Looking for an adventure where you can explore Carthage and then fall asleep in your tent? Find the best information on tent camping near Carthage, including sites, reviews, and tips for getting the most out of your camping experience. You're sure to find the perfect campsite for your Missouri tent camping excursion.
ort Crowder Conservation Area, located in southern Newton County, was once part of the old, World War II Camp Crowder Army Base. The U.S. Army selected the Neosho site for the base because of its proximity to water, railroads, and highways. Visitors to the area can still see foundations, fruit trees, open fields and other remnants of many of the hundreds of small farms purchased by the federal government for the 60,000-acre base. Camp Crowder was named for Judge Advocate General and U.S. Ambassador to Cuba Enoch H. Crowder. Thousands of soldiers went through basic training here before the camp was decommissioned in the mid 1950s, including Mort Walker, who immortalized the Camp as Camp Swampy in his syndicated comic strip, Beetle Bailey. Fort Crowder Conservation Area, encompassing 2,362 acres, is approximately 60 percent forested. Primary species include white, black, post, blackjack and red oaks, hackberry, elm, black cherry, black walnut, and ash. The remainder of the area is open and includes 200 acres of native warm-season grasses, 100 acres of crop fields and 600 acres of fields maintained in an early successional stage. The area hosts various game species, including quail, rabbits and doves in the open areas and large numbers of deer and squirrels. Turkeys have been stocked here and are now present in good numbers. During your visit to Fort Crowder Conservation Area you may view various forest and wildlife improvement projects in progress from the 11 miles of multiuse trails that wind through the area. These trails are open to hiking, biking, and horseback riding.
Area map: https://mdc.mo.gov/sites/default/files/mo_nature/downloads/conservation-areas/6510map.pdf
Robert E. Talbot Conservation Area is in north-central Lawrence County, 12 miles northwest of Mt. Vernon. In 1980, the Conservation Department purchased 246 acres to maintain and protect riparian habitat along Spring River. Between 1980 and 1986, an additional 4,113 acres were purchased from six landowners, increasing the area to its present size. Originally named after Spring River, which flows unchannelized through the area's southern portion, the area was renamed in 1983 in honor of the late conservation commissioner, Robert E. Talbot from Joplin.
Talbot CA lands vary from the rich bottomland soil along Spring River to rocky, upland soils. Presently, the area is 69 percent open land and 31 percent wooded. Fishing opportunities can be found at the four acre or seven acre lake. Numerous smaller ponds can also be found on the area. The Conservation Department has sharecrop agreements with local farmers to provide food for wildlife. Harvested crops also benefit the local farm economy. Some of the timbered areas on Talbot CA have been thinned in recent years to restore the savanna and woodland natural communities that historically existed there. Periodic prescribed burning is used to maintain these restored natural communities. Prescribed burning is also an important management tool used on the area to benefit quail, rabbit, wild turkey, and a host of other wildlife species.Cattle grazing occurs from April - August on portions of the area. The grazing program is used to improve habitat for grassland obligate wildlife including Bobwhite quail.
Along with high quality upland habitat, visitors will find several miles of multiuse trails that are open to hiking, biking, and horseback riding. Camping is allowed only in the spot designated on the area map. No facilities are provided at the campground. The campground is best suited for tents or small travel trailers/RVs.
Brochure: https://mdc.mo.gov/sites/default/files/mo_nature/downloads/conservation-areas/8037.pdf
Camping is allowed only as designated in the "Things To Do When You Visit" section for this department area. If camping is not listed as an activity in this section, camping is prohibited on the area. Designated camping areas may or may not have defined campsites. Seasonal closures and restrictions may apply to all camping on department areas. On department areas where camping is allowed, camping is limited to a period of 14 consecutive days in any 30-day period. Personal property must be removed at the end of the 14-day period. Unless a special use permit is obtained, total camping days on all department areas are limited to a total of 30 days within one calendar year. Groups of more than 10 people must obtain a special use permit prior to camping. To obtain a special use permit, contact the area manager at the phone number listed for this area in the area details section. Quiet hours are in effect in camping areas from 10 p.m. to 6 a.m. daily. Visitors who are not occupying a campsite are required to leave the campground by 10 p.m. On camping areas with established campsites, only two camping or sleeping units are permitted in each site.
Masters is a shady campground located on Stockton Lake in the scenic Ozark Mountains of southwestern Missouri. The lake and surrounding landscape offer countless recreational opportunities along its nearly 300 miles of shoreline, providing visitors with many ways to explore one of the most sought-after natural areas in the state. Natural Features: The land surrounding the lake contains hundreds of acres of native prairie grasses, rolling hills and thick forests that turn crimson in autumn. An abundance of wildlife lives both in and around the water, including wild turkey, great blue heron, deer and bald eagles. Visitors can learn about the lakes bald eagles by attending an annual eagle-watching event during the winter. Recreation: Boating is always a popular pastime at the lake. Sail boating is especially popular and the lake hosts several races each year. Masters Campground provides a boat ramp for easy access to the water. The waters of Stockton Lake are home to several species of fish including small and largemouth bass, crappie, white bass, walleye, catfish and sunfish, making it an ideal area for anglers. Several trails wind around the lake shore and through the landscape. The Stockton Lake Equestrian Trail continues approximately 15 miles between Hawker Point and Orleans Trail Campgrounds. Facilities: Masters Park offers 66 campsites, each with a lantern hanging post, picnic table and campfire ring. Nearby Attractions: There are three full-service marinas located around the lake, which offer a wide range of services and supplies, including boat rentals, fuel, fishing tackle and restaurants.
Scout
Beautiful views from many of the sites. I noticed several of the tent sites do not have level areas for your tent. T01 site does not have close parking unless you are able to park in the handcap parking. It is a quite park in the evening. Camp host is polite and shower house is kept clean. Vault toilet by the boat ramp is sketchy (where tent camping is located). Will stay here again.
Traveler
I stayed at twin bridges this past weekend with my wife and our two dogs. Despite nice weather it was less than half full. There aee three distinct areas to camp. One on the east side of HW 137, one on the west side of HW 137, and one south of HW 60. The area south of HW 60 is camper pads and very busy as it is right at the boat ramp. This area also charges a premium rate for its location ($27 with water and electric hook ups). The west side of HW 137 has lake huts ($50-$60ish per night) as well as tent and RV sites. The east side of HW 137 has tent and RV sites as well as the visitor center. Tent sites are $14, with electric $18, and electric and water for $22. You can reserve RV sites online but not tent sites. This area is mostly for RVs. The tent sides are all on a hill side so you cant find flat sites to tent camp and tent camping is poorly marked. We did find an "unimproved camping area" presumably for tent camping but everyone with an RV at the nearby RV sites used it as boat trailer parking. There are bathhouse on each side of HW 137 and we found them to be pretty good for a campground. There is a RV dump station behind the visitor center ($5 to dump, free to camping guests, payable at visitor center or envelope station). If you get in late there are signs instructing you to pay at visitor center the next morning. However these must be old signs as there is an envelope station in front of the visitor center door to register and pay (didnt seem like the visitor center is open much). Noticed a lot of trash around camping area into the wooded area around it. Not a lot to do in the park but plenty of fish and boating areas nearby. Also there are camp grills at each RV/camp spot but no fire pits, although we did notice people have just built camp fires as they see fit (not sure of park policy on this). Overall its a decent enough campground if you are going to be spending all your time on the lake but wouldnt recommend for tent camping or longer RV stays if you are looking for hiking trails and more secluded relaxation.
Legend
Squirrel campground is one of the smaller campground at Twin Bridges area of Grand Lake State Park. This campground has both RV and Tent campsites. Most of the sites are tent sites. This campground does have the dump station for the Twin Bridges area of the state park, this is located near the entrance to the campground. Site has restrooms and water and trash service. RV sites are fairly close together, tent spaces are nicely spread apart from each other. ADA site is available. Sites can be reserved.
Legend
Gopher Valley campground in on of several campground in the Twin Bridges area of Grand Lake State Park. This campground is fully paved with both full hook up RV camping area, tent camping area and areas that work for both. Campground have drive through and pull in sites. Sites all have picnic tables and metal fire rings. Campground has a large pavilion which can be rented. The pavilion has a huge BBQ grill. Campground has a small playground for the kids. Small restroom with showers is available. With the exception of the RV pull through sites all the other sites have plenty of grass to set up a tent. Sites can be reserved.
Legend
Eagle Bluff campground has both RV and tent camping spots. Drive in sites have electrical, picnic tables, metal fire rings, BBQ grills and paved parking pads. The nice part of this campground is the undeveloped camping area for those tent campers, the sites while close together have Shelters over most of the sites picnic tables as well as BBQ grills. Sites with electricity have plenty of room for setting up tents. Campground has a new playground for the kids. Rest room has showers as well. Horseshoe pits and a basketball hoop are also available. Sites can be reserved. A Pavilion is available.
Traveler
Tent area is undeveloped, but the lawn is fairly level, bathrooms and showers are only a short walk away. Nicole showed me to the site and was a wonderful help. Great spot that most people might pass up because its right next to the highway, but honestly you can barely tell aside from the hum of trucks. Bathrooms are beautiful and clean, 2 toilets, 2 showers and a sauna in each. The place is quiet and seems like a lot of people here are long term residents. We are in a tent on the back lawn by a small fishing lake. Nice playground for younger kids and you cant beat the atmosphere and the birds. Free on-site laundry which I took advantage of when I needed to wash and dry my blanket on a cold night. Unfourtunately no campfire for tent camp sites, but bring a camp stove and you'll be fine. They are actively doing renovations and the office isnt open yet, so you have to call the park manager, Kim, for info and she is wonderful. All the staff is. Kim came by and took my son and 2 other kids on a golf cart ride on the trail behind the lake and they had a blast. We are loving it here and are sad to be leaving after the weekend. Update: I have just been informed they have a Willie Nelson impersonator doing a show here tonight, this place would get 6 stars if I could.
Traveler
Fort Scott Lake lake is tent camping only no animenities. ( no water, electric or bathrooms)
Traveler
Went tent camping with the family (6 of us ages 1-33) during the offseason. Just a beautiful place. Kids had a blast.
Legend
Woody Trail Campground has lots of options. From walking tent sites with or with out electricity, RV site with hook-ups and even cabins, this campground has something for everyone. All sites are nicely distanced from each other. Campground roads are paved. Sites have picnic tables Metal fire pits, and BBQ grills. Trash service and water as well as flush toilets and showers available. Campground has a large pavilion. Play ground for the kids and horse shoe pits. Tent sites with electricity have covered picnic tables.
Traveler
Loved the roomy tent site right on the water. Bathrooms were nearby and decent. Would stay again!
Guide
I’ll start my review by saying I’ve never pitched my tent in this park but have visited many times. They added tent sites in 2019- they appear to be primitive and include a fire ring. The nice thing is the tent sites are far from the RV sites so no unwanted noises for tenters in the night.
Trails abound in and around blowing springs which connect into the back 40 trail system...you can hike the B40 but remember this is a shared trail and you will come across many mountain bikers enjoying the trails system. There is also a arbortrarium in the park towards the back, a couple caves, and a creek.
If you are in need of snacks etc it’s a quick 2 minute drive to the grocery store / sonic/ Pizza Hut.
GuideFriendly and helpful Staff!
Nice Facility's
Full RV Hook-ups and many tent sites plus 1 Cabin!
Will be back when the leaves start to change!
Ranger
Clean and well maintained KOA. Friendly personnel. Shaded, pull thru sites as well as back-ins, cabins, and tent sites. Sites are very level with crushed stone pads. Good water pressure. Lots of grass. Patio sites are available. Internet is poor, as typical of most RV parks. Cable tv with about 30 channels. Good stopover park.
GuideThis is our go-to when we go to the area!! Blowing Springs is fantastic! Tent sites do not have electric but it’s so worth it! Such easy access to the Back 40 and Slaughter Pen mountain bike trails! We get on our bikes and ride all day and then come back and enjoy the peaceful campground! Totally recommend!
ScoutUse to tent camp there 10 years ago or so. Went back to camp and pretty much caters to RVs now. Pretty much campers and fisherman now. Be careful does not say anywhere about reservations. We had been set up and kicking back for over 3 hours before the RUDEST ranger came and told us our site was reserved she just hadnt put up sign yet. Plenty of nicer places in the area, oh well used to enjoy it.
Scout
Not a bad place to go camp and float. Bathrooms are a little run down and small, the sand volleyball court was ruined by the recent flooding and still has yet to be repaired. The tent camping was decently set up and good sized. Fit 2 8 person and 1 4 person tent on one site, with tons of room to spare. There is a wash station to wash any dishes you use in the little store at the front. Overall a good option for floating and camping.
LegendWhat I like about this campground is that the tent sites are separate from the RV area, and RV’s don’t have to go through the tents to get to their area. However, the RV’s have actual loops off the main road and the tent sites are right on that main road. The main road goes all the way through the park to the actual springs, a picnic area, and a nice arboretum. There are great hiking trails in wooded hills on either side of the campground. The RV area has dedicated parking spots for each RV with picnic tables and fire pits. The keypad coded bathhouse and laundry are also located in this area(keeps out the general public). The tent area is more or less a strip of mown grass with a few picnic tables and fire pits on either side of the road, with the creek and run off channels on either side. Obviously, you want to get a site on the creek side. Definitely hike back to Blowing Springs, LOTS of flowing water. The hiking trails up top are really pretty and surprising. I came across a cemetery up on a bluff, and found another small spring. It’s easy to get turned around and confused on the trails as they seem to overlap and some trail names seem to appear on several trails.
Ranger
If you are interested in bison sightings, this is the park for you. If you need water, supplies, shower or a flush toilet, skip this one. The tent sites are VERY primitive, but you drive up to your camp. You really have to go out of the way to get to this camp, but we were rewarded with a scary but fun close encounter with a lone bull bison. We also got some ticks, so be careful!
ScoutMy first experience in an RV park and it wasn’t a bad one. Pulled into a tent site with my teardrop and stayed for a night. The RV side is exactly how I envisioned and packed pretty tight. Tent spots were fairly well spread out and in the back of the park. Only downfall, which wouldn’t matter in the summer months but the shower was outside and it was a little chilly. Overall my experience was pleasant and if I’m ever in the area, I will not hesitate to stop by again.
ScoutWe tent camped in Campground 3 at lot 168. We are more of the hiker, woodsy, adventure type people. If I would have known better I would have chosen Campground 1 for tent camping, as it seemed less groomed. Campground 1 was tucked up in an inlet that went back into the valley. It dead ends at a wonderful trailhead. The west side on CG#1 is lined by a beautiful creek that runs into the rotating river. Lots 54-77 are close to the bathrooms and well shaded, and I have them noted in my phone for our next trip. Reservations required and easy to make (1-877-422-6766)
Campground 3 was very open and didn’t feel very “woodsy”. However it was still a very nice spot with a short walk to some awesome fishing spots. It is also near the two longer trail heads, which we enjoyed. If you have ATT you won’t have any cell service here. BUT.. there’s WiFi. Yes. In 2021, you can get WiFi at your campsite. I don’t really like this, but it was helpful for my partner who is a businessman and needs to be able to send emails. (This was only from CG#3 in my experience)
Campground 2 seemed like a nice in between of 1 and 3. It was a little more shaded, but seemed to have more traffic.
Every campground offered basic, electric, or all the fancy stuff. We like to rough it, so that wasn’t for us. We will be back for sure!
Guide
I've went to Mutton Creek Marina to Times now to tent camp with friends and family. Our first group had five people and the second time we had four.. they're camping spots were right off the water so we could night fish or day fish, the kids could play in the lake all while hanging out at our campsite. The sites were shaded and whenever we were tired of eating camping food we could eat at the floating restaurant. The people at the marina were especially nice and informative. I love taking my family here and because of the cheap price, accessibility and closeness to other beaches we love such as Bona on Stockton Lake. We will be back and we highly recommend this place to others close to us. We don't want to tell everybody about it so it's not too commercialized ;)
Legend
Angler's Paradise campground is a 20 site campground in the Twin Bridges area of Grand Lake State Park. The campground sits between the Neosho and Spring rivers.
17 of the sites are RV sites with hook ups, the last three are primitive tent sites. All sites have Picnic tables and BBQ Grills. Some sites have hooks for lanterns. Restrooms are on site as well as water and trash service. Most of the RV sites are right up against each other with little room between. It appears that this will be a busy site due to the very large boat launch at the campground. The campground is also just off of U.S. Highway 60 so expect some road noise. The campground does have a shelter as well that can be rented for $51.
Legend
Camped in Loop B on Oct 4, 2023. Camping was free at this Corp of Engineer campground since off season began on Oct 1st. The Loop B campground has several RV/tent sites arranged in sub-loops in an open field; some trees for shade. Sites are close to each other; no privacy between sites. Sites appear to be level. Each site has a metal fire ring, table and lamp pole. The loop road is paved and the sites were gravel. There were no hookups in Loop B. The water station was shut off, but the vault toilet, which wasn't very clean, was open. No camp host on duty during our stay. There is access to Stockton Lake from the loop road. There was nothing special about this campground, but has good lake access for boats. Otherwise this campgrund is suitable for an overnight stay.
Scout
I hate this place and will never go back. I did primitive tent camping for 2 nights with my 5 kids and a 5 mile float in a raft. It was over $500. The raft, by design, took on several inches of water so we couldn’t keep anything dry. Then, they didn’t have a pick up bus. We had to walk down the highway back to the office after floating for 6 hours and then waiting for an hour and even calling twice. The kids behind the counter don’t have a clue what is going on and are completely unapologetic when they mess everything up (our reservations, the float instructions, the pick up bus…). They made zero effort to make anything right and the counter girl even laughed at me for being upset. When I got mad and asked to speak to someone who knows how a business is supposed to operate she called security to throw my son and I out. We left early, ate the money and paid a different campsite down the street where the staff are friendly and helpful.
ScoutDon't go there on a Monday or Tuesday!!!! We camp here all the time and enjoy it. We went on Monday and it was the first time meeting the new part time camp host. We pulled up and there was a grumpy old man sitting on the bench would not wave or smile, the lady inside the both opened the window and just looked at us. We asked if there was any tent camping and she said in a short snippy voice for how many night. No welcome to Crabtree or great day! So the only site was 29 we pull in and look around put a few things on the table to hold that site and down comes grumpy ( Ray Millard) told us all the things we couldn't do. That he was the host and we were not following his rules . We drove on the road pass the cones to turn around and we would have to pay if we did any damage. We were on the road !!!! There was no water or damage to anything. He was just being a jerk! We left and will not go back until The regular camp host Terry is there. She really makes the place nice and relaxing to go to
Legend
This could be a really nice little campground if it weren’t for the party vibe starting at 7am (yep, there was that one guy pounding beer and cranking tunes at 7am). Camp sites are divided by the road with RVs on one side and tents on the other. A person can easily walk under the bridge to get from one side to the other without having to walk on the road. There are no designated sites for tents, and that means there are also no picnic tables or grills for tents (it looked like there were at least some grills and fire pits near the gravel parking pads for RVs). But, for $5 you can camp on the beach and Mike (the fellow who runs Zan’s) will help you get hooked up with kayaks or rafts to float the river. There are no showers. There’s a decent roadhouse just up the street for some eats.
Guide
wonderful and helpful staff, clean bath houses, best location, and a roaring waterfall right in the campground. best place to camp by far in southern Missouri. highly recommend.
Tent camping near Carthage, Missouri offers a variety of experiences, from serene nature spots to parks with recreational facilities. Whether you're looking for a primitive site or a more developed campground, there are options to suit your needs.
Frequently Asked Questions
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According to TheDyrt.com, the most popular tent campground near Carthage, MO is Prairie State Park Campground with a 4.1-star rating from 10 reviews.
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