park Road. This is a great spot to meet people, have lunch, stretch your legs on a walk, or have a little historical lesson. The entrance point off US 61 has a few picnic benches next the the parking cut-out.
Photos of General Watkins Cemetery Road
Difficulty
The difficulty of the road is minimum; the most difficult aspects are the general gravel road complications such as potholes, washboarding, and mounding. This trail is given a 1/10 for its ease of access and simplicity.
History
The conservation area is named after General Nathaniel W. Watkins, a brigadier general in the Missouri State Guard, the first Confederate unit in Missouri. He later served as vice president of the Missouri Constitutional Convention in 1875. He is now buried on the land that makes up the conservation area in a cemetery marked as "Watkins Cemetery."