Trail Overview

General Watkins Park Road is a mile-long gravel road leading into the General Watkins Missouri Conservation Area. This road takes you off US-61 straight into some gorgeous wilderness and hiking areas, with a great area to set up camp for a night. The road is light and easy, but traverses a few mild-grade hills, with some potential mild washboarding and gravel mounding, though maintenance seems often.

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Difficulty

Just a simple gravel road that may have mild gravel washboarding and gravel washes due to it's mild grade hills.

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

Chris Menz

Mar 06, 2026

Open

Road has mild washboarding on the hills, one of the two vehicle parking dispersed campsites was used. Looks really clean at the moment! The foliage is starting to turn green. I enjoy driving the road once in a while on my way home from work.

Austin shaffer

Mar 23, 2025

Open

It’s a gravel road that leads into general Watkins conservation land. Not a trail just a scenic drive.

Chris Menz

Feb 20, 2025

Open

Chris Menz

Jul 20, 2023

Open

Chris Menz

Apr 15, 2023

Open

Chris Menz

Feb 07, 2023

Open