American Adventurer
Found · unverifiedMDCFree

Big Buffalo Creek Conservation Area

Drive-up · Missouri Dept. of Conservation · MO · 38.33320, -93.08913
We haven't personally camped here. Everything below is pulled from public land data, USGS maps and OpenStreetMap — a real place on Missouri Dept. of Conservation land, but not field-checked by us. Confirm road conditions, current access, stay limits and fire restrictions before you go.

Missouri Dept. of Conservation area — 3,612 acres, Benton, Morgan County. Primitive camping is currently FREE (no camping fee), limited to 14 days in any 30 and 30 camping-days per year. IMPORTANT: MDC has PROPOSED a $5/night camping fee at some conservation areas (decision expected around September 2026) — verify current fees before you rely on 'free.' Camping is allowed only where posted; some areas require a free special-use permit, and dispersed sites must be 100+ yards from roads/parking. Confirm this area's regulations before you go.

Missouri wants to charge for this. The Missouri Dept. of Conservation has proposed a $5/night camping permit at its conservation areas, with a final vote set for Sept. 11, 2026. We believe camping on public land should stay free — it keeps people healthy and the outdoors within everyone's reach. Public comment is open through Aug. 14, 2026: tell the Missouri Conservation Commission you oppose it →
USGS topo — contours & terrain
USGS topographic map of Big Buffalo Creek Conservation Area
Aerial — USGS / NAIP
Aerial image of Big Buffalo Creek Conservation Area
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Weather outlook
Loading the latest forecast…
Live NWS area forecast (~2.5 km grid, not elevation-corrected). Camp sits at 727 ft.
Fire & smokeNIFC · AirNow
Checking active fires & air quality…
Active wildfires from NIFC (within ~50 mi); air quality from AirNow. Always confirm current fire restrictions with the managing office before you go.

Everything you need — measured from camp

15 MI30 MI60 MIYOUR CAMPN ↑Water · 24 miWDump · 51 miDBreakTime · Propane · 57 miPFuel · 9 miFGrocery · 9 miGLake Ozark Pharmacy · Pharmacy · 26 miRxPorters Building Centers · Hardware · 16 miHMechanic · 26 miMMiney Mo's Laundromat · Laundry · 27 miLShower · 18 miShAir-up · 26 miALake Regional Cardiology Clinic · Urgent care · 26 mi+ArmyGear.Net · Outfitter · 59 miOUnited States Post Office · Mail · 11 mi@
Straight-line miles · bearings approx · roads run longer
Nearest of each
  • FFuel9 mi
  • GGrocery9 mi
  • @Mail11 mi
  • HHardware16 mi
  • ShShower18 mi
  • WWater24 mi
  • RxPharmacy26 mi
  • +Urgent care26 mi
  • AAir-up26 mi
  • MMechanic26 mi
  • LLaundry27 mi
  • DDump51 mi
  • PPropane57 mi
  • OOutfitter59 mi
≤30 mi30–4545+water

The read: water is a real 24-mi drive, fuel & food sit about 9 mi out.

One dot per need — the nearest of each kind, straight-line from camp. Places from OpenStreetMap (© OpenStreetMap contributors). Open in Google Maps ↗

The site

Access
Drive-up
Land
Missouri Dept. of Conservation
Elevation
727 ft
State
MO
Coordinates
38.33320, -93.08913
Cost
Free

Nearby & resupply (OpenStreetMap)

  • Water featureHeron Lake (water) · nearby
  • Nearest townBoylers Mill · ~1.4 mi
  • Drinking waternone within 10 mi
  • FuelFuel · ~9.3 mi
  • Propane / LPGnone within 31 mi
  • Dump stationnone within 31 mi
  • GroceriesStore · ~9.3 mi
  • PharmacyMedical Center Pharmacy · ~26.1 mi
  • Hospital / clinicBothwell Regional Health Center · ~26.3 mi
  • HardwarePhantom Screens Ozarks · ~19.4 mi

Nearby restrooms — pit toilets, restrooms & rest areas (government data)

Open this spot elsewhere

Google satellite →Gaia GPS →CalTopo →Back to the map →

Other camps nearby

If this one is full, gated or washed out.

How we know this

Source
Missouri Dept. of Conservation (conservation areas)
Confidence
Likely — The record is good enough to put a pin on, but thin in places. Treat the details as a starting point, not gospel.
How it was placed
MDC Discover_Nature camping-point layer joined by Area_ID to the area layer (county/acreage/official name); 1 camp point(s), types=['Primitive Camping Area']. Currently free; $5/night fee proposed (~Sept 2026). Broad-scope ingest 2026-07-19 14:49:09.
Field check
Not verified on the ground. Nobody from here has camped it. It stays at Likely until someone does.

What we don’t know

A land record can put you within a few metres of a spot. It cannot tell you any of this — so check it yourself, and treat anything below as the open question it is.

Before you go

Your first dispersed night →Fire rules & restrictions →Getting unstuck →Power off-grid →All field notes →
Been here? Tell us what changed. This page is built from public records, so the fastest way it gets better is somebody who has actually pulled in. Road washed out, site gone, gate locked, or it is exactly as described — all of it useful. Send a report →