US lakes & pondsUS lakes & pondsSurface area: The USGS National Hydrography Dataset outline (NHD Permanent ID 148801299).
The red circle marks Charity Lake.
Towns and counties: U.S. Census Bureau boundaries overlaid on the USGS lake outline (Missouri: incorporated places touching the lake, otherwise the nearest one).
Official MDC pages. Rules and fees change; check before you go.
Built only from the data on this page: official access lists, OpenStreetMap beaches and trails, campground listings, state and USGS invasive-species records. We don't rate crowds or water quality.
Fish species the Missouri Department of Conservation lists for fishing here: Sunfish, Catfish, Crappie, Black Bass.
Source: Missouri Department of Conservation page for Brickyard Hill Conservation Area (fish listed under Fishing; for areas with several lakes the list covers the whole area) and the MDC managed public waterbodies map. Acreage here can differ slightly from our mapped outline.
Numbers on the map match the list at rightbelow.
Shoreline: USGS National Hydrography Dataset (NHD Waterbody, Permanent ID 148801299), public domain. State outline: U.S. Census Bureau TIGERweb. Points: MDC managed boat ramps and accesses. Dashed trails: © OpenStreetMap contributors (ODbL). Interactive map: Leaflet with © OpenStreetMap contributors. Not for navigation.
OpenStreetMap shows about 0.9 mi of public hiking and walking trail within about 50 m (160 ft) of the Charity Lake shoreline, mostly along the north shore.
No trailhead is mapped for these trails. The closest public access site is Brickyard Hill Conservation Area, 100 ft from a shoreline trail (Missouri Dept. of Conservation access data).
The dashed brown line on the lake map shows these trails. We include paths, footways and marked trails that OpenStreetMap doesn't mark as private, and leave out roads, sidewalks and snowmobile corridors. Mapped trails can still cross private land or close for the season, and not every trail is mapped, so follow posted signs.
Trails: © OpenStreetMap contributors, available under the Open Database License (ODbL). Map data as of Oct 9, 2026. Trail lengths count only the parts within about 50 m of the USGS NHD lake outline.
Live from the National Weather Service API for the lake's coordinates (40.4792, -95.5809). The nearest station may be several miles away. NWS forecast for Charity Lake. No live water-temperature sensor is shown because we haven't found a public one for this lake.
Based on solunar theory, an estimate. Major periods (about 2 hours) center on when the moon is directly overhead or underfoot; minor periods (about 1 hour) center on moonrise and moonset. The 0–100 activity score rises during those periods and gets a boost near sunrise and sunset and around the new and full moon. Weather, water temperature and pressure often matter more. Sun and moon times are calculated in your browser from the lake's coordinates with standard astronomy formulas, shown in CT (America/Chicago), and accurate to within a few minutes.
1 public access site listed, 1 with a boat ramp or trailer launch.
| Site | Town | Owner | Type | Parking | Fee | Uses | Map |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Brickyard Hill Conservation Area | Watson | Missouri Department of Conservation | Boat ramp · Yes ramp | — | No fee | Boating | 40.4756, -95.5839 |
MDC managed boat ramps and accesses
Fees, hours and rules change; confirm with the site owner before you go.
Charity Lake covers about 14 acres in Watson, Missouri (Atchison County).
Missouri Department of Conservation lists Black Bass, Crappie, Catfish and Sunfish.
Yes. 1 public trailer launch is listed: Brickyard Hill Conservation Area. Check posted fees and parking rules.
Charity Lake touches Watson in Atchison County, Missouri.
Know Charity Lake? Tell us about the launch, parking, where they're biting or anything a first-time visitor should know. Tips go privately to the LakeRipple editor; nothing is posted automatically. Helpful tips may be featured on this page (we'll use your first name only if you give one).
Straight-line distance between lake centers. All Missouri lakes & ponds · All waters in Watson