Agency-listedMDC · dispersedFree
Lake Girardeau Conservation Area
Drive-up · Missouri Dept. of Conservation · MO · 37.28393, -89.84589
Ask an AI about this campsiteOpens Grok already loaded with this site. It reads the same records this page is built from, and links whatever it tells you.
Ask about this camp →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 — 351 acres, Cape Girardeau 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
Aerial — USGS / NAIP
Weather outlook — at Lake Girardeau Conservation Area
Loading the latest forecast…
Live NWS area forecast (~2.5 km grid, not elevation-corrected). Camp sits at 425 ft.
Fire & smoke — around Lake Girardeau 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 Lake Girardeau Conservation Area · Missouri Dept. of Conservation · MO
Straight-line miles · bearings approx · roads run longer
Nearest of each
- @Mail4 mi
- MMechanic5 mi
- FFuel6 mi
- +Urgent care7 mi
- GGrocery7 mi
- EVEV fast charger10 mi
- HHardware13 mi
- RxPharmacy15 mi
- OOutfitter16 mi
- WWater17 mi
- DDump36 mi
- ShShower36 mi
- LLaundry44 mi
≤30 mi30–4545+water
The read: water's a short hop out, fuel & food sit about 6 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 — Lake Girardeau Conservation Area
Access
Drive-up
Land
Missouri Dept. of Conservation · dispersed
Elevation
425 ft
State
MO
Coordinates
37.28393, -89.84589
Cost
Free
Nearby & resupply — around Lake Girardeau Conservation Area · Missouri Dept. of Conservation · MO (OpenStreetMap)
- Water featureLake Girardeau (water) · nearby
- Nearest townCrump · ~1.0 mi
- Drinking waternone within 10 mi
- FuelFuel · ~7.3 mi
- Propane / LPGnone within 31 mi
- GroceriesHarps Food Stores · ~7.3 mi
- PharmacyWalgreens · ~16.2 mi
- Hospital / clinicSaint Francis Medical Center · ~15.2 mi
EV charging — from Lake Girardeau Conservation Area · Missouri Dept. of Conservation · MO — nearest public DC fast & Level 2 (US DOE station data)
- Nearest public DC fast charger10.2 mi straight-line E — Acees 315 Route K, Cape Girardeau, MO (at a public site) · RED_E · CCS · 2 fast ports listed · listed open, last confirmed by AFDC 2026-09-16 · hours: not listed · directions
- Public DC fast stations within reach4 within 25 mi · 30 within 50 · 136 within 100 · 286 within 150
- Nearest listing NACS (Tesla)14.3 mi — Cape Girardeau, MO - Tesla Supercharger, Cape Girardeau
- Nearest listing CHAdeMO16.2 mi — SCHNUCKS CAPE-DC2, Cape Girardeau
- Nearest public Level 2 (J1772)14.4 mi — Tru by Hilton Cape Girardeau - Tesla Destination · Tesla Destination · J1772, NACS (Tesla) · 4 Level 2 ports listed · listed open, last confirmed by AFDC 2026-08-27 · hours: 24 hours daily. Open to all vehicles.
- Pricing at the fast chargernot listed
- Power (kW)not listed by AFDC — “DC fast” spans roughly 24 to 350 kW, so ask the network.
- Read this honestlyStraight-line miles, like every distance on this site. Roads run longer than this, and you have to get back. We know where a charger is listed. We don’t know if it works today, how fast it is, or the road miles. Check the network before you commit.
Snapshot 2026-09-16 · AFDC record 440816 · US DOE Alternative Fuels Data Center
Nearby restrooms — around Lake Girardeau Conservation Area · Missouri Dept. of Conservation · MO — pit toilets, restrooms & rest areas (government data)
- Highway rest areaFruitland SB (RA) · ~17.1 mi NE
- Highway rest areaFruitland NB (RA) · ~17.3 mi NE
- RestroomFederal restroom · ~27.5 mi SW · FWS
- Vault / pit toiletPine Hills · ~28.2 mi NE · USFS
Open Lake Girardeau Conservation Area elsewhere
Other camps near Lake Girardeau Conservation Area
If this one is full, gated or washed out.
- Maintz Wildlife Preserve~14.3 mi
- Castor River Conservation Area~18.4 mi
- General Watkins Conservation Area~19.5 mi
- Duck Creek Conservation Area~20.7 mi
How we know this — Lake Girardeau 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); 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.
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 Lake Girardeau 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.
- Road surface & last-mile access
- How many rigs actually fit
- Cell coverage by carrier
- Seasonal & winter access
- Current fire restrictions
- Whether any water here is drinkable
- Shade & wind exposure
- Noise and who else shows up
- Whether a listed EV charger works today, or the road miles to it
Before you go — Lake Girardeau Conservation Area
Camping near a reservoir →Finding water out here →Dumping grey & black →Reading the aerial →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 →