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Best Tent Camping near Altenburg, MO

455 Reviews

Several tent campgrounds provide options near Altenburg, Missouri with both established and primitive sites available. Apple Creek Conservation Area offers tent camping with boat-in and hike-in access for those seeking a more secluded experience. The area features level gravel sites that provide clean camping even in damp weather. Ferne Clyffe State Park, located in Illinois, maintains multiple tent camping areas including Turkey Ridge Campground and Backpack Campground with walk-in access.

Most tent campgrounds in this region provide basic amenities for primitive camping. Apple Creek Conservation Area includes picnic tables and trash cans but no drinking water or toilet facilities. Lake Girardeau Conservation Area offers tent sites with picnic tables, fire pits, and vault toilets but no running water. Ferne Clyffe State Park provides more developed options with drinking water access and toilet facilities at Turkey Ridge Campground, while its Backpack Campground maintains a more primitive experience with toilet access but fewer amenities. Campers should check seasonal availability as some areas like Buck Ridge Campground operate only from March 15 to December 15.

The tent camping experience varies significantly across locations. Backpack Campground at Ferne Clyffe State Park offers secluded, wooded sites that provide privacy and easy access to hiking trails and waterfalls. Dutchman Lake Camp provides a more dispersed experience for tent campers seeking solitude. At Lake Girardeau Conservation Area, the small primitive campground features approximately eight sites but offers good fishing and kayaking opportunities on the no-wake lake. One camper noted that "it is secluded and nice to just get away, but each campsite is very close to each other so there is not a lot of privacy." Turkey Ridge Campground offers more spacious tent sites with good separation between camping areas, making it suitable for those wanting more room while maintaining access to multiple hiking trails.

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Best Tent Sites Near Altenburg, Missouri (15)

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Recent Tent Camping Photos near Altenburg, MO

6 Photos of 15 Altenburg Campgrounds

Tent Camping Reviews near Altenburg, MO

455 Reviews of 15 Altenburg Campgrounds

  • S
    Oct. 7, 2020

    Giant City State Park Campground

    No privacy at tent camp, hike amazing!

    So first of all- I think it’s fair to state before I leave a review that my husband and I prefer primitive and private camping. The fewer people we see while we’re out, the better. We live in a city so when we camp, we want the opposite. If you enjoy RV camping or don’t mind not so Private spots, this is a decent spot to spend the night. If you like primitive/private camping- il fill you in below!

    We do tent camping and Saw there were walk-in sites and hike in sites at this campground. Usually walk-in sites are pretty private and dispersed well - atleast where we’ve been before. The 14 “primitive” camping sites were right next to eachothwr with little to no privacy at all. Good tree cover for shade but otherwise you’re basically setting up your tent and area in an open field. That was a little disappointing to us because it wasn’t what we thought we would find. The RV spots also seem super close together but again- we like things spread out so maybe it would be an OK place for some.

    The vault toilets near the tent sites were...as clean as vault toilets get! And we did not use tje shower facilities so can’t speak on that.

    If we had been just the 2 of us, we would’ve hiked in to do our camping along one of the hiking paths but we were meeting two other friends and were unsure if they would want to hike miles to a spot so we opted for the tent spots just after the RV campground. If you want more privacy for an evening of camping, you’ll need to come with your gear packed up decently enough to hike it out atleast a mile onto the trails. There is camping allowed along the trails as long as you are 100 ft from the trail so that was an option, but in certain spots along the trail it’s challenging to find a clearing (hammocks would be great along the trail). There is also an official primitive camping site halfway through the 12 mile loop of the Red Ceder Trail. We day hiked almost the whole loop but made a Weird little detour so we didn’t get to check these spots out.

    We were hoping to find a campsite that- as get as difficulty of accessibility level- was in between a 6 mile hike and the tent spots in the field but there isn’t any official spot like that even tho there’s tons of space and potential for it. Rant over about the campground. Let’s talk about the hiking! The hiking was truly awesome and felt like it balanced out my disappointment with the campground. Doing the whole 12 mile loop of tje Red Cedar Trail was a challenge for us! We really enjoyed it. In some spots, the trail markers are a little confusing, but overall it’s decently marked and the map is somewhat helpful just to kindve know vaguely where you are. The 2nd day, we went back and did about half rhe loop and also checked out the more popular section of the trails back there that include Giant City Nature Trail, Devils Stand Table, and a few others. Very cool rock formations. Pretty busy in the weekend over there but the test of the trails away from that area with those big landmarks was completely deserted and there are some super cool rock formations not on the map at all.

    Over all, this was a fun 4 days. We would return and plan on hiking out into the trails to camp for our evenings. If you like privacy around your campfire at night, I can’t recommend the campground.

  • Leah H.
    Jul. 18, 2017

    Silver Mines

    Great Camping Near the River

    This camp site has RV hook-ups and tent camping. There are trees throughout the campground if you're looking to set up a hammock. Each site has a fire ring and picnic table and is a mix of grass and light gravel. Pit toilets, no showers. Water spigots throughout the camp ground. Keep an eye out for snakes though! I nearly stepped on a copper head in the outhouse! Camp sites are a 2 minute walk to the St. Francois River. Great hiking along the river and good fishing, swimming and kayaking in the river! Also not to far from the Castor River Shut-ins if you're looking to pack two rivers into one trip. We just celebrated my husband's birthday here last weekend, though we have been a few times before. Always a blast!

  • Napunani
    Jun. 26, 2022

    Trail of Tears State Park Campground

    Back-up to the Mississippi River

    PRO 

    Senior discount saving $6 

    Able to reserve on-line 365 days prior to arriving 

    Very friendly and helpful camp host 

    Unobstructed view of the Mississippi River 

    Great dark sky viewing 

    No highway/road noise, but... 

    Asphalt parking pad surrounded by grass 

    Metal fire pit with cooking grate 

    One hook lantern pole 

    Moveable wooden picnic table in the grass 

    Toilet/shower building.35 miles from campground very nice and very clean with ample TP and hand soap 

    Firewood for sale by camp host $5 

    Mississippi River Scenic Overlook was very nice V

    Visitor Center has small museum (no admission fee) on the Trail of Tears Native American tribal migration 

    Coin-operated laundromat on South Hope Street Jackson after the roundabout 12 miles from campground 

    Tractors Restaurant Main Street Jackson very good diner type restaurant 

    CONS

    $8.50 reservation fee for online self made reservation 

    Sites that back to the river very close to each other. We stepped out our door onto the neighbors stinky slinky. Insufficient space to deploy awning. 

    Electrical utility connection is on passenger side of the campsite#6 

    Sewer connection was high above ground so drainage was up hill. Camp host warned us upon arrival we may need to use dump station to get tanks totally drained. 

    Site 6 not level side-to-side 

    Lots of trains, day and night with train horn blaring due to road crossing at campground Lots of river barge noise 

    Only one single unisex pit toilet in campground 

    No park headquarters or entrance gate office for check-in. Sign in campground informing how to conduct virtual check in. 

    No security gate closed overnight 

    No ranger patrolling campground

    No WiFi 

    2 bars Verizon LTE

  • AC
    May. 16, 2021

    Washington County State Recreation Area

    Shady Rest campground

    Really great campground. Good mix of tents and RVs. Bath house was very well kept and clean. Showers ran cold at first but after a few mins it gets warmer! There were plenty of pit toliets through out the campground and trash cans. My tent site was clean, good flat spot for tent, picnic table and fire pit with attached grill.

    The Concession building in the park is closing. No boat rentals, selling everything he has on the shelf.

    Caught a few bass and and good amount of hiking. Large trail around the whole lake, smaller trails lead to sites around the different campgrounds.

  • Stephanie O.
    Jan. 27, 2023

    Hawn State Park Campground

    Just About Perfect

    Took the youngest kids for their first camping trip, and it could not have been better. Plenty of space, site was level for our tents and had a nice, soft carpet of pine needles, facilities in great shape (didn't use the showers, but they looked decent and were fairly popular), nice sink in the laundry room we used to fill our dish-washing tubs, good neighbors, nobody too noisy and folks generally kind and friendly. Really enjoyed being on the tents-only side of the campground--allowed for a clear, wide view of the landscape and the fall colors. Hiking is some of the best in Missouri.

    I will say that the "walk-in" sites didn't seem to have much privacy and weren't very far from the parking lot, if that matters to you.

    All in all, you can't get much better for tent camping.

  • Cameron
    Oct. 1, 2020

    Bean Ridge Pond Campground

    Free, primitive campground, loud partiers

    Got here on a Saturday night in late September and both of the campsites were available. Campsites consist of a clearing with a fire pit and a picnic table. No litter. No toilets. Very slow and spotty AT&T service: I was able to text but not access the Internet. The area is very pretty. Soft ground for staking a tent. Bugs were alright, no need for bug spray. There’s water access at the pond, but it’s obviously stagnant and very brackish. Big downside was a convoy of Jeeps full of partiers rolled down to the pond at 12:30am and hung out down there blasting music for an hour, which is a real sleep ruiner. This might be a local party spot, so be aware and maybe pack earplugs if you’re coming on a weekend. Upside is that it’s in a National Forest, so if both sites are taken, you can always dispersed camp

  • Katie B.The Dyrt PRO User
    Oct. 3, 2025

    Dutchman Lake Camp

    Great stop for the night

    We pulled in around midnight and left at 8 am. There’s a large turnaround that could fit many vehicles, but someone was already parked there and we didn’t want to disturb them and also wanted our privacy. There a space for a vehicle to pull off and walk around some boulders to set up a camp, complete with a fire ring. Some bike-packers were already set up there. Close to the lake there is another spot for one or two vehicles. The lake surface had a lot of bug activity - no thanks! We ended up choosing a grassy space next to the curve in the road in between our neighbors. Very peaceful! No bugs.

  • Chelsea D.
    Apr. 23, 2020

    Pine Hills

    Beautiful new Picnic shelter, quiet campground

    This is a very basic campground with some shade. No hookups, really good for tent camping. The new picnic shelter is beautiful and there is seating around a fire pit. This forest does a great job of keeping restrooms very clean.

  • Jessica R.
    May. 18, 2020

    Shawnee Forest Campground

    Quiet

    The sites are nice and level. Quiet in the area. Picnic table and fire ring at every site. Park offers firewood. Pond for fishing so bring your poles. It's catch and release. Manager is very friendly and accommodates you as possible.

Guide to Altenburg

Tent campground options near Altenburg, Missouri range from conservation areas to state parks across Missouri and neighboring Illinois. Accessible within 25-40 miles of Altenburg, most camping areas provide basic facilities with varying levels of amenities based on their designation. The region experiences seasonal weather variations with summer temperatures reaching 85-90°F while spring and fall offer milder camping conditions.

What to do

Fishing opportunities: Lake Girardeau Conservation Area offers a no-wake lake ideal for anglers. "Nice little primitive campground with about 8 small spots. Has a nice sized lake good fishing if you are using a boat, or kayak," notes Matthew G.

Water activities: Apple Creek Conservation Area provides access to Apple Creek for kayaking. "The creek is a good place to fish and you can launch a kayak the boat ramp," according to Ralph S., who appreciates the area's practical features.

Hiking trail exploration: Backpack Campground at Ferne Clyffe State Park connects to various hiking trails. Tye K. mentions, "Nice trails for different hiking skill sets," making it accessible for various ability levels.

What campers like

Private wooded sites: Backpack Campground provides secluded camping experiences. Merry L. says, "The walk up primitive sites are secluded, wooded, and within a pit toilet and water source."

Lake access: Lake Girardeau Conservation Area offers direct lake access for camping. One camper notes it's "good for fishing, kayaking or canoeing. It is a no-wake lake."

Clean camping surfaces: Apple Creek Conservation Area features gravel sites that stay relatively clean despite wet conditions. As Ralph S. describes, "It's a level spot with gravel, so it's a 'clean' place in damp weather."

What you should know

Seasonal closures: Buck Ridge Campground operates from March 15 to December 15 only, requiring advance planning for off-season visits.

Limited facilities: Most conservation areas offer basic amenities. Apple Creek includes "a picnic table and trash can" but lacks drinking water and toilet facilities.

Site proximity: Some campgrounds feature closely spaced sites. At Lake Girardeau, a camper notes "each campsite is very close to each other so there is not a lot of privacy."

Tips for camping with families

Waterfall access: Turkey Ridge Campground at Ferne Clyffe State Park provides waterfall access popular with families. Dani B. reports, "There are lots of well maintained trails to hike... hikes that include bluffs, caves, creeks, etc. Our favorite is Hawk's Cave Trail. It's an easy hike and the kids explored the caves for hours!"

Swimming options: Whippoorwill Lake Campground Resort offers family-friendly lake swimming. "Lake has sandy beaches. Small playset in the water for kids," says Brasley C.

Cabin alternatives: For families seeking tent alternatives, Whippoorwill Lake provides cabin options. "We have stayed in the cabins. It was a double bed and also had a set of bunks. So plenty of room," notes one camper.

Tips from RVers

Road access challenges: Dutchman Lake Camp provides primitive camping with variable road conditions. Katie B. warns, "The road is deceptively smooth. Ruts and water crossings appear suddenly."

Site selection: At Turkey Ridge Campground, certain sites offer more privacy. David H. suggests, "#35 is a nice location. Large yard and not super close to other campers. #53 is smaller but very private."

Seasonal crowds: Many campgrounds fill quickly during peak periods. At Turkey Ridge, one camper reports, "Camped end of April and park was full," indicating the need for advance planning during popular camping months.

Frequently Asked Questions

Which is the most popular tent campsite near Altenburg, MO?

According to TheDyrt.com, the most popular tent campground near Altenburg, MO is Apple Creek Conservation Area with a 3-star rating from 1 review.

What is the best site to find tent camping near Altenburg, MO?

TheDyrt.com has all 15 tent camping locations near Altenburg, MO, with real photos and reviews from campers.

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