Best Glamping near Dixon, MO

We've made the three hour drive to Montauk State Park a couple of times in the last year. We just love it there! It's especially wonderful if you can make it in November when the crowd has left and you can really enjoy the crisp, cool fall and have so much of the campground to yourself. Just beware, they lock the bathrooms and shower houses down during the off season! We, of course, love to trout fish and have always had fishing luck in our favor there. We also love to eat a meal at the little on site restaurant and enjoy the convenience store when we've forgotten things. Try the ice cream at the restaurant! Delish! We've only located one trail in the park: Pine Ridge Trail. It's a nicely maintained trail. We went at sunset and the view from the top was gorgeous. One of the conveniences of Montauk is cell service! You can actually use your phones here, unlike many Missouri State Parks. If you're looking to take your family swimming- I don't think this is a great park for this. There are literally people fishing everywhere and there isn't really a great place to swim. Campground does have a nice play area for the kiddos. Camp sites are generously spaced. We did have some nightly skunk visitors circle our camper, but they were so fat and cute and thankfully kept their stinky spray to themselves.

This state park is one worth a stop when near Springfield. I drove north toward this park to enjoy something a bit different and found it to be very peaceful during a weekday. 

I had traveled here following a busy time and expected to still have some of that lingering noise which hangs out after a big event. But by the time I reached the location it had dwindled out. Leaving behind in the peaceful outdoors were shaded sites that were well placed but slightly trashed. That isn’t the fault of the park but rather of the people who did not pick up after themselves. 

After a little tidying of my site, I was home for the night in a nice tent site. I took a tour of the grounds and noticed that the showers were nice, the water was great in pressure and hot!! Restrooms were well maintained and even after the weekend they had already done their maintenance and had them looking very nice!! 

Something else to note when traveling is cell service. With AT&T I had 3 bars of service, something which I was very uncertain of after driving to the location had been spotty in some areas. 

The campground runs alongside a waterway and it was nice to enjoy around dusk the sounds of the water. I would have taken a dip in it had I not arrived so late in the evening, it looked so perfect for just dipping the toes in. Also I could see this being a great place to launch a small boat or kayak. 

Nearby camp is one of the larger hatcheries in the state which you can visit during certain hours and see how they work to diligently populate the waterways and lakes in Missouri, pretty cool process and information. Definitely recommend!!

This is where my love of camping started. I spent many summers as a child camping at Montauk State Park with my grandparents. After those early years of riding my bike as a child around the campground loops, I now take my child there every year with the hope that he appreciates it as much as I do.

Montauk State Park is one of the Missouri Conservations four trout parks, and is located at the headwaters of the beautiful Current River. The Current along with the Jack’s Fork River make up the Ozark National Scenic Riverways National Park. Since it is one of Missouri’s trout parks you will find a majority of campers are there to fish. You can purchase a trout tag at the lodge for $3.00, and it will allow you to keep 4 trout per day with a possession limit of 8. The conservation will stock the Current on a nightly basis, based on number of tags sold the day before. The stretch of river from spring to the falls are some of my favorite fishing anywhere. I have a group of guys that get together every spring and fall for a trout fishing trip.

As the Current River winds its way through the valley, it creates one of the campground boundaries. This allows you to be near the river at all times, or even next to it, if you grab one of the spots on its banks. The campground is broken down into 4 separate loops, with loop 1 being the only basic section, all the others have electricity. I have spent more time recently camping in the basic section with the guys. We have used sites 115 for the space and 119 for the seclusion. Our family did camp on Mother’s Day on site 418, in loop 4. I would not recommend this site because you only have a small space between you and your neighbors.

There are two bathroom/shower houses with laundry facilities located in the campground, along with three campground host. You are able to purchase firewood and ice in the campground as well. Sites do go quickly so you will need to book months in advance.

The lodge has a full restaurant, as well as a diner style counter. My son love’s to go and sit at the counter to get ice cream. You will find menu item such as burgers, sandwiches, and salads, as well as a buffet on certain days. You can even order a sack lunch to take out to the river bank. The lodge also has a store stocked with camp essentials, souvenir items, and fishing supplies. If you do not have your own fishing poles, they have some for rent. You will also find the lunker board located here, so if you are lucky enough to catch a three pound trout bring it to have it weighed for your lunker patch.

If you decide not to fish, there are things to do such as take a tour of the mill when the naturalist does one of their demonstrations, hike the quarter mile trial to the springs (one of my son’s favorites, he likes to search for the water bubbling out of the ground), hike the longer 1.5 mile pine ridge trail, feed the fish at the hatchery, or take in one of the nature programs at the amphitheater. Also if you head out of the park on YY you will find Tan Vat Access located right outside the park on the Current. This is a great place to take young ones for a dip in its cool waters. Also you can take a gravel road out of the park to a funky little place called Bo’s Hollow. A family has built a small town in a field, where you can buy a bbq sandwich lunch, and take a model A ride to Ashley creek for swimming and a picnic.

I hope you get a chance to check out Montauk State Park. It is one of our family favorite destinations.

After one visit, this became one of my favorite state parks. This is one of Missouri’s’ “trout parks” with a hatchery and release sites so fishing (which actually becomes catching) is a big draw. Bennett Spring is so serious about their fishing they even have a trout cam so you can watch other anglers testing their skills.

When we pulled into the campground and picked out a super sweet paved full hook-up site we let out a sigh of approval and knew we were going to really like it there for a few days. The park has 143 campsites comprised of five loops so there are a wide variety of camping options, from basic to sewer/electric/water sites with some being reserveable to first come, first serve. There are wooded sites and those in the open where you are close enough to the fishing action to watch anglers from your RV. In addition to camping, there are 65 other lodging units which are cabins, duplex/fourplexes, and motel rooms.

We came to camp, fish, and hike but there is also canoeing, floating, a nature center and museum, trout hatchery, dining facilities, a church, Olympic-size swimming pool, and much more. When I wasn’t wading in the water with a wet line, we were walking through the woods. The park has over twenty miles of hiking trails meandering through its 3,216 acres. Trails range from a leisurely walk along the stream to that of rigorous mountain trails that reward hikers with great picturesque views of the Ozark Mountains. Guided ranger-led tours are also available for those wanting a little more information on your walk. The camp store is quite large with everything from food to souvenirs. For Anglers this is where you get your fishing permit and advice on the best lures to use (of which they have a large selection).

One aspect of this park that is so appealing is the historical character that came from the Civilian Conservation Corps (CCC) improvements made back in the 1930’s. They built a dam, arched bridge, cabins and shelters, dining lodge, roads, and trails. The CCC influence is obvious when looking at the dining lodge with its stone and wood exterior and post and beam interior that stands the test of time and emits rustic charm. The dining lodge still performs its original function and is popular among visitors (especially those who want to have their freshly-caught trout prepared for them).

To make a reservation or view campsite details, photos and availability, go to the reservation website by clicking the “Make a Reservation Now” link below. Reservations may also be made by calling toll free 877-ICampMO (877-422-6766). Printable campground maps are available for your reference by clicking on the "Map" links.

Some state parks are remote and have a quiet and tranquil feel. This park has a lot going on so that is probably not the case in the busy summer season. When we were there in early April the park’s campgrounds were pretty empty and quiet and while we really liked that we also liked that there was a lot to do. Our three days passed quickly and we would definitely come back.