Driving DirectionsFrom Rocheport, take Highway 40 west 3 miles to the area. HighlightsThis area is more than half wetlands and also contains forest, old fields, and cropland. Facilities/ features: primitive camping, fishable ponds/blue holes, Missouri River frontage within hiking distance. About This AreaDiana Bend Conservation Area is in Howard County, about five miles east of Boonville. To reach the area from I-70 at Columbia, travel west and take the Midway Exit onto Highway 40. Drive 11 miles to the welcome sign on the left. The area, which is adjacent to the Missouri River is 0.625 mile down a gravel road.This 1,343-acre area is bounded on the south by the Missouri River, on the east by Moniteau Creek, on the north by the Katy Trail, and on the west by a levee.Diana Bend Conservation Area is subject to seasonal flooding. Two water control structures help control inundation, but no pumps have been installed. Vegetation is dependent on river fluctuations. The area may contain up to 400 acres of water less than two feet deep, which can provide excellent waterfowl hunting opportunities.The Missouri River and Moniteau Creek provide good fishing, but visitors need a boat to access them. A three-acre blue hole on the west portion of the area provides walk-in fishing.In the past, this area was intensively farmed. About 30 percent of the area is now regenerating cottonwoods and willows. Bottomland hardwood trees were planted in 1998.The Conservation Department continues to plant about 15 percent of the area in row crops, all of which are left unharvested to provide food for wildlife.A 100-acre semi-permanent marsh has been developed adjacent to the Katy Trail. A disabled accessible wildlife viewing blind exists at the base of the bluffs just west of Rocheport. A viewing platform also offers a commanding view of the floodplain from atop the bluffs.