Free Camping for Veterans at Finger Lakes, Boone County

Finger Lakes State Park in Boone County is offering veterans and active-duty service members a free night of camping on Wednesday, Nov. 11 — Veterans Day — as part of a statewide Missouri State Parks promotion. It’s the only state park campground in our four-county coverage area (Boone, Howard, Cooper and Callaway), so it’s the one local option for anyone who wants to take the offer up close to home.

Veterans and active-duty military who camp at any Missouri state park campground the night of Nov. 11 get a promo code for a free night’s stay after showing valid ID at check-in, according to Missouri State Parks’ official Veterans Day page. The same promotion includes free tours of state historic sites from Saturday, Nov. 7 through Nov. 11 for anyone with valid veteran or active-duty ID, and it’s on top of a year-round $2-a-night camping discount that covers retired, veteran and active-duty personnel and the family members of active-duty service members (valid ID types include a CAC card, DD Form 1173 or Form 214).

Where is the nearest qualifying campground?

Finger Lakes State Park sits at 1505 E. Peabody Road in Columbia, on the Boone County side of town, as we detailed in our guide to Boone County’s state parks and historic sites. It’s one of two state park units in Boone County, but the only one with a regular campground — Rock Bridge Memorial State Park offers primitive group camping only, by reservation, and none of the other state park units in Howard, Cooper or Callaway counties (all stretches of the Katy Trail) have state-run camping at all, according to our four-county state parks guide.

The campground at Finger Lakes is open year-round, per the park’s camping page, though showers and modern restrooms run only from April through October; from November through March, potable water is available near Site 14 and at the dump station. Grounds hours this time of year are 6 a.m. to 9 p.m., and the park office is open 9 a.m. to 3 p.m., November through March.

What will a night cost, and how do you book it?

Outside the Veterans Day promotion, Finger Lakes charges November-through-March nightly rates of $14 for a basic site and $23 or $25 for 30-amp or 50-amp electric sites, according to the park’s camping page. Sites can be reserved up to 12 months in advance by phone at 877-422-6766 or through the state’s online camping reservation system. The promo code is issued at check-in once staff see a qualifying ID, so anyone planning to use it should still call ahead to confirm site availability — the park office number is 573-443-5315.

Missouri State Parks says to check mostateparks.com for current conditions before heading out, since park hours can change in the fall.