General Watkins Cemetery Road

Total Miles
0.2

Elevation

137.66 ft

Duration

0.25 Hours

Technical Rating

1

Easy

Best Time

Spring, Summer, Fall, Winter

Show in App
General Watkins Cemetery Road 14

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

General Watkins Cemetery Road
General Watkins Cemetery Road
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."

Technical Rating

1

Status Reports

Chris Menz
Feb 01, 2024
1999 Jeep Cherokee
Permanently Closed
Posted Private Property
Locked Gate
Sadly, it has legally been found that there is no public easement here, new property owner to the west shut it down once they realized the road was theirs to close. A victim of old surveys not being 100% accurate, in this case 10 foot off. You can still walk to the cemetery if you walk along the east side of the road, refer to the wooden posts the MDC put around the parking lot as a reference to the property lines.
Chris Menz
Nov 21, 2023
1999 Jeep Cherokee
Temporarily Closed
Posted Sign
Closed Gate
Right now there is a land easement dispute with the new land owners to the west of Gen Watkins Cemetery Road. They recently built a shophouse and want to drink wine in peace, so they randomly put up a DIY gate and posted signage at the front parking lot within the road, due to "wanting to stop illegal activity" on the road. Currently, it is being looked at by the State of MO Department of Conversation into the legality of the easement they have with said property owners. You may still access the Cemetery on foot, you just have to walk on the right side of the road, as it is the public land line.

Access Description

Navigate to US Route-61 at 37.05853, -89.61149, this is 1.1 mile north of Morley and 3.8 south of Benton in Scott County, Missouri, then head north onto the General Watkins Cemetery Road.

Popular Trails

Skyline Drive - FS 150

Skyline Drive - FS 150

Total Miles
7.2
Tech Rating
1 Easy
Best Time
Sp / Su / Fa / Wi
Smoot Hollow FSR 3846

Smoot Hollow FSR 3846

Total Miles
2.2
Tech Rating
1 Easy
Best Time
Sp / Fa / Su
Holmes School FSR 3614

Holmes School FSR 3614

Total Miles
2.2
Tech Rating
2 Easy
Best Time
Sp / Fa
Dogtrot Hollow FSR 2134

Dogtrot Hollow FSR 2134

Total Miles
1.3
Tech Rating
3 Easy
Best Time
Sp / Su / Fa

Go Farther

Try onX Offroad Elite for free for a week — no strings attached. Get access to thousands of off-road dirt trails and snowmobile trails across the nation. View your favorite zones in 3D. Send trails to friends. Start planning the trip of a lifetime now.