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Best Tent Camping near Carthage, MO

253 Reviews

Tent campground options near Carthage, Missouri include both established sites and primitive backcountry areas. Prairie State Park Campground, located 45 minutes from Joplin, offers basic tent campsites with picnic tables and fire rings. For more secluded tent camping, the Gibson Spring Back Country Site in Fort Crowder Conservation Area provides a primitive experience with minimal facilities but natural surroundings. Robert E. Talbot Conservation Area also permits tent camping, though access conditions can vary.

Most tent sites in the region feature basic amenities with limited services. Prairie State Park provides vault toilets, picnic tables, and fire rings at their tent-only sites, but no electric hookups or showers. Water is available in the maintenance area but not at individual sites. Gibson Spring Back Country Site requires hikers to treat spring water and offers picnic tables and a trash can. A review mentioned, "This site would be great for someone just getting in to backpacking as it is a short hike to the campsite from the closest trail head." Visitors should note that several locations have seasonal concerns, including ticks in warmer months and occasional access limitations.

The tent camping experience in this region offers natural immersion with minimal development. Prairie State Park features spacious tent sites in a wooded hollow at the edge of prairie lands where free-roaming bison can be observed from designated areas. According to feedback on The Dyrt, "The land is stunning and open and takes you back to a bygone era of this country. The sunrises here over the prairie are gorgeous." Walk-in tent locations like Gibson Spring provide quiet surroundings away from vehicles, while tent campsites at Talbot Conservation Area offer a convenient roadside stop. Campers should prepare for primitive conditions, as most tent sites lack modern conveniences but compensate with natural settings, wildlife viewing opportunities, and night sky visibility. Weekend visitors often find uncrowded conditions at these tent-specific campgrounds.

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Best Tent Sites Near Carthage, Missouri (8)

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Recent Tent Camping Photos near Carthage, MO

2 Photos of 8 Carthage Campgrounds

Tent Camping Reviews near Carthage, MO

253 Reviews of 8 Carthage Campgrounds

  • Fred S.The Dyrt PRO User
    May. 19, 2024

    Crabtree Cove

    Free Off Season Camping (review of Loop B only)

    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.

  • Dexter I.The Dyrt PRO User
    Oct. 22, 2021

    Gopher Valley - Twin Bridges — Grand Lake State Park

    Pleasant RV/Tent campground

    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.

  • H
    May. 31, 2022

    Prairie State Park Campground

    Primitive accomodations but beautiful land!

    The tiny campground is located in a wooded hollow at the edge of the prairie and has 4 primitive sites, no electric or water at sites, no showers and one vault toilet only. You can drive up the hill to the maintenance area to get water and there is a sign for this. 2 sites have paved pads and the others are gravel/dirt. The 2 outer gravel sites back up to a curved stream that runs along the perimeter of the campground but are lower and more shaded and more prone to hovering clouds of bugs. They are all have a picnic table and fire ring and are relatively private and well distanced. Since you have to drive through this stream to get to the campground beware when there has been heavy rain as it may not be accessible. The center paved sites are more open and grassy and get more wind but also don’t have as much shade. I think I stayed in site 4 and it was great for my solar panel. I did have steady cell service with AT&T while here.

    Since it’s pretty primitive you will likely have the place to yourself, but be prepared to have guests of the state park driving through all day to check it out. Lots of deer around, beautiful to see but this also means ticks! There is also significant poison ivy along the roads but there are signs warning about that. Best to keep to the maintained roads and paths. As far as dogs, they are not allowed on any of the trails because of the bison but they can walk the entire main gravel road of the state park (no shade). Nature center was closed due to covid when I was there but looks interesting. There were a couple bison about 20 feet from the center when I was there. My parents visited once and ended up on the road for about an hour while an entire herd of bison meandered across the road around their vehicle! The bison roam free here, although the small campground area has fences and/or cow grates to keep them out. The land is stunning and open and takes you back to a bygone era of this country. The sunrises here over the prairie are gorgeous.

  • Dexter I.The Dyrt PRO User
    Oct. 22, 2021

    Eagle Bluff - Twin Bridges — Grand Lake State Park

    Tent camping with covered picnic tables

    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.

  • Dexter I.The Dyrt PRO User
    Oct. 29, 2021

    Angler's Paradise - Twin Bridges — Grand Lake State Park

    Camp between two rivers

    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.

  • Wendy M.
    Oct. 26, 2020

    Blowing Springs RV Park & Campsites

    Ozark Gem

    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.

  • Lea B.
    Aug. 16, 2020

    COE Stockton Lake Hawker Point

    Private and Nearly Perfect

    Just got home from a weekend stay at site C19 at Hawker Point COE Park. This particular site was just up the hill from the lake and completely private. The walk to the lake was about 50 yards and a little steep but we managed to carry two kayaks down and up without too much trouble (and we are a middle-aged couple), and it was totally worth the effort because it was as if we had our own private cove.

    The site is very spacious and shaded with plenty of trees for our hammocks and clothesline. Lots of level places for tents. The park attendants were very friendly and helpful.

    C19 has no electricity or water and the closest vault toilet is a good walk down the road. The shower houses were driving distance away. We have a shower tent, so that wasn’t an issue for us.

    We drove through the rest of this park to check out A and B campground loops. A loop consists of full hookup sites and many sit right on the water. Little shade and crowded, but if you like to play on the lake all day these might be for you. B loop had pretty wooded sites but many were not close to the water. C loop is where it’s at!

  • Wendy M.
    Oct. 25, 2020

    Prairie State Park Campground

    Primitive fun

    This campsite is not for those who want amenities. There are 4 SPACIOUS sites and they are what I would call primitive. No hookups/ no electricity/ no running water. Good for star gazing. Two sites have a paved pad and two do not...depends what you’re looking for. There are quite a few trails ranging from 1.5-4.5 miles—- total of 14 miles of trails. The nature center is small but they have two bison, a coyote, and many other learning opportunities inside. Speaking of bison and coyotes... you’ll hear the coyotes all night howling and barking...the bison are roaming around which you will be able to see where they’ve been by the scat droppings around the road and trail system. Definitely something to see if you’ve never seen the plains before.

  • RThe Dyrt PRO User
    Sep. 9, 2022

    Bernice Area — Grand Lake State Park

    Grand Lake

    Nice quiet campground on Grand Lake. Spots are spacious on back-in concrete pads. Each spot has 50/30/20 power, bbq grill, fire ring, picnic table and light on the power pole. There are flush toilets and hot showers in the bathrooms. Reservations are easily made online. We had a spot near the water with a nice view of the lake. I had good 5G cell reception with Verizon.

Guide to Carthage

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.

Local Attractions for Tent Campers

Activities for Tent Campers

Tips for Tent Camping Near Carthage

  • Be prepared for primitive conditions at Prairie State Park Campground, as it offers no electric hookups or running water at the sites.
  • Keep an eye out for ticks while camping at Prairie State Park Campground, especially during hikes, as they can be prevalent in the area.
  • If you're looking for a more developed site, consider Oak Point Campground, which offers amenities like electric hookups and showers for a more comfortable stay.

Frequently Asked Questions

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

According to TheDyrt.com, the most popular tent campground near Carthage, MO is Schifferdecker Park with a 3-star rating from 3 reviews.

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TheDyrt.com has all 8 tent camping locations near Carthage, MO, with real photos and reviews from campers.

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