Best Camping near Chaffee, MO

Recent Reviews in Chaffee

417 Reviews of 92 Chaffee Campgrounds

• 

  MickandKarla W.

  Legend

  

  Nov. 30, 2024

  Shawnee Forest Campground

  Built on an Old Golf Course

  We’d seen signs for Shawnee Forest Campground (CG) many times as we headed out and back from our St. Louis home base and wanted to check this CG out. We followed our GPS to the clearly marked CG entrance but our GPS showed we still had about a half mile to go. We checked in at the little office and were given the choice of pull through sites with FHUs 12 or 21. We chose site 21. The gravel roads are slightly narrow with some trees but we did not have any issues getting to site 21. The water and electric(50/30/20 AMP) are at the back of the gravel pad. There are two sewer hookups, which was nice. The water pressure was good around 50 psi. Their WiFi was very good. There are mature trees here and there in the CG, so satellite should not be an issue. We got two bars on Verizon. Each of the bath houses have a washer and dryer. Our site was not level and with all the rain we had, there were water puddles at the steps. There are some nice sites in this CG but we were not offered one of the better ones even though there were plenty of sites open in the upper 26- 50 site area. If we come back, we’ll know where to ask for a site. They have a small lake and two ponds for fishing. There's no formal dog area, but there are paved trails around the large CG area, which made it nice to walk our dogs.

• E

  Ethan B.

  Traveler

  

  Nov. 2, 2024

  Turkey Bayou Campground

  Great location

  Plenty of space and nicely maintained Porto potty

• 

  GB N.

  Scout

  

  Oct. 22, 2024

  DD Hwy Campground

  October tent camping

  Tent camping back away from the RVs & we were the only people. Gorgeous river to view just a few steps away & the night sky view was fantastic. LOVED the bathroom & shower facilities!

• J

  John R.

  Legend

  

  Oct. 22, 2024

  Asher Creek Campground — Lake Wappapello State Park

  Small campground with large sites.

  Beautiful small campground with large sites. Restroom was emaculate. Clean park with a boat launch. Electric only spots and dispersed. Water and dump are on site.

• 

  Scott G.

  Scout

  

  Oct. 16, 2024

  Crab Orchard National Wildlife Refuge Devil's Kitchen Group Campground

  Supposed too

  Be free camp sites listings for state parks

• 

  Tabitha R.

  Scout

  

  Oct. 12, 2024

  Johnson Creek

  Nice!

  This campground provides large spots, drinking water, vault toliets, dumpsters, picnic table, lantern hook, fire ring, and contactless check in. I also appreciate the value of these sites. It really is a reasonable rate for forest camping.

• 

  Greg D.

  Guide

  

  Oct. 4, 2024

  Hilltop Campground

  Decent overnight stop

  Hosts were friendly, but didn’t brief us on information such as where is the trash bin, what is the WiFi password. Restroom was old but relatively clean. There’s only one valve in the showers so all you get is lukewarm water. Not good on a cool or cold day. Some of the long term people have too many dogs, one had 6 little yippers, kind of annoying. And I’m not against dogs

• P

  Patricia S.

  Traveler

  

  Sep. 11, 2024

  General Watkins Conservation Area

  Maybe not a travel destination, but certainly a good waypoint.

  We opted for this site on our way west as a stopover because it was free and not a parking lot. There are a couple of loop trails and we walked one of them. We arrived on a Sunday afternoon. The locals use the area for fishing and walking and it was somewhat busy in the afternoon. A couple of guys fished at night until about nine. There was only one other couple camping. Very quiet and peaceful. There was a portable toilet but we didn't investigate.

  The cool thing was that the loop trail was forested by hundreds of paw paw trees. It must have been just past the season and we saw only a couple of decaying ones, but the entire trail smelled of apple cider vinegar and was quite pleasant.

  If you consider this waypoint, two things:

  1. The last mile is good, but very dusty, gravel road.

  2. No cell coverage in the parking lot for T-Mobile, some coverage on loop trail.

• 

  Jonathan H.

  Scout

  

  Aug. 18, 2024

  Dutchman Lake Camp

  Weeke d at the lake

  Great little spot right off the interstate. Lots of nice scenery and decent fishing.

• 

  Cecilia

  Scout

  

  Aug. 15, 2024

  Pine Hills

  Very nice

  Very quiet and secluded. Campsites are roomy and some firewood is supplied.

• J

  John R.

  Legend

  

  Aug. 11, 2024

  Trail of Tears State Park Campground

  Train Lovers.

  Large park with not many large RV sites. Lots of tent and dispersed camping. Disappointing store. Equestrian area. Beach and boat launch.

• 

  Joseph A.

  Traveler

  

  Aug. 7, 2024

  Sam A. Baker State Park Campground

  Where the rivers meet

  Sam a Baker is a beautiful destination for any family. There is plenty to do from hiking to horseback riding. There are multi camp sites that can be easily reserved online. The Saint Francis River and the Big Creek meet in the park. The big creek is spring feed and ice cold. The Saint Francis is wild and is considered white water during the rainy season. There are plenty of amenities in the park for the novice camper. From the camp store to the shower house. SAM A BAKER has you covered

• 

  Jordan A.

  Guide

  

  Jul. 22, 2024

  Turkey Bayou Campground

  Empty

  Nobody here. Bring a fishing pole. No services except a porta potty.

• 

  Scott B.

  Ranger

  

  Jul. 22, 2024

  Hilltop Campground

  Nice stop

  Stopped here for the night driving through the area. Nice campground, clean, safe, and right off the interstate.

• 

  Kevin C.

  Ranger

  

  Jul. 14, 2024

  Bean Ridge Pond Campground

  Nice private locationl

  There are only two camp site at this location and they are very close to each other. The camp sites are also very narrow. We camped in the lower site and had a difficult time getting everything out of the road.

  On the positive side, the site was clean, there was nobody there over the weekend and there was a humming bird. The pond had lots of frogs and and a few fish.

• J

  James W.

  Traveler

  

  Jun. 20, 2024

  Asher Creek Campground — Lake Wappapello State Park

  Quiet by the lake

  Tent camped here during the week in June and the campground was only about 1/3 full. Quiet and the restrooms and showers were very clean.

• E

  Eric W.

  Scout

  

  Jun. 16, 2024

  Shawnee Forest Campground

  Great place to camp!

  We stayed 4 days and had a great time. The camp was clean and well maintained. The staff are very friendly and helpful and was more than happy to offer places to visit in the area, places to eat and provide assistance as needed. The trails are paved so we had a nice area to walk (twice around the lake from our site was 3 miles). :) We plan to visit again!

• 

  Matthew Z.

  Traveler

  

  May. 30, 2024

  Dutchman Lake Camp

  Road trip break

  Beautiful spot with easy access and not far off the highway

• 

  Brian F.

  Scout

  

  May. 15, 2024

  Shawnee Forest Campground

  Great and clean!

  Great little stop, everything is clean and a fresh shower was refreshing.

• 

  Lucy P.

  Ranger

  

  May. 9, 2024

  Crab Orchard Lake Campground

  Probably nice in a big rig, sucks otherwise

  This campground was essentially an RV park. Only big rigs, some sites well spaced physically but no privacy in between so feels like everyone staring at each other. Some of the waterfront sites okay privacy-wise, but not most. Hookups work well, but bathrooms in terrible condition - especially showers.

  The whole place also smells like dead fish. We saw a raccoon go right through our campsite so be careful what you leave out, also tons of geese and saw two baby copperheads.

  The lake is at least really pretty and there’s a small beach area.

• 

  Dave M.

  Traveler

  

  May. 4, 2024

  Holliday Landing Campground & Marina

  Wide Open Spaces!

  My parents (from Mississippi) and I (from St. Charles, MO) found this place sort of between us and we sure do love it. The owner Kelly and his whole team were nothing but gracious and hospitable to us the entire weekend. You can tell there's some work to be done on this new venture for Kelly but his heart in it and I can't wait to see how he continues to grow the property. Thanks for having us and we can't wait to come back. 

  The bath house was clean. The site was huge. There was plenty of firewood when we needed it. The nature was nature'in and the wild was wild'in. Good times.

• 

  Steve G.

  Legend

  

  Apr. 24, 2024

  Crab Orchard Lake Campground

  Excellent Lakeside Campgrouind

  Getting there: Easy access off Illinois 13 East of Carbondale 

  Check in and staff: Campground is now under the egis of recreation.gov& reservations through them are a must. This is new& when planning the trip the website said“first come first serve” so we arrived on a Friday evening(4pm) with no reservation. The sign said RV sites all taken. The host was wonderful! He has been here 9 years and steered us to a nice site for the one night we will be here. The online experience with recreation.gov was not pleasant, impossible in fact. So I had to call. This took quite awhile. Once I got a real live person it was great, and we got our site with no problems. 

  Amenities: Bathrooms: clean, paper towels& air dryers. 

  Site: A-35. In the middle of the A loop and therefore not on the water. Still, very nice. After all, beggars can’t be choosers! Sites are somewhat spacious, but not terribly private.

• 

  Bonnie M.

  Guide

  

  Apr. 15, 2024

  Wanderers End Sanctuary Forest Farm

  So happy we found them such a fun place

  We had so much fun playing in the creek learning about as Aztec and their gardening methods. Very adorable , baby goats and baby chicks that were just all over and loving living. ❤️ My family and friends found out that I was going there and she was more than happy to help us be accommodated for so many people. I kept adding and she was like no problem. Thank you so much for making it easy and affordable. We will definitely be back to visit. I feel that we have actually found some true lifelong friends. Thank you Ivy

• 

  Bonnie M.

  Guide

  

  Apr. 9, 2024

  Castor River Campground

  Sketchy crowd of long term residents

  Way to crowded tiny sites

• F

  Frank G.

  Traveler

  

  Apr. 8, 2024

  Sulphur Springs Dispersed

  Beautiful River site for parking or dispersed

  We stopped here chasing the 2024 eclipse. Easy to find. No cost. About 20 parking spaces, a vault toilet, and a boat launch. Open for solar panels, but tree cover around the lot. Only about 5 parking spaces are not on a slant. Places in the trees for tents. Absolutely beautiful views up and down the river. A single fire pit on the river’s edge. No road noise to speak of because it is way in the distance and rare at night. Fireflies and owls into the night. Mist on the water in the morning: just beautiful. T mobile service has 3 of 4 bars. There is no apparent Verizon service.

• B

  Bill C.

  Traveler

  

  Apr. 6, 2024

  Trail of Tears State Forest

  Not free but worth the $8/night

  Surprised to find nice porta potty at our site that was remote from others. Potable water and camper registration (but had a boil water warning but that was not normal). 30 min into Cape Girardeau and 15 min to Anna. Nice picnic table and raised fire ring/ grill.

• V

  Vicky P.

  Scout

  

  Apr. 6, 2024

  Saline Creek RV Park and Campground

  Sweet RV campground! Very clean, quiet, and beautiful.

  We found this Rv campground while cruising through MO on to FL. We enjoyed this place! Beautiful, and quiet. New sites, tables, and a beautiful creek. A couple of pony’s too. We will definitely be stopping in again!