My Corner Online
Henry Sever Lake Conservation Area
Henry Sever Lake Conservation Area is located off of Route E, just north of Newark, Knox County, Missouri, which is a small town on Highway 156. It is in the Southeast corner of Knox County.
We headed to Sever Lake after work on Friday, May 19, 2023, in an effort to get ourselves up north to be able to knock off some counties in Missouri that I thought had mainly farmland with not much else to visit in an effort to get something for every website in Missouri on my website pages. We arrived about 9:30 p.m. and were delighted that one of the few open camping spots in the first camping section was the closest to the lake. It got cold in the night at about 46 degrees, but we were cozy warm in our blankets. When we emerged from our tent we were delighted with the view of the lake! There were many RV'ers there on battery or generator and everyone was respectful and kind and quiet time happened without troubles. It seems this area has a lot of repeat visitors and is a fisherman's haven. Hunting is available here as well. I could have kayaked if I had a boat as the water felt calmer and safer than some bigger lakes. The website indicates that there are boat rentals, but I am not sure where they would be located to pay for the same. (I did discover from another conservation area that the boats we saw on the side of the lake were free and available and I sure wish we would have taken one out for a short jaunt.)
After breakfast and a shower we took a hike, also known as a stroll, around the area following the GPS map on the Missouri Conservation Department app. It showed trails and we eventually found one at the edge of the woods, but it was overgrown and there was no way I was heading down that trail without long pants and plenty of tick defense. We walked around the pond and it indicated there was another trail on that side of the lake, but I did not find it. There were plenty of roads and grassy areas to walk about however.
We visited the other campgrounds, one of which is to be available for horses, and drove around to the other side of the lake. You do need to go back to Newark and then drive north to get to the other side, but it is not a far distance and very doable.
Charles on a Facebook post suggested that there were three total lakes in the area and so I post those for others who are traveling that might want to check them out: Baring North Sever Lake and Hurdland South Sever Lake.
A barn swallow
It was awesome in the cool air to take a shower in our privacy tent while watching the lake. There were children playing, so I did have to be careful to hide occasionally.
Since we arrived at night, it sure was a welcomed view in the early morning from our campsite.
