Northern Missouri

Wakonda State Park's sand-bottom lakes near La Grange

Wakonda State Park is the county's anchor outdoor-recreation destination, offering lakes, camping, swimming, and fishing managed by Missouri State Parks.

Wakonda State Park, near La Grange in Lewis County, is the area’s anchor for outdoor recreation. The park is known for a cluster of lakes set in former sand-and-gravel mining ground, with a sand swimming beach, camping, and fishing among the typical draws. It is managed by Missouri State Parks, which is the authoritative source for current facilities, camping reservations, swimming-beach status, and any seasonal closures. As with any park built around water, conditions and amenities can change seasonally, so they should be checked before a visit rather than assumed. For residents and visitors, Wakonda is the most accessible developed recreation site in a county otherwise defined by farmland and the river. Confirm current hours, fees, and reservations through Missouri State Parks before planning a trip.

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Where this fits: this note belongs to Lewis County. See every local note for the county on its page.

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Canton and La Grange sit on the Mississippi floodplain Canton and La Grange front the Mississippi, so flood-zone status is a real factor for buyers, and protection varies from one parcel to the next. Lock & Dam 20 at Canton is a federal river structure Lock and Dam 20 on the Mississippi at Canton is part of the federal navigation system run by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, shaping the river, barge traffic, and the local waterfront. The county seat is Monticello, not Canton The best-known town in Lewis County (Canton, on the Mississippi) is not the county seat. The seat is Monticello, inland, so courthouse and core county business may be in a different place than newcomers expect. Right-to-farm, fences, and livestock on Lewis County land Lewis County is heavily agricultural, so buyers of rural land run into Missouri's fence law, right-to-farm protections, and livestock and nuisance questions that differ from town living.

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