Best Equestrian Camping near Bradleyville, MO

Brendan and Teresa are an adotable young couple who are transforming a large area in the midst of Missouri farm country into a small black- and blueberry farm that includes a small RV camp. They also make and sell natural products (soaps, balms, etc.). They have constructed a cute rec house with darts, corn hole, even a little reading nook. There is a swing on the big tree in front of the rec house as well as horseshoe pits. Dispersed around the berry fields are hidden firepit areas for guests to enjoy. And you can pick berries for your breakfast!

They have built an exquisite shower room with cedar walls and river rock flooring, and there are bathrooms for guests as well.

Brendan and Teresa could not have been more accommodating. They presented us with a goody bag with s'mores fixings and a sample lip balm from their product line. And Brendan helped us with hose repair parts when our water hose jammed on the reel and we had to cut it off! First rate customer service.

The drawback for us is that (1) it is FAR from the main highway so not convenient for one-night stays and (2) the one site suitable for large RVs is not very level. We have a 40' Renegade Verona and it took 6 tries to find a place near the hookups where our auto-level would find a good position (no "excessive slope" error).

Also, we knew from the start there was only 30 amp service and no sewer, so we can't complain about that.

But for smaller RVs and boondockers, this is a charming getaway for families and anyone who enjoys getting away from it all.

No amenities other than composting toilets. There are a few tent sites along the road and there is plenty of grassy area near the creek for RVs/trailers. This is a horse camp with plenty of evidence, but it was only us and a couple of other tent campers.

The creek was obviously spring fed, crystal clear and had a gravelly bottom. There were plenty of places to get in the water...understanding that this is horse camp.

The place was well maintained and mowed and it was super peaceful and quiet. The main annoyance was some trash in fire pits along the creek.

If you consider this as a waypoint, two things:

1. There is about a mile of dusty, gravel road that is a little rough.

2. We had great T-Mobile 10 miles south, but it dropped to zero by the time we drove into camp.

Big M Marina and campground is absolutely awesome! Nestled snug on the Missouri Arkansas border is a gem of a campground. Large grassy sites some most with electricity and water, and some with sewer. Sites are paved and pretty level. Great play area for kids. Well kept bathrooms and showers. Marina has a great restaurant that you will not be leaving hungry. Nice marina store. Boat rentals as well as slips. The swim area was very clean and accessible even though it was flooded. Only inconvenience were the roads in. Be prewar warned. It is a nail biter. All in all definitely a 9 out of 10!

We stayed at Big M in campsite 44 in mid-May. The campground was definitely lively and there was a lot of people and activity going on the whole time, though everyone was very pleasant. It was more college kids/large families than the quiet retired crowd. Our campsite had a lot of privacy on 3 sides and had a small creek running through a ways behind it, downhill. There really wasn't a good level spot for our tent due to where the firepit was placed so we had to sleep on an incline. And the drive for the spot was at a pretty decent incline so a camper would definitely need to be leveled. A smaller tent could probably squeeze in well. The marina had a decent restaurant where you could get a beer and dinner. It's not too far of a drive from Roaring River which has lots of hiking trails. The bathrooms were pretty outdated and you need to bring your own hand soap, but that's pretty normal. The showers were a ways away from our site so did not end up seeing them.