--- Advertisement ---
facebook share
twitter share
pinterest share
flipboard share

Follow


Review:  Weston Bend State Park

Review: Weston Bend State Park


avatar   Stacy
Trip Date 08/02/2017
Posted On 09/06/2018 17:30:04

Camping | Missouri | Weston | Camping near Kansas City | Weston Bend State Park Review | Hiking in Weston Bend State Park | Missouri State Parks



After a long morning walk followed by a trip to stock up on groceries for five days, we packed and hooked up "RV There Yet?" to our Expedition so we'd be ready to hit the road by 2:00 PM. Our 30 minute drive in Missouri from Parkville to Weston was a rather dreary one due to the rain. Fortunately, the rain stopped just before our arrival at Weston Bend State Park. With the campground office closed, we headed straight to our pre- reserved campsite.


Entrance to Weston Bend State Park

Entrance to Weston Bend State Park

If you are in search of a nice campground near either Kansas City or Leavenworth, Kansas, Weston Bend State Park may be just the place for you. Check out this post for our experience at the campground as well as in the nearby city of Weston.

--- Advertisement ---


Campground Amenities at Weston Bend State Park

While camping at Weston Bend State Park is available year round, the "on-season" is between April 15 and October 31. Reservations are only accepted for campsites during the on-season dates which is also the only time that water & shower facilitates are available. During our summertime visit, the park was clean and well maintained and restrooms / showers were all in excellent working condition. While we didn't have an opportunity to see them, there are also laundry facilities available for campers to use.

In addition to the campground and picnic areas, the park has a variety of nice hiking trails as well as a children's playground. For large groups, there is a really cool tobacco barn that has been converted into a reservable enclosed shelter that can accommodate up to 125 guests. A smaller open shelter with grills and picnic tables seating 50 guests is also reservable, however it can also be used at no charge on a first-come, first-serve basis when it is not reserved.


Tobacco Barn

Tobacco Barn

The short drive from the campground to the scenic overlook in the park is highly recommended. A very short walk to the overlook is part paved and part boardwalk, and the reward at the end of the walk is a mostly tree obstructed view of the Missouri River - either through your own eyes or through the free telescope.


Scenic Overlook

Scenic Overlook

Our two night stay came at a price tag of $54.50 including a relatively high $8.50 reservation fee. We were happy that we did not need to make a modification to or cancel our reservation as those changes also come at a price. Guests may change a reservation for a fee of $5.25 or cancel a reservation for $8.50 - both fees are in addition to the up-front reservation fee. Gates at the park close at 10:00 PM each night during the on-season and at 6:00 PM during off-season with no access after that time.

--- Advertisement ---


Campsite Amenities at Weston Bend State Park

The three primitive tent sites and 34 RV sites with electric hook-ups (some 30-amp and some 50-amp) are not very level however all were clean. Each campsite has paved parking and a picnic area with a wooden picnic table, fire pit with grill and lantern hook located on gravel (therefore mud-free) and the park has a central dumpster. The campground has several "family sites" (basically a double site - two sites adjacent to each other with a shared area in between) which would be great when camping with friends/family as there is still some privacy but enjoying meals and other group events together would be very easy.

We were surprised that, although there was potable water available in the central dump station and at several spigots in the campground, individual sites did not have water connections. Due to frequent winter freezes in Missouri, we assume that this is due to the high cost required to have frost-free water spigots throughout the park. All water is turned off (including restroom facilities) from November 1 - April 14 except for the one frost-free spigot at the central dump station. (There is one vault toilet located in the camping loop for use during the off-season.) Once we settled in for the evening, we realized that we should have filled our tank immediately upon discovering that there was no water at the site, and before unhitching - that's one more thing that we have learned as new RV owners!

Backing into campsite 34 was easy for Scott, and we had trees surrounding our site which provided shade in the early morning and late evening. We also had trees suitable for hanging our hammocks, although they were on the side opposite our trailer entrance door.


Campsite 34 at Weston Bend State Park

Campsite 34 at Weston Bend State Park

With the park being located near the metropolis of Kansas City, there was a good variety of broadcast television stations, and our Sprint cell phone and data service coverage were both good throughout the park.

--- Advertisement ---


Favorite Campsites at Weston Bend State Park

After a morning breakfast, we took our traditional exploratory walk around the campsite loop in search of potential campsites that we'd be interested in reserving on a future visit. Due to the lack of water at each campsite, we chose some of our favorites based on easy access to water:

  • 30-amp sites 11 and 13 (as well as accessible sites 12 and 14) due to their close proximity to water fountains;
  • 30-amp sites 19, 21, 23 and 25 due to the shade provided by the surrounding trees;
  • 50-amp site 28 as it is a pull-through site with good shade; and
  • 50-amp site 31 due to both easy access to water fountains and fairly good shade.

Hiking at Weston Bend State Park

The Park Trails at Weston Bend State Park consist of eight trails ranging from 0.2 miles (about 10 minutes each way) to 3.25 miles (about 1 hour 40 minutes each way) and are rated easy, moderate or rugged:

  • Bear Creek Trail (0.2 miles each way / easy)
  • Missouri River Trail (0.3 miles each way / easy)
  • Weston Bluffs Trail (shared foot & bike trail / 3.25 miles each way / easy)
  • Campground Trail (0.7 mile loop / moderate)
  • North Ridge Trail (0.9 miles each way / moderate)
  • Paved Trail (shared foot & bike trail / 2.75 mile loop / moderate)
  • Harpst Trail (0.7 mile loop / rugged)
  • West Ridge Trail (1.25 miles each way / rugged)

--- Advertisement ---


We chose the Campground Trail which was very near our campsite and has an estimated hiking time of 30 to 40 minutes (although we finished our hike in just over 20 minutes). The trail has a wide, mostly grass walking path and was fairly well shaded by the trees on both sides of the trail.


Campground Trail Trailhead

Campground Trail Trailhead

We were a little surprised at how steep the hike was in a few areas, and other than the chirping of crickets and the buzz buzz buzzing of flies, the walk was very peaceful. The only "wildlife" that we encountered were a couple of bunny rabbits scurrying across the path!


Watch out for Scurrying Bunnies!

Watch out for Scurrying Bunnies!

Based on our experience on one hiking trail, we would definitely love to hike one or more of the other trails. The good news for us is that, with family in the area, we can even make our way back to the park just to hike when we come for a family visit without our RV!

Kansas City, Missouri and Kansas City, Kansas

A benefit for people like us who enjoy sightseeing when traveling in their RV is the proximity of Weston Bend State Park to Kansas City. Less than 45 minutes separates the campground and park from Kansas City in either Missouri or Kansas. Although we did not plan on doing any sightseeing in Kansas City during our one day at the park, if we were staying for a longer period it would definitely be an option.

Being so close, however, did give us the opportunity to have Scott's brother Todd accompany us on our initial drive to the campground. After getting set up for our two night stay and relaxing for a while, we drove Todd back to his home and later met Scott's parents for our last dinner together during this visit. After stuffing ourselves at Estilo Rancho Grill - plenty of chips and salsa followed by a beef chimichanga for Scott and two chile rellenos for me (one chicken and one beef), it was an easy drive back to the park, and we had plenty of time before the gates closed!


Dinner with Scott's Mom and Dad

Dinner with Scott's Mom and Dad

A special thank you goes out to Scott's Mom and Dad for treating us to dinner on our last evening together!

--- Advertisement ---


The Historic Town of Weston, Missouri

Another great benefit of the park for those who enjoy sightseeing is the extremely close proximity to the historic town of Weston. We were excited that, on our last day before heading south, both Scott's sister Natalie and brother Todd drove to Weston for a late morning meet-up.


Weston, Missouri

Weston, Missouri

We all chatted as we walked along the historic Main Street before enjoying lunch at American Bowman Restaurant, one of the companies that make up O'Malley's of Weston (owner of Weston Brewing Company which dates back to 1842).


Historic Main Street

Historic Main Street


Weston City Park

Weston City Park

After lunch, we visited two of the free Weston museums located at opposite ends of Main Street. We started at the two story Weston Historical Museum located at 601 Main Street and home to a large variety of displays including photos, historic documents and furniture, as well as business and household items.


Weston Historical Museum

Weston Historical Museum


Touring the Weston Historical Museum

Touring the Weston Historical Museum

The Lewis & Clark Exhibit, located in the back side of Weston City Hall (300 Main Street), tells the story through video and print of the early years when Lewis and Clark traveled through the area that would later become Weston.

The two museums plus our walk down Main Street are just a small sampling of what the town has to offer. From history to music, dining to both a distillery and winery, antiquing and more, Weston has a little bit of everything!

Camping in Missouri

Our first experience camping in our RV in the state of Missouri was a good one overall, and we would definitely consider a return to Weston Bend State Park. If you have camped in Missouri, what are your favorite campgrounds, and why do you like them?




Weather:82F Mostly Sunny
Review:  Weston Bend State Park







--- Advertisement ---


--- Advertisement ---

Booking.com





Related Wordy Explorers Original Posts:

Please take a moment and look at our original travel blog content.



Other Recent Posts  



Comments    



Passport Stamp Creator
--- Advertisement ---


--- Advertisement ---