RV campgrounds near Cottleville, Missouri offer convenient access to both urban attractions and outdoor recreation opportunities. The St. Louis metro area sits at approximately 450-600 feet above sea level with a humid continental climate featuring hot summers and moderately cold winters. Most camping facilities in the region remain open year-round despite seasonal temperature fluctuations that can range from below freezing in winter to above 90°F with high humidity during summer months.
What to do
Bike the Katy Trail: Access points near several Cottleville-area RV parks provide direct entry to Missouri's premier rail trail. At Beyond the Trail RV Park, "The Katy trail borders the park for easy access to town. Beautiful views across a large farm field (soy beans when we were here) to the hills beyond with incredible sunsets," notes one visitor.
Visit historic towns: The region features several well-preserved historic districts within short drives. "Just a place to park the camper and sleep. Big rig friendly for sure. Went back to see the Arch Natl park and down into historic St. Charles. Beautiful historic town with plenty to see and do, with a casino past that," reports a camper from Sundermeier RV Park.
Explore local wineries: Missouri wine country begins just west of Cottleville. "Hermann is an amazing village of old world charm nestled into the Missouri River Valley. Picture book clock towers and church steeples among 19th century era brick cottages adorn the historic German immigrant influenced village with plenty of restaurants, shops and galleries for wandering pleasure," explains a visitor at Hermann City RV Park.
What campers like
Recreational amenities: Several parks provide on-site activities. "St. Peters' 370 Lakeside Park is a very nice park. The lake is great to walk around, about a 3 mile walk or bike on a paved trail. You can see all kinds of wildlife in and around the lake- deer, bald eagles, pelicans, ducks, snakes. In the summers they have live music in the large pavilion, and you can rent kayaks and other small boats to take out on the lake as well as bikes to ride around on."
Gateway Arch views: East of Cottleville, campgrounds provide city views. "Very clean and secure overnight park just outside of STL. Phenomenal views of downtown and the arch, and fairly easy access to I-55/64/70. Facilities lacked some amenities (only vending machines, convenience store has shut down), but clean, paved, level sites with full hookups throughout," describes a visitor to Casino Queen RV Park.
On-site dining options: Some facilities feature restaurants on the grounds. "Pet-friendly, full hookups, space for our larger rig and parking around for extra vehicle. Laundry and propane on site. Spaces were a little close together, but minutes from downtown St. Louis, and staff was friendly and accommodating. Also, fantastic restaurant right on site -- Sawmill BBQ!" notes a reviewer at Cahokia RV Parque.
What you should know
Flash flooding concerns: Some parks experience water issues during heavy rains. "My only complaint which isn't the campgrounds fault, is you have some drainage issues if it rains a lot. A few of the campsites will flood, not bad enough to get to your camper, but just enough to be annoying," reports a visitor to Beyond the Trail RV Park.
Variable noise levels: Transportation infrastructure creates sound throughout the region. "Close to the arch, that's why we chose this place to stay overnight. Lots of noise from the interstate and there's a train that goes by a couple times in the middle of the night, but the view of the arch and downtown St Louis and access to both is fantastic," explains a guest at Casino Queen RV Park.
Uneven distribution of amenities: Facilities differ widely in features. "For this to be such a small RV park (smallest we've stayed at so far) the sites are very spacious! The wi-fi was surprisingly good enough that my wife and I could both work off of it and even stream shows on the Roku the whole week... there wasn't any bathrooms/showers, pool, fire ring, etc," notes a camper about Covered Bridge RV Park.
Tips for camping with families
Playground access: Look for parks with play areas. "This park is beautiful. Located about 25 minutes from St Louis. They have paddle boats and bikes and group bikes for rental. Located right next to a lake with a lot of RV and tent camping spots. Kids had a blast riding bikes. Even finding a few little frogs jumping around and fireflies at night," shares a family at St. Peters' 370 Lakeside Park.
Security features: Some parks offer increased safety measures. "We rolled into RV Self-Park late with our pup and loved how smooth the process was. Booking online was quick, the site was level, and everything was super easy—even after dark. It's well-lit, secure, and the hookups worked right on time. There's a fenced dog area too, which was a nice surprise," notes a visitor at RV Self-Park.
City attractions proximity: Consider travel times to family destinations. "Excellent little RV park behind a brewery. The Katy trail borders the park for easy access to town... Full hookups with both back in and pull through sites," reports a family staying at Beyond the Trail RV Park.
Tips from RVers
Specialized site requests: Ask about specific site layouts. "The utilities are set up weird on all sites - Water and electric are at the very rear of the site by the sewer, so you will need a decent sized hose to reach if your water intake is in the front of your camper," advises a visitor to Casino Queen RV Park.
Self-service systems: Be prepared for automated processes at some facilities. "I was impressed with this place. It's not staffed on-site as far as I saw. You can reserve a site online or just do it when you get there as I did. After paying the power is supposed to be turned on. Mine wasn't after a couple minutes but I called the number in the confirmation email and it was on within seconds."
Leveling conditions: Site surfaces vary between parks. "We loved how spacious it was. The roads within the campground were double-wide so we had no trouble turning and getting into our spot. The sites were double-wide concrete. We were able to park next to our 5th wheel with enough room to not feel crowded while using the picnic bench. Also the site was level," reports a Sundermeier visitor.
