Best Glamping near Bolivar, MO

We camped in campground 1 right next to the play ground. Super clean, had a view of the lake. Within walking distance of the marina. Everyone was very friendly. My only complaint is the first night we had super noisy neighbors. I'm all for music and a good time but past quiet hours I think one should tone it down a bit. I assumed the host would tell them to be quiet. It did take me complaining the next morning, and then the host went to talk to them. Rest of the trip was smooth as can be! Kayak trails on the lake...beautiful clean swimming beaches. Can't wait to go back :)

Because you’re going to see and hear a lot of them, as there is a train track very close to the site.

This campground itself was nice. The staff was so extremely friendly. The trees are old and tall, creating a canopy over the sites, so even with the weather cresting 95°, the site felt nice.

I brought my travel trailer and stayed on lot 28. It was a KOA Patio site (a cement patio area with a table, chairs, and fire pit) that had city water, sewer, and electric. The lot was well cared for and my spot was incredibly flat/level. It’s always a nice feeling to pull in and set up with minimal effort.

The pool is small, but just a short walk from any site on the grounds. The clubhouse/store is well stoked if you forgot anything, or if you decide you need another six pack.

As another review mentioned, you can order pizza. The hours are reasonable. You can also order fresh made mini donuts in the morning. I nice treat for the family or with coffee on your way out!

If it wasn’t for the trains coming by blowing their horns, this would easily be a favorite spot.

Campsite Review

This is quite a large campground, meaning it can easily cater to tents, car campers, and RV heroes. Each site had electrical hook-ups, and there was a common combination shower & laundry area. My campsite, like all, came with a picnic table and a fire pit. I definitely recommend ear plugs if you are a light sleeper since the bugs were very loud all night. This is one of a few campgrounds within the State Park and I chose it since it offered lakeside views – which were very pleasant. There was also boat ramp access. I had a nice bike ride from the campgrounds to a nearby campsite area near Racoon Ridge on some well paved roads, capped off with some different lakeside views. There was a few places to fill up drinkable water and use bathrooms.

Product Review

I won the Saris Feedom Superclamp 2-Bike bike rack from a contest held on The Dyrt's facebook page, so I decided after a few weeks and trips with the product to do a review.

So far the bike rack has been up to Jasper National Park from Boulder, CO with stops along the way in Grand Tetons, YellowStone, Glacier, Banff and Lake Louise National Parks as well as a roadtrip from Boulder to Toronto, ON through Missouri, Kansas, Kentucky, Tennessee, Ohio, Illinois and Michigan. I've gone on various road conditions over the 5,000+ miles as well as in various driving conditions (city, highway, off roading, and country).

This bike rack is incredibly easy to use. It is what I call "micro adjustable" just because the bike is clamped to the rack with a bunch of slide-able wheel wells and tire arms adjustable at any position. It works with any bike type, and is super easy to install - no special tools needed. Your car just needs either a 1.25" or 2" hitch. Watch the video review here.

I also love that it comes with included, retractable bike locks to secure your crappy or expensive bikes to the rack, then another lock between the rack and your car's hitch. I can't fully open my trunk (although it looks like the new model EX2 solves this bit of trouble) when I have bikes on the back, which I would complain about if this didn't take any longer than 10 seconds to get the bike's off.

I was also impressed how well the rack held up when I went up Shadow Mountain with 2 on the rack to do some riding around the summit with the Grand Tetons as my backdrop. The bumpy road and constant rocking could've bent the frame, but it held up beautifully.

Shout out to Saris for putting some good material around the wheel clamps to keep any harsh contact points against my bike. My bikes are cheap, but someone with anything they care about will appreciate the care they took to keep their bike protected.

I'll do an update on this review after a few more weeks with the rack for my overall impressions, and so far so good!

ROAD TRIP!

And so the road trip to Canada with my dog Sirius begins! I hit the road a little late from Colorado, so I knew as I was driving that when I finally made it to Missouri I was going to be rolling into the campsite in dark. Luckily, most of the drive east once you leave the Rocky Mountains is flat and uneventful so anything I would have seen in the daytime wasn’t much better than blackness. There’s some vast prairie landscape along highway 70, so it’s not the worst scenery to have, but I’ve driven from Colorado to Chicago a few time and I was trying to avoid another one of those endless farm field drives you can find along highway 80. Oh well, more of the same I guess.

When I was researching places roughly 9 hours from home, Harry S Truman State Park looked like a fun place to check out near the Ozarks if you’re on the road and passing through. There are lakes plenty large enough for any water activities you’re creative enough to think up, and the many campgrounds found scattered in the parkland offer a great balance of seclusion and variety. I picked Long Shoal since it was near the water and promised some nice lakefront views. I was going to have to wait until the morning to find out if that promise was one the park could deliver on though, as I didn’t arrive into camp until close to 2am. I parked, popped up the rooftop tent, popped in my ear plugs, and hit the sack. The next morning I awoke to a large lake and a kayaker enjoying their morning paddle. My morning was spent cycling the 4 miles just past the welcome center, where I enjoyed some more lakeside views from Racoon Ridge. It certainly was convenient to have a paved road the entire ride lined with dense forest trees. I wish I saw some deer along the way, but I can’t always get so lucky. The heat was quite strong, so it was a nice coincidence that the ride was shaded and hugged the water’s edge. I took in the lake views, but I didn’t have long to enjoy the scenery, as I had another 8 plus hours in the car that day, since I wanted to get to Kentucky and spend my real play time of the trip checking out the Land Between the Lakes Recreation area.

Stayed 7/22/200 - $15/night

Site 97

Lake-view sites, beaches, flush toilets and showers, all for$15/night. Don’t have super high expectations.

PROS:

Great sites on the water. Good space with picnic table and fire rings with a grate. Site 97 was on a corner, with a neighbor to one side, and lots of space between sites to the other.

CONS:

Showers aren’t great. Cobwebs and mold. First door didn’t even lock. Wide gaps with no curtain. No soap in bathrooms.(During COVID). Can’t expect much for$15/night, but bathrooms/showers were disappointing.

You can setup in the grass, right by the water and enjoy the beach. The ranger also told us of beach access just outside the park, across the street. Bathroom/shower house was a bit of a walk from our site, but nothing crazy. Worth it for the views. No problems with AT&T cell service.

PROS 

Senior discount 

Check-in via text was easy and fast 

Beautifully maintained state park 

Quiet during week 

Pull-thru Site 102 level, concrete pad surrounded by grass 

Site sufficient length for trailer and tow vehicle 

Metal frame plastic plank picnic table metal fire ring with cooking grate 

Dark sky friendly except for campsites 101-106 

Trash dumpsters throughout campground 1 

Firewood for sale $5 at entrance gate house 

Huge park store! 

CONS. 

1 toilet and 1 shower for 48 campsites in Campground 1. Both door locks did not work. There were lines for the one toilet most of the time!!!

$6.50 Reservation Fee 

Site 102 had a wonderful view of the entrance gatehouse that had blaring lights all night, the one lane dump station and a dumpster 

Campground 101-106 sites slammed together; our campfire ring was 15 feet from neighbors sewer outlet 

Site 102 campfire ring was 2 feet from site unmovable picnic table 

No privacy from any other sites 

No security overnight gate closures 

Would not recommend Park restaurant