Things to do

State Parks

Two Missouri state parks are right here in the county.

Sam A. Baker State Park

Over 5,000 acres in the St. Francois Mountains near Patterson, with the St. Francis River and Big Creek for fishing, canoeing, and swimming. Named for Wayne County native and Missouri governor Samuel Baker, who pushed for the park’s creation in the 1920s. Trails range from an easy paved 1.5-mile bike path to the rugged 14-mile Mudlick Trail; several of the park’s rustic stone cabins date to the 1930s CCC era.

Lake Wappapello State Park

A 1,854-acre park bordering Lake Wappapello, with two campgrounds and trails for hikers, bikers, backpackers, and equestrians, plus swimming, fishing, and boating on the lake.

Lakes & Rivers

Two Army Corps of Engineers lakes, each with a handful of named access points and parks, plus a scenic canyon carved by a creek.

Lake Wappapello

A 44,000-acre Army Corps of Engineers reservoir on the St. Francis River, created in 1938 for flood control; most of it lies in Wayne County. The Corps runs close to a dozen named recreation areas around the lake — Greenville, Chaonia (Choania Landing), Peoples Creek, Redman Creek, Snow Creek, Spillway, Eagle Point, Rockwood Point, and Sundowner among them — with boat ramps, campgrounds, and day-use areas.

34 Bridge Recreation Area

A free, undeveloped Corps of Engineers access point on the St. Francis River near Wappapello Lake, popular for swimming and picnicking on its large gravel bars, and used as a put-in/take-out for float trips.

Clearwater Lake

A Black River reservoir straddling Wayne and Reynolds counties about six miles from Piedmont, managed by the Army Corps of Engineers. Five Corps-run parks ring the lake — Bluff View, Highway K, Piedmont Park, River Road Park, and Webb Creek Park — each with a swim beach, and a resort and marina (see the business directory) for boating and fishing.

Bluff View

One of Clearwater Lake’s five Corps of Engineers parks, with a campground, boat ramp, swim beach, playground, and a full-service marina — pontoon and john-boat rentals, bait, tackle, and fuel. Known for its spring white bass run.

Lon Sanders Canyon Conservation Area

A 130-acre Missouri Department of Conservation area just outside Piedmont, where McKenzie Creek cuts a shut-in canyon with waterfalls and pools. Stone stairs and small rock dams remain from a St. Louis businessman’s failed 1880s attempt to build a private resort here. A hiking trail leads through it.

Hunting & Fishing Areas

Missouri Department of Conservation areas and national forest land open to hunting, fishing, and trapping in season.

Coldwater Conservation Area

The county’s largest conservation area at 10,804 acres, mostly forested, north of Greenville off Highway 67. Open for deer, turkey, and bear hunting (archery and firearms), plus small game and dog training.

Bradley A. Hammer Memorial Conservation Area

344 acres with 1.4 miles of Black River frontage, a half mile south of Williamsville. Fishing for white bass, sunfish, catfish, and black bass; hunting for deer, turkey, rabbit, squirrel, dove, and quail; primitive boat access to the river.

University Forest Conservation Area

7,151 acres of oak-hickory forest shared with Butler County, near Lake Wappapello’s south side. A working forest-research site with multi-use trails for hiking, horseback riding, and biking, plus hunting for deer, turkey, bear, and small game.

Mark Twain National Forest

The Poplar Bluff Ranger District manages national forest land in Wayne County, north of Poplar Bluff and east of Lake Wappapello, open to hunting and dispersed recreation under federal forest rules.

Riverside Conservation Area

A 2,768-acre conservation area near Piedmont with fishing for sunfish, catfish, and black bass; hunting for deer and turkey (archery and firearms) plus rabbit and squirrel; and designated campsites. Boats with electric motors are permitted on designated waters.

Graves Mountain Conservation Area

A 3,027-acre forested conservation area near Sam A. Baker State Park, open for hunting deer, bear, and turkey (archery and firearms) plus squirrel, with fishing on designated waters, open walk-in/float-in/backpack camping, hiking, and unimproved roads open to public vehicles.

Coldwater Access

A 79-acre old field and forest tract on the St. Francis River, with fishing for white bass, walleye/sauger, rock bass, sunfish, suckers, catfish, and black bass; hunting for deer, bear, turkey, rabbit, and dove; plus camping, boating, and bird watching.

Flatwoods Conservation Area

A 907-acre forested conservation area east of Piedmont with an on-site archery and firearms range. Open for hunting deer, bear, turkey, and squirrel, with camping, bird watching, and target shooting. Portable tree stands allowed Sept. 1–Jan. 31; blinds and decoys must be removed daily.

Wappapello Lake Management Lands

1,880 acres along the St. Francis River corridor between Sam A. Baker State Park and Wappapello Lake, with bottomland forest, upland forest, and open land, including a section of the Ozark Trail. Open for hunting deer, turkey, rabbit, and squirrel, plus fishing for sunfish, catfish, and black bass, birding, and designated-site camping.

Iron Bridge Access

A 70-acre forested access area on Bear Creek near Lowndes. Open for archery-only deer hunting (antlerless permits allowed) and turkey hunting (archery and firearms), plus fishing for black bass and sunfish, camping, bird watching, and hiking.

Yokum School Conservation Area

A 160-acre upland forested tract on the east side of Wappapello Lake, south of Greenville. Open for hunting deer, bear, turkey, rabbit, squirrel, and quail, with fishing, one unimproved tent campsite, and bird watching.

Duck Creek Conservation Area

A 6,318-acre wetland conservation area spanning Stoddard, Bollinger, and Wayne counties, with 1,500 acres of open marsh, 2,700 acres of bottomland forest, and an 1,800-acre lake — a remnant of southeast Missouri’s historic bottomland hardwood forest. Open for deer hunting (archery only), turkey, rabbit, and dove hunting, morning-draw waterfowl hunting, fishing for sunfish, catfish, crappie, and black bass, an archery range, and designated camping.

Recreation

Parks, golf, and other ways to get active around town.

Piedmont Canyon Club

A 9-hole golf course at the base of Clark’s Mountain, with a full-service restaurant and bar, men’s/women’s/mixed leagues, tournaments, and pool access with membership.

Piedmont City Parks

The City of Piedmont is proud of its parks and recreation facilities. The park system is administered by a City Council–appointed board of directors, which administers an annual budget and supervises all park activities, including a summer Little League baseball and soccer program. A park commissioner and their staff are directly responsible for the park board. The city has three baseball fields, tennis courts, a nature trail, and other playground programs. Clearwater R-1 School shares use of these facilities and assists the parks with financial support and maintenance.

Pine Hill Drive-In

A classic single-screen drive-in movie theater in Piedmont, open since 1953. It closed in 2015 but reopened under new owners in 2022.

Luna Museum

The Wayne County Historical Society’s museum in Piedmont, with local-history exhibits — see the History page for the Society’s hours and contact info.

Annual Events

A few yearly traditions worth planning a trip around.

Wayne County Fair

An annual county fair with 4-H and FFA livestock shows, an events center, multiple arenas, and entertainment through the week — 5 miles north of Greenville off Highway 67.

UFO Fest

A free, family-friendly festival organized by the Piedmont Area Chamber of Commerce, typically held in late April, celebrating the 1973 UFO sightings that made Piedmont the official UFO Capital of Missouri. Guest speakers and history talks at the Luna Museum; food trucks, craft vendors, and demonstrations along the Mackenzie Creek Greenway; an evening Alien Parade, Pet Costume Parade, and Alien/UFO Costume Contest; the Alien Abduction Dash 5K and Fun Run; and tours of local UFO landmarks, including the UFO Park at 220 Legion Park Road.

Ozark Heritage Festival

A yearly festival presented by the Piedmont Area Chamber of Commerce, held in mid-October, celebrating Ozark heritage with a craft fair, carnival, food trucks, parade, car show, live music, and more.

Piedmont 4th of July Celebration

An annual Fourth of July celebration hosted by the Piedmont Area Chamber of Commerce. Food trucks and sales vendors set up along the McKenzie Creek Greenway (free of charge, first-come, first-served); a community parade — open to floats, old cars, ATVs, tractors, and walkers, with no entry fee or pre-registration required — lines up at the Clearwater High School parking lot before heading down Main Street to Legion Park Road; and an evening fireworks display caps off the night, best viewed from the Greenway at Ash Street.

Greenville 4th of July Picnic and Parade

An annual, traditional community celebration at Greenville City Park, hosted by the East Wayne County Chamber of Commerce and free to attend. A parade kicks off the day, followed by the Rhonda Eads Memorial Kid’s Games, traditional old-fashioned games, and the popular "Sawdust Scramble," where kids search a truckload of sawdust for hidden money. The day also features an antique car and motorcycle show, a petting zoo, live musical entertainment, and food, clothing, and craft vendors. The celebration wraps up after dark with one of the county’s largest and most popular fireworks displays.

Wayne County Outdoor Expo

An annual outdoor-gear expo held in late September at the McKenzie Creek Greenway, with a wide variety of vendors selling hunting, fishing, and camping equipment, archery, guns, knives, ammunition, boats, side-by-sides (SxS), campers, survival gear, and food-preservation supplies, plus special competitions throughout the day.

Verify before relying on this. Compiled from Missouri State Parks, the Missouri Department of Conservation, the Army Corps of Engineers, and each venue’s own site. Hours, fees, and regulations change — check directly before a trip, especially for hunting and fishing seasons and limits.