Agency-listedMDCFree

Bradley A. Hammer Memorial Conservation Area

Drive-up · Missouri Dept. of Conservation · MO · 36.96349, -90.55492
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Missouri Dept. of Conservation lists this site. Someone from the agency inventoried it, so it is a real camp — not a spot we guessed at. What changes is conditions — roads, gates, closures, fire rules. Check those with the unit before you commit to the drive.

Missouri Dept. of Conservation area — 344 acres, Wayne 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 Bradley A. Hammer Memorial Conservation Area
Aerial — USGS / NAIP
Aerial image of Bradley A. Hammer Memorial Conservation Area
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Weather outlook — at Bradley A. Hammer Memorial Conservation Area
Loading the latest forecast…
Live NWS area forecast (~2.5 km grid, not elevation-corrected). Camp sits at 381 ft.
Fire & smoke — around Bradley A. Hammer Memorial Conservation AreaNIFC · 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 Bradley A. Hammer Memorial Conservation Area · Mark Twain National Forest · MO

15 MI30 MI60 MIYOUR CAMPN ↑Water · 41 miWDump · 12 miDFuel · 1 miFGrocery · 9 miGPharmacy · 14 miRxMenards · Hardware · 13 miHLarry Hillis Body Shop · Mechanic · 13 miMLaundry · 45 miLShower · 3 miShPoplar Bluff Regional Medical Center - Westwood · Urgent care · 14 mi+Millies · Outfitter · 16 miOEllsinore Post Office · Mail · 11 mi@Baldwin Buick GMC · EV fast charger · 17 miEV
Straight-line miles · bearings approx · roads run longer
Nearest of each
  • FFuel1 mi
  • ShShower3 mi
  • GGrocery9 mi
  • @Mail11 mi
  • DDump12 mi
  • HHardware13 mi
  • MMechanic13 mi
  • +Urgent care14 mi
  • RxPharmacy14 mi
  • OOutfitter16 mi
  • EVEV fast charger17 mi
  • WWater41 mi
  • LLaundry45 mi
≤30 mi30–4545+water

The read: water is a real 41-mi drive, fuel & food sit about 1 mi out.

Not within 60 mi: Propane. Plan those before you head up.

One dot per need — the nearest of each kind, straight-line from camp. Places from OpenStreetMap (© OpenStreetMap contributors); the EV fast charger from the US DOE station locator. Open in Google Maps ↗

The site — Bradley A. Hammer Memorial Conservation Area

Access
Drive-up
Land
Missouri Dept. of Conservation
Elevation
381 ft
State
MO
Coordinates
36.96349, -90.55492
Cost
Free

Nearby & resupply — around Bradley A. Hammer Memorial Conservation Area · Mark Twain National Forest · MO (OpenStreetMap)

  • Water featureBlack River (river) · nearby
  • Nearest townWilliamsville · ~0.6 mi
  • Drinking waternone within 10 mi
  • FuelFuel · ~0.6 mi
  • Propane / LPGnone within 31 mi
  • Dump station~12.3 mi
  • GroceriesWalmart Neighborhood Market · ~13.5 mi
  • PharmacyPharmacy · ~14.5 mi
  • Hospital / clinicPoplar Bluff Regional Medical Center · ~13.7 mi
  • HardwarePack's Do-It Center · ~16.8 mi

EV charging — from Bradley A. Hammer Memorial Conservation Area · Mark Twain National Forest · MO — nearest public DC fast & Level 2 (US DOE station data)

Nearby restrooms — around Bradley A. Hammer Memorial Conservation Area · Mark Twain National Forest · MO — pit toilets, restrooms & rest areas (government data)

Open Bradley A. Hammer Memorial Conservation Area elsewhere

Other camps near Bradley A. Hammer Memorial Conservation Area

If this one is full, gated or washed out.

The unit that manages Bradley A. Hammer Memorial Conservation Area

Stay limits, road closures and fire restrictions at Bradley A. Hammer Memorial Conservation Area are set by Mark Twain National Forest, not by the campsite — check there before you go.

How we know this — Bradley A. Hammer Memorial Conservation Area

Fee note
Currently free; $5/night fee proposed (~Sept 2026)
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); 2 camp point(s), types=['Primitive Camping Area']. Currently free; $5/night fee proposed (~Sept 2026). Broad-scope ingest 2026-07-19 14:49:09.
EV chargers
US DOE Alternative Fuels Data Center station locator, snapshot 2026-09-16. Straight-line miles to the nearest public, open, unrestricted station; restricted and planned units are shown but never counted.
Field check
On the agency's books. The land manager inventoried this site, so its existence is not in question — current conditions are. Nobody from here has camped it recently.

What we don’t know about Bradley A. Hammer Memorial Conservation Area

A land record can put you within a few meters 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 — Bradley A. Hammer Memorial Conservation Area

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 →