Canton City River Park

The good: $20 a night for FHU, open all winter long and great views right on the Mississippi River.

The bad: Train tracks 50 feet from the campsite. There’s an unguarded crossing nearby so the trains are blasting their horns right as they go past at all hours. It’s a small town but dozens of cars drive through the parks every day to look at the River. Pads are concrete but small. Walking in mud outside the rig.

The place is good only because it’s open all winter with FHU. Very limited options in the area for winter use. If you’re just passing through, the Mark Twain casino a couple miles South allows free overnights in their lot. The train goes by there too but it’s further away and they aren’t blowing the horns.

I am so thankful this site was available year round. I was on a long road trip and needed a place to stay for the night, and this was incredibly conveniently located just off of highway 61.

Pros:

• Open year round
• Beautiful views of the river.
• Electricity, water, and grills/fire rings at every site
• Concrete pads are level

Cons:

• The park is located ~100 feet away from freight train tracks, which are amazingly loud as they pass at all hours. I was able to sleep through most of them, but the noise is tremendous.
• No security or fencing (though the location is remote and industrial, so i felt quite safe)